English Speaking Saints And Martyrs

ENGLISH SAINTS AND MARTYRS OCT 03-OCT.09

2010-10-02T12:34:00.000-07:00

October 3

Sts. Ewald and Ewald, 695 A.D. Martyred Northumbrian brothers, one called “the Fair” and one called “the Dark,” companions of St. Willibrord. From Northumbria, they were educated in Ireland. These priests of the Benedictine Order went with Willibrord to Frisia, Netherlands. They were martyred together at Aplerbeke, near Dortmund, Germany, by local pagans.

October 5

Bl. William Hartley, 1588 A.D. Martyr of England. Born at WiIne, Derbyshire, he studied at Oxford and was an Anglican minister before his conversion to Catholicism. Going to Reims, France, he received ordination in 1580 and went back to the English mission to aid St. Edmund Campion. He was arrested in 1582 and deported from England. He returned and was captured again at Holborn. William was hanged at Shoreditch and beatified in 1929.

Bl. Robert Sutton, 1588 A.D. English martyr. Born at Kegwell, Leicestershire, he became an Anglican priest, studying at Oxford. In 1575, he converted and went to Douai, France. He returned to England and was arrested in London and hanged at Clerkenwell.

October 6

St. Ceollach, 7th century. Irish bishop of the Mercians or Middle Angles of England. He retired to lona, Scotland, but died in Ireland.

St. Cumine, 669 A.D. Irish abbot called “the White.” The abbot of Iona, Scotland, he wrote a biography of St. Columba.

October 7

St. Canog, 492 A.D. Martyr and eldest son of the local king of Brecknock in Wales. He was slain by barbarians at Merthyr-Cynog. In Brittany, France, he is called St Cenneur. Several churches in Wales honor him.

St. Dubtach, 513 A.D. The Archbishop of Armagh, Ireland, from 497 until his death.

St. Helanus, 6th century. Irish hermit who went to France with six brothers and three sisters. They settled in Reims, where Helanus became a priest.

St. Osyth, 700 A.D. Martyred nun, also called Osith and Sytha. Known mainly through legends, she was supposedly the daughter of a chieftain of the Mercians in England and Wilburga, daughter of the powerful pagan king Penda of Mercia. Raised in a convent, Osyth desired to become a nun but was married against her will to King Sighere of Essex, by whom she had a son. Eventually, she won his permission to enter a convent, and she established a monastery on land at Chich, Essex, donated by Sighere, where she served as an abbess. She was reputedly slain by Danish raiders and is thus depicted in art as carrying her own head. There are historical difficulties associated with her existence, especially as no mention is made of her by Bede in his Ecclesiastical History.

October 8

St. Keyne. Keyna or Cain was one of the twenty-four children of King Brychan of Brecknock, Wales. She refused several suitors' offers of marriage and became a hermitess on the banks of the Severn River in Somersetshire, England. After living there for several years, during which she traveled widely, she was persuaded by her nephew, St. Cadoc, to return to Wales, though exactly where she spent her last days is not known. During her travels, she founded numerous churches in South Wales, Cornwall, and perhaps Somerset.

St. Ywi, 690 A.D. Benedictine monk and hermit at Lindisfarne Abbey, England. He was ordained a deacon by St. Cuthbert. When Ywi died as a hermit, his relics were enshrined at Wilton, near Salisbury.

St. Triduna, 4th century. A virgin who, according to tradition, assisted St. Regulus in his mission to Scotland during the fourth century. She is also listed as Trallen and Tredwall. Her shrine at Restalrig was long venerated until its destruction in 1560 during the Scottish Reformation.

ENGLISH SAINTS AND MARTYRS SEPT. 26-OCT 02

2010-10-02T12:29:00.000-07:00

September 26

St. Colman of Elo, 612 A.D. Abbot and bishop, also called Colman Lann Elo. He was born circa 555 at Glenelly, Tyrone, Ireland, the nephew of St. Columba, In 590 A.D.; he built a monastery at Offaly. He also founded Muckamore Abbey and became bishop of Connor. Colman was the author of the Alphabet of Devotion. He died at Lynally on December 26.

St. Meugant, 6th century. Hermit of Britain. Also called Maughan, Mawghan, and Morgan, he was a disciple of St. lIltyd and reportedly died on the island of Bardsey. He is the titular patron of churches in Wales and Cornwall.

September 27

St. Barrog, 7th century. Disciple of St. Cadoc, in Wales, also called Barroq and Barnoc. He was a hermit who lived on Barry Island, off the coast of Glamorgen.

September 28

St. Annemund, 658 A.D. Bishop and friend of St. Wilfrid of York, called Delphinus by Bede and Chamond or Annemundus. The son of a prefect in Lyons, Gaul, Annemund was raised in the count of King Dagobert I. When Clovis II succeeded to the throne, Annemund served as his councilor. Named the bishop of Lyons, Annemund befriended St. Wufrid of York. When Clovis died, Annemund was slain in the political upheaval of his time. He died on September 28, 658.

St. Tetta, 772 A.D. Benedictine abbess. She governed the convent of Wimborne in Dorsetshire, England, and she was a supporter of the missionary effort of St. Boniface in Germany, dispatching nuns to assist in the evangelization.

St. Conwall, 630 A.D. A disciple of St. Kentigern in Scotland also called Conval. He was a priest who preached and worked in Scotland.

St. Machan. Scottish saint educated in Ireland. Machan was ordained as a bishop in Rome. Details of his labors are not available.

September 29

Bl. Richard Rolle de Hampole, 1349 A.D. English mystic and hermit. Born at Thornton, Yorkshire, England, circa 1300, he was educated at Oxford and in Paris from 1320-1326, before entering into the life of a hermit on the estate of a friend, John Dalton of Pickering in 1326. After several years of intense contemplation, he took to wandering across England, finally settling down at Hampole where he assisted the spiritual development of the nuns in a nearby Cistercian community. He died there on September 29. Richard was very well known and his writings widely read during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. He was one of the first religious writers to use the vernacular. A cult developed to promote his cause after miracles were reported at his tomb, although the cause was never officially pursued. His works include letters, scriptural commentaries, and treatises on spiritual perfection. Perhaps his best known writing was De Incendio Amoris. He also wrote a poem, Pricke of Conscience.

September 30

St. Enghenedl, 7th century. Welsh saint venerated in a church in Anglesey, Wales.

St. Honorius of Canterbury, 653 A.D. Archbishop of Canterbury, England, a native of Rome, sent to the British Isles by Pope St. Gregory I the Great. Honorius was Benedictine who went to England at the request of St. Augustine of Canterbury. He succeeded to the see in 627. Honorius was consecrated by St. Paulinus, and he consecrated Sts. Felix and Ithamar, the first English born bishops. Honorius gave St. Paulinus refuge when he fled Caedwalla of Wales after the death of King Edwin.

St. Laurus, 7th century. Welsh abbot, also listed as Lery. He left Wales to go to Brittany, France, and founded an abbey on the river Doneff, now called Saint Lery.

St. Midan, 610 A.D. Saint of Anglesey, sometimes called Nidan. He was an evangelist of that region of Wales. Other details of his life no longer exist.

OCTOBER

October 1

Bl. Edward Campion, 1588 A.D. English martyr. He was born at Ludlow and studied at Oxford, England. A convert, he studied at Reims, France, and was ordained in 1587. Edward returned to England and a year later he was martyred at Canterbury. He was beatified in 1929.

Bl. Edward James, 1588 A.D. English martyr. He was born near Breaston, and studied at Oxford, England. Converting to the faith, Edward studied at Reims, France, and Rome, and was ordained in 1583. Returning as a missionary to England, he was arrested and martyred at Chichester. He was beatified in 1929.

St. Fidharleus, 762 A.D. Irish abbot who restored Rathin Abbey, Ireland.

Bl. John Robinson, 1588 A.D. Martyr of England. He was from Ferrensby, Yorkshire, and a widower who went to Reims for ordination. Ordained in 1585, John went back to England and was executed at Ipswich, receiving beatification in 1929.

Bl. Robert Widmerpool, 1588 A.D. English martyr. Originally from Nottingham, England, he studied at Oxford and worked as a tutor for the sons of the earl of Northumberland. He was arrested for giving aid to a Catholic priest. Robert was executed by being hanged, drawn, and quartered at Canterbury with Blessed Robert Wilcox, and they share the same feast day

Bl. Robert Wilcox, 1588 A.D. English martyr. Born at Chester, England, in 1558, he studied for the priesthood at Reims, France, and received ordination in 1585. Sent to England the following year, he worked in Kent. Robert was arrested in Marshsea. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered with Blessed Robert Widmerpool at Canterbury. With whom he shares a feast day

St. Ralph Crockett, 1588 A.D. English martyr. Born at Barton on the Hill, in Cheshire, he was educated at Christ’s College, Cambridge, and Gloucester Hall, Oxford, and became a schoolmaster in Norfolk and Suffolk. Departing England, he went to Reims, France, and there studied for the priesthood, receiving ordination in 1586. Returning home to undertake the hazardous work of reconverting the island, he was arrested with Blessed Edward James and was imprisoned for two and a half years in London before being taken to Chichester. Ralph was martyred at Chichester by being hanged, drawn, and quartered. He was beatified in 1929.

St. Melorius. Prince of Cornwall, England, who was murdered as a child. Also listed as Mylor, Melar, and Melorus, he was the victim of an uncle’s ambitions. He was venerated in Amesbury, England, in Brittany, and in Cornwall. The tale has several versions, most dating to the Middle Ages.

October 2

St. Thomas of Hereford, 1282 A.D. Bishop of Hereford, also called Thomas Cantilupe. Born at Buckinghamshire, England, circa 1218, he studied at Oxford, Paris, and Orleans. Returning to England, he became chancellor of Oxford University in 1261, using his influence to aid the barons in their struggle against King Henry III (r. 1216-1272). In 1265, after the defeat of Henry's forces at the battle of Lewes, Thomas was named chancellor of England, although he was soon compelled to retire to Paris after the barons lost their grip on power. Returning to Oxford, he served once more as chancellor of the university in 1273. Two years later he was appointed bishop of Hereford, acquiring a wide reputation for sanctity and charity and serving as one of the most capable counselors of King Edward I (r. 1272-1307). He also was a stern opponent of simony and all forms of secular encroachment upon his Episcopal rights. His relationship with Thomas John Peckham, archbishop of Canterbury, deteriorated over matters of jurisdiction, culminating in Thomas' excommunication by the archbishop in 1282. He appealed to the papal court but died before any decision was reached by the pope. Despite the controversy, Thomas was revered in England and miracles were reported at his tomb; in 1320, he was canonized.

ENGLISH SAINTS AND MARTYRS SEPT. 19 -SEPT. 25

2010-09-18T07:40:00.000-07:00

September 19

St. Theodore of Tarsus, 690 A.D. Archbishop of Canterbury, England, and a memorable figure in the English Church. A native of Tarsus, Turkey, he was a Greek by descent. After studying in Tarsus and Athens, Greece, he went to Rome, where he became so respected that Pope St. Vitalian (r. 657-672) appointed him to succeed to the see of Canterbury in 667. After receiving consecration on March 26, 668, he set out for England in the company of Sts. Dominic Biscop and Hadrian the African, both of whom were to provide assistance and helped guarantee that Theodore's administration remained entirely orthodox. They arrived at Canterbury in May 669 and Theodore moved immediately to consolidate his position as primate of England and the metropolitan status of the see of Canterbury. To promote further unity, he convened two synods, at Hereford in 673 and at Hatfield in 680. Such was the success of his programs that the Venerable Bede wrote that Theodore was "the first archbishop obeyed by all the English Church."

September 20

Bl. Thomas Johnson, 1537 A.D. English Carthusian Martyr. A priest and member of the London Charterhouse, he was arrested with fellow monks for opposing the claim by King Henry VIII of spiritual supremacy over the English Church. Imprisoned at Newgate, Thomas was starved to death.

September 21

St. Hieu, 657 A.D. English abbess of Northumbria, England, who received the veil from St. Aidan. She governed Tadcaster Abbey, in Yorkshire. She may be identical with St. Bega or Bee.

St. Mabyn, 6th century. Welsh and Cornish saint, with Mabon and Mabenna. All are associated with St. Teilo. St. Mabenna was the daughter of Chieftain Brychan of Brecknock, Wales. They are all revered in various places that bear their names, but no details of their lives are extant.

September 22

St. Lolanus, 1034 A.D. Scottish bishop whose life is Unknown because fifth-century legends obscure the historically accurate accounts of his labors.

September 23

St. Adamnan. Adamnan, born in Drumhome, Donegal, Ireland, became a monk at the monastery there. Later at Iona, of which he became ninth abbot in 679. He gave sanctuary to Aldfrid when the crown of Northumbria was in dispute after the death of Aldfrid's father, King Oswy. In 686, when Aldfrid had ascended the throne, Adamnan visited him to secure the release of Irish prisoners. Two years later Adamnan visited several English monasteries and was induced by St. Ceolfrid to adopt the Roman calendar for Easter. Adamnan worked ceaselessly thereafter with much success to get Irish monks and monasteries to replace their Celtic practices with those of Rome. His success in convincing the Council of Birr that women should be exempt from wars and that women and children should not be taken prisoners or slaughtered caused the agreement to be called Adamnan's law. A scholar noted for his piety, he wrote a life of St. Columba, one of the most important biographies of the early Middle Ages. He also wrote DE LOCIS SANCTIS, a description of the East told to him by a Frank bishop, Arculf, whose ship was driven ashore near Iona on the way back from Jerusalem. Adamnan is thought by some in Ireland to be the same as St. Eunan, though this is uncertain. He died at Iona on September 23 which is his feast day.

Bl. William Way, 1588 A.D. Martyr of England. Born in Exeter, England, he went to Reims, France, where he was ordained in 1586. Using the name Flower, William started his labors, but was arrested within six months. He was executed at Kingston-on-Thames by being hanged, drawn, and quartered.

St. Cissa, 7th century. A Benedictine hermit in Northumbria, England. It is believed he resided near Lindisfarne.

September 24

Sts. Chuniald and Gislar, 7th century. Irish or Scottish missionaries to southern Germany and Austria. They labored as disciples of St. Rupert of Salzburg.

September 25

St. Finbar. He was the son of an artisan and a lady of the Irish royal court. Born in Connaught, Ireland and baptized Lochan, he was educated at Kilmacahil, Kilkenny, where the monks named him Fionnbharr (white head) because of his light hair; he is also known as Bairre and Barr. He went on pilgrimage to Rome with some of the monks, visiting St. David in Wales on the way back. Supposedly, on another visit to Rome the Pope wanted to consecrate him a bishop but was deterred by a vision, notifying the pope that God had reserved that honor to Himself, and Finbar was consecrated from heaven and then returned to Ireland. At any rate, he may have preached in Scotland, definitely did in southern Ireland, lived as a hermit on a small island at Lough Eiroe, and then, on the river Lee, founded a monastery that developed into the city of Cork, of which he was the first bishop. His monastery became famous in southern Ireland and attracted numerous disciples. Many extravagant miracles are attributed to him, and supposedly, the sun did not set for two weeks after he died at Cloyne about the year 633 A.D.

St. Caian, 5th century. A saint of Wales, England. He was the son or grandson of the local king of Brecknock. A church at Tregaian in Anglesey is named after him.

St. Ceolfrid, 716 A.D. Benedictine abbot of St. Paul Monastery at Wearmouth-Jarrow, England, also called Geoffrey. He was born in Northumbria in 642 and became a monk at Ripon. St. Benedict Biscop named him prior of Wearmouth, but he was too strict and was forced to leave. Accompanying St. Benedict to Rome in 678, Ceolfrid became the deputy abbot of St. Paul’s in 685. He and one young student were the only ones to survive the regional plague. He became the abbot in 690 and developed the twin monasteries into cultural centers. The Codex Amatianus, the oldest known copy of the Vulgate Bible in one volume, was produced at his command. He also trained St. Bede. In 716, Ceolfrid retired and started for Rome, dying on September 25 at Longres, in Champagne, France.

St. Egelred, 870 A.D. Benedictine monk at Crayland Abbey, Great Britain. He died with the abbot and many fellow monks at the hands of invading Danes.

St. Fymbert, 7th century. Bishop of western Scotland. He was ordained by Pope St. Gregory the Great.

St. Mewrog. A Saint of Wales of whom no details are extant.

ENGLISH SAINTS AND MARTYRS SEPT. 12 -SEPT. 18

2010-09-11T11:20:00.000-07:00

September 12

St. Ailbhe, 541 A.D. Bishop and preacher, one of the saints whose life has been woven into the myths and legends of Ireland. He was a known disciple of St. Patrick, and is called Albeus in some records. What is known about Ailbhe is that he was a missionary in Ireland, perhaps sponsored by King Aengus of Munster. He was also the first bishop of Emily in Munster, Ireland. Legends and traditions abound about his life. One claims that he was left in the woods as an infant and suckled by a wolf. This legend is prompted in part by Ailbhe's later life. An old she-wolf came to Ailbhe for protection from a hunting party, resting her head upon his breast. He is supposed to have been baptized by a priest in Northern Ireland, possibly in a British settlement. The so called Acts of Ailbhe are filled with traditions that are not reliable. Ailbhe was noted for his charity and kindness, as well as his eloquent sermons. He is beloved in Ireland.

September 14

St. Cormac, 6th century. An Irish abbot who was a friend of St. Columba.

September 15

St. Merinus, 620 A.D. Bishop beloved in both Scotland and Ireland. Sometimes called Meadhran or Merryn, he was a disciple of St. Comgall at Bangor.

September 16

St. Ninian. According to the life of Ninian by St. Aelred, he was the son of a converted chieftain of the Cumbrian Britons, studied at Rome, was ordained, was consecrated a bishop and returned to evangelize his native Britain. He had his own church built by masons from St. Martin's Monastery in Tours, which became known as The Great Monastery and was the center of his missionary activities. From it Ninian and his monks evangelized neighboring Britons and the Picts of Valentia. Ninian was known for his miracles, among them curing a chieftain of blindness, which cure led to many conversions.

St. Edith of Wilton, Edith of Wilton was the daughter of King Edgar of England and Wulfrida. She was born at Kensing, England, and was brought as a very young child to Wilton Abbey by her mother, who later became a nun there and Abbess. Edith became a nun when fifteen, declined her father's offer of three abbacies, and refused to leave the convent to become queen when her half-brother, King Edward the Martyr was murdered, as many of the nobles requested. She built St. Denis Church at Wilton.

September 17

St. Brogan, 7th. Century. Abbot of Ross Tuirc, Ossory, Ireland, he is called the author of a hymn to St. Brigid.

September 18

St. Hygbald, 690 A.D. Benedictine abbot of Lincolnshire England, also called Higbald, Hugbald, or Hybald. Several churches in the region bear his name.

ENGLISH SAINTS AND MARTYRS SEPT. 05-SEPT. 11

2010-09-04T13:03:00.000-07:00

September 5

Bl. William Browne, 1605 A.D. Martyr of England. He was a layman in Northamptonshire arrested and executed at Ripon for being a Catholic. He is associated in martyrdom with Blesseds Thomas Welbourne and John Fulthering.

September 6

Sts. Felix and Augebert, seventh century. Two martyred Englishmen who were captured and sold into slavery in France. Ransomed by Pope St. Gregory I the Great, Felix became a priest and Augebert a deacon. While preparing to return to England as missionaries, they were slain by pagans in Champagne, France.

St. Maccallin, Irish bishop of Lusk, Great Britain, Sometimes called Macallan and Macculin Dus. He is also venerated in Scotland.

September 7

St. Grimonia. French legend relates that St. Grimonia was the daughter of a pagan Irish chief, and that when she was twelve years old; she was converted to Christianity and made a vow of perpetual virginity. Her father, in defiance of or not understanding such a vow, wished her to marry, and when she refused, shut her up. Grimonia escaped and fled to France, where she became a solitary in the forest of Thierache in Picardy. Here the contemplation of the beauty of created things would often bring her to the state of ecstasy. After a prolonged search, the messengers of her father traced her to her retreat, where they before her the alternatives of return in a forced marriage or death. Grimonia remained firm and so she was beheaded on April 20th in an unknown year. A chapel was built over her grave which became famous for miracles, and around it, grew up a town called from its origin, LaChapelle. On September 7, 1231, her relics, together with those of Saint Proba (Preuve), another Irish woman, who is supposed to have suffered with Grimonia, were enshrined at Les Quielles. The facts about St. Grimonia are hard to come by; she may have been a solitary who lost her life in defending her chastity.

St. Alcmund, 781 A.D. Bishop and miracle worker, also called Alchmund in some lists. He was the bishop of Hexham in Northumberland, England, in 767, succeeding to the see established by St. Wilfrid. His tenure as bishop lasted until his death on September 7, 781. He was buried near St. Acca beside the Hexham church, but invasions by the Danes decimated that area of England, and the grave was forgotten. In the eleventh century, St. Alcmund appeared to a parishioner, telling him to inform the sacrist of Durham, a man named Alfred or Alured, to move the bones. Alfred agreed, but he took one bone from the remains when the grave was opened. No one could move the remains of St. Alemund until that one bone was placed among the rest. In 1154, Hexham was again invaded, and the bodies of the Hexham saints were gathered into one shrine. These remains were destroyed in 1296, when Scottish Highlanders attacked the region.

St. Tilbert, 789 A.D. Bishop of Hexham, England, from 781 A.D. He was the eighth bishop of that see. Simeon of Durham wrote of him.

St. Diuma, 7th century. Bishop of Mercia and companion of St. Cedd. An Irishman, Diuma was praised by St. Bede.

Bl. John Duckett, 1644 A.D. Martyr of England, born in Underwinder, Yorkshire, John was ordained in 1639 at Douai. He studied three years in Paris and then returned to the English mission at Durham, where he worked until his arrest and martyrdom on September 7 at Tyburn with Blessed Ralph Corby. They were hanged, drawn, and quartered. Both were beatified in 1929.

St. Madalberta. Benedictine abbess, the daughter of Sts. Vincent Madelgarus and Waldetrudis. St Aldegund was her superior and aunt who founded. Maubeuge, where Madalberta took the veil. She became abbess in 697. Her sister was St. Aldetrudis.

Bl. Ralph Corby, 1644 A.D. Jesuit martyr of England, also known as Ralph Corbington. Born in Maynooth Ireland, on March 25, 1598, he was trained at St. Omer, France, Seville, and Valladolid, Spain, before receiving ordination. He entered the Jesuits in 1631, and volunteered in 1632 for the dangerous mission in England He was given responsibility for the area around Durham Ralph worked for twelve years before he was arrested near Newcastle with Blessed John Duckett. He was martyred by being hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tybum on September 7. Ralph was beatified in 1929.

September 8

St. Disibod, 700 A.D. An Irish bishop also called Disen or Disibode. Discouraged by his lack of success as a missionary in Ireland, he went to Germany, where he founded a monastery on a hill near Bingen, called Disibodenburg. St. Hildegard of Bingen resided there in time.

St. Kingsmark, 5th century. A Scottish chieftain also called Cynfarch. He lived in Wales, where he is venerated.

September 9

St. Kieran. Kieran was born in Connacht, Ireland. He was the son of Beoit, a carpenter. He studied at St. Finnian's school at Clonard and taught the daughter of the king of Cuala, as he was considered the most learned monk at Clonard. Kieran spent seven years at Inishmore on Aran with St. Enda and then went to a monastery in the center of Ireland called Isel. Forced to leave by the monks because of what they considered his excessive charity, he spent some time on Inis Aingin (Hare Island) and with eight companions, migrated to a spot on the bank of the Shannon river in Offaly, where he built a monastery that became the famous Clonmacnois, reknowned for centuries as the great center of Irish learning, and was its Abbot. Many extravagant miracles and tales are told of Kieran, who is one of the twelve apostles of Ireland. He is often called St. Kieran the Younger to distinguish him from St. Kieran of Saighir.

St. Bettelin, 8th century. Hermit also called Bertram, a disciple of St. Guthlac. He lived in Croyland, England, and is listed as the patron of the town of Stafford. Remains of his shrine are at 11am, Staffordshire. Legend claims he was a noble who married an Irish princess who went into labor and gave birth in the forest while he went for help. Wolves ate her and the child in his absence. Bettelin and companions lived under the auspices of Croyland Monastery, founded by King Ethelbald of Mercia.

St. Wulfhilda, 1000 A.D. Benedictine abbess. Probably a member of the Anglo-Saxon nobility, she was much sought after by King Edgar (r. 957-975) for her hand in marriage while a novice at Wilton Abbey. She refused his proposal and finally won his permission to become a nun. She eventually became abbess of the convents of Barking and Ilorton, serving from 993 as abbess of both houses.

September 10

St. Finian, 579 A.D. Irish abbot, a disciple of Sts. Colman and Mochae also called Winin. He was born in Strangford, Lough, Ulster, in Ireland, a member of a royal family. Studying under Sts. Colman and Mochae, he became a monk in Strathclyde and was ordained in Rome. Returning to Ulster, Finian founded several monasteries, becoming abbot of Moville, in County Down, Ireland. He became embroiled with St. Columba, a student, over a copy of St. Jerome’s Psalter, and St. Columba had to surrender that copy to Finian. He also founded Holywood and Dumfries in Scotland. Finian was known for miracles, including moving a river.

St. Frithestan, 933 A.D. Benedictine bishop, a disciple of Sts. Grimbald and Plegmund. Frithestan was bishop of Winchester, England, for almost a quarter of a century

September 11

St. Ambrose Edward Barlow, 1641 A.D. Martyr and one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. A convert, Ambrose studied for the priesthood at Douai, France, and Valladolid, Spain. In 1615 he was professed Benedictine, affiliated by request to the Spanish Abbey of Celanova. For twenty-four years, Ambrose worked in Lancashire, England, despite the dangers. He was arrested four times but was released. On his fifth arrest, he was executed at Lancaster.

St. Daniel, 584 A.D. Welsh bishop and founder, companion of Sts. Dygrig and David. Daniel belonged to the Strathclyde family of Wales. He founded a monastery at Bangor Fawr, Caernarvonshire, in 514. He also became the first bishop of that see. Daniel went to St. David to persuade him to attend the Synod of Brefi. In Wales he is sometimes called Desiniol

ENGLISH SAINTS AND MARTYRS AUGUST 29-SEPI. 4

2010-08-29T06:06:00.000-07:00

August 29

St. Velleicus, 8th century. Anglo-Saxon abbot also listed as Willeic. He journeyed to Germany to assist in the evangelization of the region as a disciple of St. Swithbert and served as abbot of Kaiserswerth, on the Rhine.

St. Sebbi, 694 A.D. Also listed as Sebbe, he became the king of Essex (or the East Saxons) following the conversion of the kingdom by St. Cedd in 664. He ruled at a time when there was relative peace and the realm was under the domination of Mercia, a nearby kingdom. Sebbi abdicated after ruling thirty years and became a monk in London. He died there and was buried in the old St. Paul’s.

St. Edwold, 9th century. A hermit who was the brother of St. Edmund the Martyr, King of East Anglia, England. Edwold lived as a recluse in Cerne, Dorsetshire.

Bl. Richard Herst, 1628 A.D. English martyr, also called Hurst. Born near Preston, Lancashire, England, he was well known as a farmer until being arrested on the charge of murder. He fought with three men who tried to arrest him, and one of them, named Dewhurst, died. In point of fact, he was hanged at Lancaster on August 29 because of his refusal to deny Catholicism. He was offered his freedom if he took the Oath of Supremacy but declined. He was beatified in 1929.

August 30

St. Rumon. Rumon, also known as Ruan, Ronan, and Ruadan, was probably a brother of Bishop St. Tudwal of Trequier, but nothing else is known of him beyond that he was probably an Irish missionary and many churches in Devon and Cornwall in England were named after him. Some authorities believed he is the same as the St. Ronan (June 1) venerated in Brittany and believed consecrated bishop by St. Patrick, but others believe that he and St. Kea were British monks who founded a monastery at Street Somerset.

Bl. Edward Shelley, 1588 A.D. English martyr of Warminghurst. He sheltered priests and was hung at Tyburn. Edward was beatified in 1929.

St. Loaran, 5th century. Irish disciple of St. Patrick. He is sometimes listed as the bishop of Downpatrick, Ireland.

Bl. Richard Leigh, 1588 A.D. English martyr. Born in London, circa 1561, he studied at Reims and Rome and was ordained a priest in 1586. Returning to England, he was arrested and banished. He returned and was again arrested for being a priest and, with Blesseds Richard Martin, Edward Shelley, John Roche, Richard Flowers, and St. Margaret Ward, was executed at Tybum. Richard was beatified in 1929.

St. Richard Martin, 1588 A.D. English martyr. Born in Shropshire, he studied at Oxford and was a devout Catholic. Arrested for giving shelter to priests, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tybum with Blesseds Richard Leigh, Edward Shelley, John Roche, Richard Flowers, and St. Margaret Ward. He was beatified in 1929.

August 31

St. Aidan of Lindisfarne, 651 A.D. Aidan of Lindisfarne, born in Ireland, may have studied under St. Senan before becoming a monk at Iona. At the request of King Oswald of Northumbria, Aidan went to Lindisfarne as bishop and was known throughout the kingdom for his knowledge of the Bible, his learning, his eloquent preaching, his holiness, his distaste for pomp, his kindness to the poor, and the miracles attributed to him. He founded a monastery at Lindisfarne that became known as the English Iona and was a center of learning and missionary activity for all of northern England. He died in 651 at the royal castle at Bamburgh.

Bl. Richard Bere, 1537 A.D. English martyr. Born at Glastonbury, he studied at Oxford and the Inns of Court before entering the Carthusians in London. When he and his fellow monks voiced their opposition to the planned divorce of King Henry VIII from Catherine of Aragon, they were starved to death in Newgate Prison.

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September 1

St. Fiacre. Patron of Gardeners and Cab-drivers St. Fiacre (Fiachra) is not mentioned in the earlier Irish calendars, but it is said that he was born in Ireland and that he sailed over into France in quest of closer solitude, in which he might devote himself to God, unknown to the world. He arrived at Meaux, where Saint Faro, who was the bishop of that city, gave him a solitary dwelling in a forest which was his own patrimony, called Breuil, in the province of Brie. There is a legend that St. Faro offered him as much land as he could turn up in a day, and that St. Fiacre, instead of driving his furrow with a plough, turned the top of the soil with the point of his staff. The anchorite cleared the ground of trees and briers, made himself a cell with a garden, built an oratory in honor of the Blessed Virgin, and made a hospice for travelers which developed into the village of Saint-Fiacre in Seine-et-Marne. Many resorted to him for advice, and the poor, for relief. His charity moved him to attend cheerfully those that came to consult him; and in his hospice he entertained all comers, serving them with his own hands, and sometimes miraculously restored to health those that were sick. He never allowed any woman to enter the enclosure of his hermitage, and Saint Fiacre extended the prohibition even to his chapel; several rather ill-natured legends profess to account for it. Others tell us that those who attempted to transgress, were punished by visible judgements, and that, for example, in 1620 a lady of Paris, who claimed to be above this rule, going into the oratory, became distracted upon the spot and never recovered her senses; whereas Anne of Austria, Queen of France, was content to offer up her prayers outside the door, amongst the other pilgrims.

St. Lythan. Titular saint of two churches in Wales. He is sometimes listed as Llythaothaw and Thaw.

September 3

St. Angus MacNisse. According to legends, Angus MacNisse was baptized by St. Patrick, who years later consecrated him, bishop. After a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in Rome, he founded a church and monastery at Kells, which developed into Connor, of which he is considered the first bishop. His story is filled with extravagant miracles, such as changing the course of a river for the convenience of his monks and rescuing a child about to be executed for his father's crime by causing him to be carried by the wind from his executioners to his arms.

St. Balin, 7th century. Confessor and disciple of St. Colman of Lindisfarne. Balm was the son of an Anglo-Saxon king. He accompanied St. Colman to lona, in Scotland, and then took up residence in Connaught, Ireland.

St. Hereswitha, 690 A.D. Benedictine princess of Northumbria, England, sister of St. Hilda and mother of Sts. Sexburga, Withburga, and Ethelburga. A widow, Hereswitha spent the last years of her life as Benedictine in Chelles, France.

St. Macanisius, 514 A.D. Bishop and probable founder of Kells Monastery. Ireland, which became the diocese of Connor. Tradition states that St. Patrick baptized Macanisius as an infant and then consecrated him later as a bishop. He is also listed as Aengus McNisse in some documents, and many spectacular miracles are attributed to him.

September 4

St. Ultan, 657 A.D. Bishop of Ardbraccan, Ireland. He was noted for his care of the poor, orphans, and the sick, and is the reputed collector of the writings of St. Brigid. Ultan illustrated his own manuscripts.

St. Rhuddlad, 7th century. Welsh virgin, patroness of Llanrhyddlad in Anglesey, Wales.

St. Monessa, 456 A.D. Virgin convert of St. Patrick in Ireland. Reportedly the daughter of an Irish chieftain, Monessa died in the instant that she was baptized.

ENGLISH SAINTS AND MARTYRS AUGUST 22-28

2010-08-21T09:23:00.000-07:00

August 22

St. Sigfrid. Sigfrid, who died in the year 690, was a deacon at Wearmouth Abbey. He was known for his knowledge of scripture and for his frail health. He was elected coadjutor abbot in 688 on the death of St. Erstwine while Abbot St. Benedict Biscop was in Rome. Sigfrid died soon after St. Benedict.

St. Andrew the Scot, 877 A.D. Archdeacon and companion of St. Donatus. Andrew and his sister, St. Bridget the Younger, were born in Ireland of noble parents. They were educated by St. Donatus, and when Donatus went on a pilgrimage to Italy, Andrew accompanied him. In Fiesole, through a miracle, Donatus was elected bishop. Andrew was ordained the archdeacon of Fiesole, serving Donatus for forty-seven years. He also founded a monastery in Mensola, Italy. Andrew died shortly after Donatus, but his sister, St. Bridget the Younger, was carried by an angel to his bedside, all the way from Ireland.

St. Arnulf, 9th century. Hermit, venerated at Arnulphsbury or Eynesbury, in England.

Bl. William Lacey, 1582 A.D. Martyr of England. Born in Horton, West Riding, Yorkshire, he distinguished himself as a lawyer and as an ardent Catholic, using his house as a refuge for the much oppressed Catholics of the time. Following the death of his second wife in 1579, he left England and studied at Reims, France, in preparation for his eventual ordination at Rome. William returned to England and worked in the area of Yorkshire until his arrest. He was arrested in York Prison while participating in the Eucharistic ceremony being sung in the cell of Blessed Thomas Bell. Condemned, he was executed at Knavesmaire, just outside of York with Blessed Richard Kirkman. William was beatified in 1886.

St. Ethelgitha. Benedictine abbess of Northumbria, England.

St. Gunifort. A martyr of Pavia, Italy. He was Irish, Scottish, or English.

St. John Kemble, 1679 A.D. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. He was born in Herefordshire, England, in 1599, and studied at Douai, where he was ordained in 1625. Returning to England, John labored in missions for fifty-three years. At the age of eighty-one, he was arrested at Pembridge Castle, the home of his brother. He was falsely charged in the Titus Oates Plot and condemned for being a Catholic. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Hereford. Pope Paul VI canonized him in 1970.

St. John Wall, 1679 A.D. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. He was born near Preston, England, and was educated at Douai and Rome and ordained in 1645. In 1651 he became a Franciscan, called Father Joachim of St. Anne, returning to Worcester, England, in 1656. There he was arrested in December 1678 and imprisoned for five months. He was martyred by being hanged, drawn, and quartered at Redhill. Pope Paul VI canonized him in 1970.

Bl. Richard Kirkman, 1582 A.D. English martyr. Born in Addingham, Yorkshire, he left England and studied at the famous Catholic school of Douai, France, the preparatory institution for English Catholics who would then return home and work for the reconversion of the isle. Ordained in 1579, in Reims, he sailed to England and served as a tutor for Richard Dymake’s family in Scrivelsby. Richard then went to Yorkshire and Northumberland and he was arrested near Wakefield. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered near York with Blessed William Lacey, on August 22, for denying the supremacy of Queen Elizabeth I as head of the Church of England

August 23

St. Tydfil, 480 A.D. Welsh martyr, reportedly from the clan of Brychan. She was slain by a group of pagan Picts or Saxons and is venerated at Merthyr-Tydfil, Glamorgan. Wales.

St. Ebba, 870 A.D. Abbess of Coldingham, England, on the Scottish border, called “the Younger.” She and her nuns were martyred by Danes in an invasion. She mutilated her face to discourage rape by the invading Danes. The raiders set fire to Coldingham, killing all of the nuns.

St. Eugene, 6th century. Irish missionary to England who became the first bishop of Ardstraw, in Tyrone, Ireland, now Derry. He is also listed as Eoghan, Enny, and Owen. He was born in Leinster, Ireland, and was a relative of St. Kevin of Glendalough. Kidnapped as a child, he spent years as a slave before returning to Ireland. There he helped St. Tigernach found Clones Monastery in 576.

August 24

St. Yrchard, fifth century. Scottish bishop and disciple of St. Ternan also called Yardcard. Yrchard served as a missionary among the Picts.

August 26

St. Bregwin, 764 A.D. Also Breguivine, the twelfth archbishop of Canterbury, England. He served from 761 until his death. His letters to St. Lullus of Mainz are extant and Eadmer wrote his life.

Bl. Thomas Percy, 1572 A.D. English Martyr, born in 1528. Earl of Northumberland from 1537, Thomas initially enjoyed an excellent relationship with Queen Elizabeth I (r. 1558-1603). Thomas also served Queen Mary (r. 1542-1587). Queen Elizabeth bestowed the Order of the Garter on him in 1563. He then became involved in the Rising of the North and fled to Scotland but was sold to Queen Elizabeth for two thousand pounds. For three years he languished in a prison, refusing fervently to abjure his faith in return for his freedom. Thomas was finally beheaded at York and was beatified in 1896.

St. Pandwyna, 10th century. A Scottish or Irish saint also called Pandonio. A church is dedicated to her in Cambridgeshire, England.

August 27

St. Decuman, 706 A.D. Hermit martyr, also called Dagan. He was Welsh, and he lived as a recluse in Somersetshire, England. There he was murdered in a fashion that led to his veneration as a martyr.

St. Etherius, 602 A.D. Bishop of Lyons, France, who welcomed St. Augustine when he was on his way to England. Pope St. Gregory I the Great recommended Etherius to St. Augustine. Etherius is sometimes listed as Alermius.

St. Malrubius. Martyred hermit of Merns, Scotland. He was slain by Norse invaders who landed in his area and razed the countryside.

August 28

St. Edmund Arrowsmith, 1628 A.D. St. Edmund Arrowsmith (1585 - 1628) Edmund was the son of Robert Arrowsmith, a farmer, and was born at Haydock, England. He was baptized Brian, but always used his Confirmation name of Edmund. The family was constantly harrassed for its adherence to Catholicism, and in 1605 Edmund left England and went to Douai to study for the priesthood. He was ordained in 1612 and sent on the English mission the following year. He ministered to the Catholics of Lancashire without incident until about 1622, when he was arrested and questioned by the Protestant bishop of Chester. He was released when King James ordered all arrested priests be freed, joined the Jesuits in 1624, and in 1628 was arrested when betrayed by a young man he had censored for an incestuous marriage. He was convicted of being a Catholic priest, sentenced to death, and hanged, drawn, and quartered at Lancaster on August 28th. He was canonized as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales by Pope Paul VI in 1970.

Blesseds John Roche and Margaret Ward. John Roche was one of the London martyrs of 1588. Blessed Margaret Ward was a gentle woman born at Congleton in Cheshire, in the service of another gentle woman, Whitall, in London. She had visited in the Bridewell prison, Mr. Richard Watson, a secular priest; to him she smuggled a rope, but in making use of it to escape, Watson had fallen and broken an arm and a leg. He was gotten away by Margaret's young Irish serving-man, John Roche, who, to assist the priest's escape, changed clothes with him and so, was himself arrested. When charged, both Blessed Margaret and Blessed John refused to disclose Mr. Watson's whereabouts. They were offered their liberty if they would ask the Queen's pardon and promise to go to church; to which they replied that they had done nothing that could reasonably offend her Majesty, and that it was against their conscience to attend a protestant church. So they were condemned. These martyrs, who suffered with such firm constancy and patience, were forbidden to speak to the people from the scaffold because their persecutors were afraid of the impression they would make; "but the very death of so many saint-like innocent men (whose lives were unimpeachable), and of several young gentlemen, which they endured with so much joy, strongly pleaded for the cause for which they died."

Bl. William Dean, 1588 A.D. Martyr of England. Born at Linton in Craven, Yorkshire, he was originally a minister who was converted to Catholicism. William left England and received ordination at Reims, France, in 1581. Returning to England, he was arrested and exiled but returned and was arrested again in London. William was executed in Nile End Green, London. He was beatified in 1929.

Bl. William Guntei, 1588A.D. Martyr of Wales. A native of Raglan, Gwent, Wales, he was a Catholic who received ordination at Reims, France, in 1587. He returned to England to work for the Catholic mission. Captured, he was hanged at Shoreditch and beatified in 1929.

Bl. Thomas Felton, 1588 A.D. English martyr. The son of Blessed John Felton, he was born at Bermondsey, England, in 1568. Leaving England to study at Reims, France, he entered the Friars Minim and went home to England to recover from an illness. He was arrested and imprisoned for two years. Released, he was again put in prison and hanged at lsleworth, London.

Bl. Thomas Holford, 1588 A.D. English martyr. Also known as Thomas Acton, he was born at Aston, in Cheshire, England. Raised a Protestant, he worked as a schoolmaster in Herefordshire until converting to the Catholic faith. He left England and was ordained at Reims in 1583. Going home, he labored in the areas around Cheshire and London until his arrest. He was hanged at Clerkenwell in London.

Bl. Hugh More, 1588 A.D. Martyr of England. He was a native of Lincolnshire, educated at Oxford. After converting while at Reims, Hugh was martyred at Lincoln’s Inn Fields by hanging. Pope Pius XI beatified him in 1929.

Bl. Robert Morton, 1588 A.D. English martyr. Born in Bawtry, Yorkshire, he left England and studied for the priesthood at Reims and Rome. After ordination in 1587, he returned home immediately and was soon arrested. He was executed at Lincoln's Inn Fields, London. Robert was beatified in 1929 as one of the Martyrs of London of 1588.

St. Rumwald, 650 A.D. Was a prince, the son of King Aldfrith and Queen Cuneburga, in the kingdom of Northumbria, England. He is said to have been only three days old when, upon his Baptism, he declared the profession of faith and then died. Venerated for centuries in parts of England.

ENGLISH SAINTS AND MARTYRS AUGUST 15-21

2010-08-15T06:49:00.000-07:00

August 16

St. Armagillus, 570 A.D. Welsh missionary, called Armel, Ermel, and Ervan, and a cousin of St. Samson. He studied under Abbot Carentmael, joining the abbot in missionary journeys to Brittany, France. The missionaries founded Saint-Armel-des-Boscheaux and Plou-Ermel or Plouharzel. Connor, a local chieftain, forced them to leave the mission until 555. Connor was slain in battle that year, allowing their return. Armagillus is honored by a Comish church, St. Erme.

August 17

St. Drithelm, 700 A.D. A wealthy man of Northumbria, England, who supposedly died, experienced a powerful vision of heaven, hell, and purgatory, and then was found to be alive. He divided his possessions among his wife and children and made benefices for the poor before becoming a monk at Melrose Abbey. He lived as a hermit there with great austerities. St. Bede gives an account of his life.

St. Hiero, 885 A.D. Irish martyr, also called Iero. He was an Irish missionary to Holland, where he was martyred

St. James the Deacon, 769 A.D. Italian monk and deacon. A companion of St. Paulinus in the missionary effort in Northumbria, England, he was so dedicated to the evangelizing cause that he remained in the region despite the constant dangers of the severe pagan reaction.

August 18

St. Daig Maccairaill, 586 A.D. Monastic founder and bishop, also called Dagaeus and Daganus. He was the son of Cayrill and a disciple of St. Finian. Daig Maccairaill founded a monastery at Iniskeen, Ireland. He is called “one of the Three Master Craftsman of Ireland.”

St. Hugh the Little, 1255 A.D. Martyred nine year old of Lincoln, England, reportedly a victim of ritual killing by English Jews. King Henry III conducted the investigation of the crime which resulted in eighteen or nineteen Jews being hanged. Hugh had been scourged, crowned with thorns, and crucified. Miracles supposedly accompanied the recovery of the lad’s body from a well, and the martyrdom became part of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. The feast of the saint is no longer kept by the Church, and the entire account of the young saint is considered an example of the anti Semitism which was rampant throughout the Middle Ages. In art, he was depicted bound in cords, kneeling before the Blessed Mother.

St. Evan, 9th century. A Scottish hermit in Ayrshire, Scotland, also listed as man. Churches in the region bear his name.

August 19

St. Mochta, 535 A.D. Bishop of Ireland. He was born in Britain but was brought to Ireland as a child. There he became a disciple of St. Patrick. During a visit to Rome, Mochta was made a bishop by Pope St. Leo I. He founded Louth Monastery with twelve companions and was probably consecrated by St. Patrick. He died at the age of ninety, the last known disciple of St. Patrick.

St. Sebald, 770 A.D. Patron Saint of Nuremberg. Hermit, missionary, and a patron saint of Nuremberg. Most likely an Anglo-Saxon from England, he arrived on the Continent and became a hermit near Vicenza, Italy, and then participated in the missionary enterprise of the times, assisting in the work. of St. Willibald in the Reichswald. Many miracles were attributed to him, including turning icicles into firewood.

St. Credan, 780 A.D. A Benedictine abbot of Evesham, England, in the reign of King Offa of Mercia.

August 20

St. Edbert, 960 A.D. King of Northumbria, England, the successor of St. Ceolwulph. He reigned for two decades and then became a Benedictine monk at York.

St. Herbert Hoscam, 1180 A.D. Archbishop and patron saint of Conze, Italy. He was English by birth but served as prelate of the Basilicata area.

St. Ronald, 1158 A.D. A warrior chieftain in the Orkney Islands, Scotland. According to tradition, he made a vow to build a church, fulfilling the pledge by erecting the cathedral of St. Magnus at Kirkwall. Ronald was later murdered by a group of rebelling warriors and was venerated as a martyr at Kirkwall.

August 21

St. Hardulph. A hermit of Leicester, England, possibly the recluse of Breedon, mentioned in the life of St. Modwenna. A church was dedicated in hid honor.

ENGLISH SAINTS AND MARTYRS AUGUST 7-14

2010-08-07T10:25:00.000-07:00

August 7
St. Donat. Patron saint of St. Donat’s or Llandunwyd, Glamorgan, Wales. Nothing else is known, but in some lists he is called Dunwyd.

St. Claudia. Claudia was the mother of Linus, who became the second Pope. Tradition has her as the daughter of British King Caractacus, who was sent to Rome with his family in chains when he was defeated by Aulus Plautius. Released by Emperor Claudius, one of his daughters took the name Claudia, remained in Rome, was baptized, and is the Claudia mentioned in St. Paul's second letter to Timothy. Another tradition has her as the daughter of Cogidubnus, a British ally of Claudius, who took the Emperor's name. Martial mentions a British lady, Claudia Rufina, and says she was married to his friend Aulus Pudens, a Roman senator. Another tradition has this senator the Pudens also mentioned in St. Paul's second letter to Timothy.

August 8

St. Ellidius, 7th century. Patron saint of Himant, Powys, Wales, and of a church in the Scilly Isles of England. Also called Illog.

Bl. John Felton, 1570 A.D. Martyr of England who promoted the papacy in London. Born in Bermondsey, London, to a Norfolk line, John nailed a copy of the Bull of Pope St. Pius V excommunicating Queen Elizabeth I to the doors of the bishop of London’s residence. Arrested and imprisoned, he was racked three times before being martyred in St. Paul’s churchyard. Pope Leo XIII beatified him in 1886.

Bl. Mary MacKillop, 1909 A.D. The first native Australian to be beatified. Born Mary Helen MacKillop in Melbourne, she was of Scottish ancestry. Concerned with the poor and suffering, Mary founded the Sisters of St. Joseph and of the Sacred Heart. These sisters were dedicated to educating children. In 1873, she became Mary of the Cross, and two years later was elected mother general of her congregation. After many difficulties, Mother MacKillop received papal approval of her work in 1888 from Pope Leo XIII. When she died on August 8, 1909, in Sydney, there were one thousand women in her congregation. Pope John Paul II beatified her on January 19, 1995.

August 9

St. Nathy. Nathy is surnamed Cruimthir (the priest). He was born at Luighne, Sligo, Ireland and became a disciple of St. Finnian of Clonnard, who made him a bishop. He was founder-abbot of a monastery, which is questioned by some in view of his surname. His cult was confirmed in 1903.

St. Phelim, 6th century. Irish monk and disciple of St. Columba. He is honored as a patron saint of Kilmore and is also listed as Fidleminus and Felix.

St. Bandaridus, 556 A.D. Bishop of Soissons, also called Banderik, Bandarinus, and Bandery. In 540, Bandaridus was made bishop of Soissons, France. He founded Crepin Abbey and served the area until King Clotaire I banished him over a disagreement. He went to England and became a gardener in an abbey, living there anonymously. When he was recognized after seven years, Bandaridus was recalled by the king. Bandaridus was buried in Crépin Abbey.

August 11

St. Blane. Blane was born on the island of Bute, Scotland; he studied in Ireland for seven years, became a monk there, and on his return to Scotland was ordained and devoted himself to missionary work. He was consecrated bishop, made a pilgrimage to Rome, is credited with performing miracles, and died at Kingarth on Bute. He is also known as Blaan

St. Lelia. The diocese of Limerick today keeps the feast of St. Lelia, who as well as a commemoration in all other Irish dioceses. Canon O'Hanlon, in his lives of the Irish saints, says of this maiden that "her era and her locality have not been distinctly revealed to us; but there is good reason for supposing that she lived at a remote period, and most probably she let a life of strict observance, if she did not preside over some religious institution in the province of Munster". Lelia is now generally identified with the Dalcassian saint Liadhain, great-grand-daughter of the prince Cairthenn whom St. Patrick baptized at Singland. There are no particulars or traditions about her (in the 17th century she was said to be the sister of St. Munchin), but she gives her name to Killeely (Cill Liadaini) just within the borough boundary of Limerick.

St. Attracta, 6th century. Hermitess and co-worker with St. Patrick also called Araght or Taraghta. She is traditionally listed as a daughter of a noble Irish family. Her father opposed her religious vocation but Attracta went to St. Patrick at Coolavin, Ireland, and made her vows to him. Attracta founded a hospice on Lough Gara called Killaraght. She also performed miracles, while living at Drum, near Boyle.

August 12

St. Just. Patron saint of the church of St. Just, near Penzance, Cornwall, England, also called Justus. It is possible that several saints' lives are present in the accounts of Just's life, as he is variously described as a hermit and martyr.

St. Jambert or Lambert, 792 A.D. Benedictine archbishop of Canterbury, sometimes listed as Lambert. He succeeded St. Bregwin as archbishop in 766. Jambert was the thirteenth prelate of the primal see of England and was noted for his patronage of monasteries and the poor.

St. Merewenna. Patroness of Marharm Church, in Cornwall, England. Sometimes known as Merwenna and Merwinna, she was a daughter of Brychan of Brecknock.

St. Murtagh, 6th century. Bishop of Killala, Ireland, appointed by St. Patrick. Also called Muredach, he was a member of the royal family of King Laoghaire. Murtagh reportedly met with St. Columba at Ballsodare, near Sligo, in 575. He died as a hermit on Inismurray Island.

August 13

St. Wigbert, 738 A.D. Abbot and missionary. Originally an English monk, he traveled to Germany, where he accepted the invitation of St. Boniface, who wanted his help in the missionary field and who named him abbot of Fritzlar, near Cassel, France. After a number of years, he was transferred to Ohrdruf, in Thuringia, Germany, but Boniface gave him permission to return to Fritzlar, where he died.

St. William Freeman, 1595 A.D. English martyr. Born in East Riding, Yorkshire, he studied at Oxford and was converted to Catholicism in 1586 by the martyrdom of Blessed Edward Stransahm at Tyburn. He went to Reims, France, where he was ordained in 1587. He went back to England the following year, and labored for the English mission in Worcestershire and Warwickshire until arrested in early 1595. Seven months later he was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Warwick on August 13. William was beatified in 1929.

August 14

St. Fachanan. This saint's feast is observed liturgically throughout all Ireland and he is patron of the diocese of Ross, where he was probably the first bishop. He was born at Tulachteann, was one of the pupils of St. Ita, and founded the monastery of Molana on an island in the Blackwater, near Youghal. But his great achievement was the establishment of the monastic school of Ross, at what is now Rosscarbery, in county Cork, one of the most famous schools of Ireland, which flourished for three hundred years and survived in some form until the coming of the Normans. Fachanan (Fachtna) suffered for a time from blindness, from which he recovered at the intercession of St. Ita's sister, who was about to give birth to St. Mochoemog. St. Fachanan was revered as a "wise and upright man", with a great gift for preaching; St. Cuimin of Connor said of him that he was "generous and steadfast, fond of preaching to the people and saying nothing that was base or displeasing to God".

St. Werenfrid, 760 A.D. Benedictine missionary. From England, he journeyed to become an assistant to St. Willibrord in his labors to convert the Frisians. He died at Arnhem, in the Netherlands.

ENGLISH SAINTS AND MARTYRS AUGUST 1-6

2010-08-02T09:41:00.000-07:00

August 1

St. Elined. Welsh virgin and martyr, also called Ellyw and Almedha. She is honored in Lianelly and Llanelieu.

St. Almedha, sixth century. Virgin and martyr also called Aled or Filuned. The Welsh tradition reports that Almedha was the daughter of King Brychan. Having taken a vow of virginity and dedicated to Christ, Almedha fled from her father's royal residence to escape marriage to the prince of a neighboring kingdom. She went to three Welsh villages - Llandrew, Llanfillo, and Llechfaen - but the people turned her away, despite her promise warning that dreadful thing calamities would befall anyone who denied her sanctuary. Almedha reached Brecon, where she took up residence in a small hut, but the king arrived and demanded her return. When she refused him, he beheaded her. Tradition states that a spring of water appeared on the site of her murder. The three villages that refused her were visited by disasters.

Bl. Thomas Welbourne, 1605 A.D. English martyr. Born in Hutton Bushel, Yorkshire, he worked as a schoolmaster until his arrest for preaching the Catholic faith. He was arrested and condemned with Blesseds John Fuithering and William Brown. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered at York.

St. Ethelwold. Bishop of Winchester, England, called “the Father of Monks.” Born in that city, he was ordained by St. Alphege the Bald. In 943, he joined the Benedictines at Glastonbury under St. Dunstan. He became the abbot of Abingdon in 955 and bishop in 963. Ethelwold worked with Sts. Dunstan and Oswald of York in bringing about a monastic revival after the Danish invasions. He also expelled the canons of Winchester, replacing them with monks. Ethelwold founded or restored the abbeys of Ely, Chertsey, Milton Abbas, Newminster, Peterborough, and Thorney. He authored Regularis Concordia, a monastic decree based on the Benedictine Rule, and his school of illumination at Winchester was famed.

St. Peregrinus, 643 A.D. Irish or Scottish hermit. Peregrinus was originally a pilgrim who, on his way home from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and the holy places, chose to become a hermit in the area around Modena, Italy. He remained there for the rest of his life.

St. Rioch, 480 A.D. Bishop Abbot of lnisboffin, Ireland. He was a nephew of St. Patrick and the brother of Sts. Mel and two others, Melchu and Muinis. They were the sons of Conis and St. Darerca. Rioch was a missionary bishop.

August 2

St. Alfreda, 795 A.D. Virgin and hermit, also known as Afreda, Alfritha, Aelfnryth, and Etheldreda. She was the daughter of King Offa of Mercia, in England, and was either betrothed to or loved by St. Ethelbert, the king of the East Angles. Ethelbert went to Offa's court to ask for Alfreda but was murdered by Offa's queen, Cynethritha. Horrified by the deed, Alfreda departed the court and retired to the marshes of Crowland. There she lived as a hermitess until her death. Her sister, Aelfreda, also lost a husband to the political intrigue of Offa and his queen.

St. Thomas of Dover, 1295 A.D. Benedictine monk and martyr. Also called Thomas Hales, he served as a Benedictine monk at St. Martin's Priory in Dover, England. In 1295, the priory was overrun by a French raiding party which was assailing Dover, and Thomas, being old and infirm, could not escape with the rest of the community. The French raiders demanded that he tell them the whereabouts of the church treasures. When he refused, they murdered him. Miracles were soon reported at his tomb, and an altar was dedicated to him in the priory church in 1500. King Richard II of England (r. 1379-1399) requested that his cause be opened in 1382.

St. Plegmund, 914 A.D. Benedictine Archbishop of Canterbury and the tutor of King Alfred the Great. Plegmund was born in Mercia, England, and was a hermit near Chester. He was appointed archbishop by Pope Stephen V at the request of Alfred, proving a capable prelate, scholar, and dedicated reformer. He went to Rome in 908 to see Pope Sergius III and later died at Canterbury.

August 3

St. Trea, 5th century. Irish hermitess. A convert to Christianity through the efforts of St. Patrick, she embraced the eremitical life and lived out her days as a recluse at Ardtree, Derry, Ireland.

Bl. Waltheof, 1160 A.D. Cistercian abbot, also known as Walthen and Waldef. The son of Simon, earl of lluntingdon, England, he was born circa 1100, and was raised at the court of the Scottish king alter his mother, Maud, wed King David I of Scotland (r. 1124-1153) following the death of her first husband. While at court, Waltheof came under the influence of St. Adred, who was master of the royal household. Drawn toward the religious life, he entered the Augustinian Canons in Yorkshire and was elected abbot of Kirkham after a vision of the Christ Child. Waltheof desired a more austere life and so joined the Cistercians at Wardon, Bedfordshire, and then became abbot of Melrose which had been rebuilt recently by his stepfather. In later years, he declined the office of archbishop of St. Andrews. He was renowned for his immense charity to the poor, personal holiness, and deep austerity.

August 4

Bl. William Horne, 1540 A.D. Carthusian lay brother and martyr. A member of the London Charterhouse of the Carthusians, he was arrested for opposing the religious policies of King Henry VIII (r. 1509-1547), which included the imprisonment of Catholics and the destruction of monasteries. William was executed at Tyburn with two companions.

St. Lua, 609 A.D. Abbot and disciple of St. Comgall, sometimes listed as Lugud or Molua. He was born in Limerick, Ireland, where he aided St. Comgall and reportedly founded 120 monasteries. He was also a hermit for a few years.

August 5

St. Abel, 751 A.D. Archbishop and Benedictine abbot. Abel was probably born in Ireland, and was a noted churchman, accompanying St. Boniface on his missions to the European Continent. He was chosen as archbishop of Reims by Pope St. Zachary, a nomination ratified by the Council of Soissons in 744. However, a usurper named Milo occupied the see and would not relinquish it. Abel retired to a monastery at Lobbes, and was installed as abbot. He died there in the "odor of sanctity."

St. Gormcal, 1016 A.D. An Irish abbot of Ardoilen Abbey, in Galway, Ireland. He participated in the monastic renaissance of that era.

ENGLISH SAINTS AND MARTYRS JULY 25-JULY 31

2010-07-24T10:38:00.000-07:00

July 25
St. Nissen . Abbot and an Irishman, he was converted by St. Patrick and later became abbot of Mountgarret monastery in Wexford.

July 26

Bl. William Ward, 1641 A.D. Martyr of England. Born in Westmorland, England, he went to Douai, France, in 1604, where he studied and received ordination in 1608. Upon returning home to England, William was forced to land in Scotland and was arrested and imprisoned for three years. He was released and went on to England, where he spent twenty of his thirty-three years as a missionary in prison. When Catholic priests were banished on April 7, 1641, William was arrested. On July 26, he was executed at Tyburn.

Bl. John Ingram, 1594 A.D. Martyr of Scotland. He was born in Stoke Edith, Herefordshire, in 1565, and became a convert at Oxford. After conversion, he went to Reims and Rome and was ordained in 1589. Sent to Scotland in 1592, John was arrested on the Tyneside and taken to the Tower of London, where he was tortured Martyred at Gateshead, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered.

July 28

St. Samson, 565 A.D. Welsh bishop and evangelizer. Born at Glamorgan, Wales, he became a disciple of St. Illtyd at the monastery of Lianwit (Llantwit) in southern Glamorgan and then lived as a monk (and later abbot) of a community on Caldey Island (Ynys Byr). He was joined there by his uncle, Umbrafel, and his father, Amon. After a trip to Ireland, Samson became a hermit with Amon whom he cured of a mortal illness. During a trip to Cornwall, he was consecrated a bishop and appointed an abbot. He then departed England and went to Brittany where he spent the rest of his life as a missionary, even though he had long searched for solitude. Samson founded monasteries, including one at Dol and another at Pental, in Normandy. He was one of the foremost (if not relatively unknown) evangelizers of his century and has long been venerated with enthusiasm in Wales and Brittany.

July 29

St. Kilian, 7th century. An Irish abbot who wrote the life of St. Brigid. He ruled a monastery on the island of Iniscaltra, Ireland.

July 30

St. Tatwine, 734 A.D. Archbishop of Canterbury from 731. Probably from Mercia, England, he became a monk at Bredon, and eventually was named archbishop of Canterbury in succession to Brithwald. Respected by St. Bede, he was the author of several works, including a grammar and riddles.

Bl. Thomas Abel, 1540 A.D. English martyr. A graduate of Oxford University, Thomas served as chaplain to Queen Catharine of Aragon, proving intensely loyal to her cause during the ordeal of the divorce proceedings against her by King Henry VIII of England (r. 1509-1547). Arrested by English authorities for denying the spiritual supremacy of the king, he was incarcerated in the Tower of London for six years, finally receiving execution at Smithfield. He was beatified in 1886.

Bl. Edward Powell, 1504 A.D. English martyr, a councilor to Queen Catherine of Aragon, wife of King Henry VIII. A Welshman, Edward was a canon of Salisbury, England, and a fellow of Odd, noted for treatises opposing Martin Luther. He served Queen Catherine of Aragon and opposed the spiritual supremacy of Henry VIII. For this he spent six years in prison before being hanged, drawn, and quartered at Smithfield, London. He was beatified in 1886.

St. Ermengytha, 680 A.D. Benedictine nun, a daughter or sister of St. Ermenberga. She lived in Minster, on Thanet Isle, England, at a monastery ruled by Ermenberga.

Bl. Everard Hanse, 1581 A.D. Martyr of England who announced “O happy day!” as he died. He was raised a Protestant in Northhamptonshire, England, studied at Cambridge, and was ordained a minister. In 1568, he converted to the Church and went to Reims, France, where he was ordained in 1581. Returning as a missionary, Everard was arrested and condemned. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn on July 31. He was beatified in 1886.

Bl. Richard Featherstone, 1540 A.D. English martyr. Richard served as a chaplain to Queen Catherine of Aragon and tutor to the princess Mary I. In the crisis which attended the king’s efforts to secure divorce from his wife, Richard spoke openly in her defense and was arrested for treason and executed at Tyburn.

July 31

St. Neot, Hermit, and relative of King Alfred the Great. A monk of Glastonbury, England, he was ordained before he departed to become a hermit in Cornwall. Tradition states that King Alfred visited him for his counsel

ENGLISH SAINTS AND MARTYRS JULY 18-JULY 24

2010-07-18T06:52:00.000-07:00

July 18

St. Theneva, 7th century. Also called Thenova, the patron saint of Glasgow, Scotland, with her son St. Kentigern.

St. Minnborinus, 986 A.D. Benedictine abbot. He was born in Ireland and became abbot of St. Martin Monastery in Cologne, Germany, in 974. There he promoted monastic reform and scholarly pursuits.

St. Edburga of Bicester, 7th century. Nun at Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England, the daughter of Penda , the pagan king of Mercia. Her shrine is at Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire, but her relics, originally at Bicester, were taken to Flanders, Belgium.

July 19

St. John Plessington, 1697 A.D. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. He was born at Dimples, Lancashire, England, and the son of a Royalist Catholic. Educated at Valladolid, Spain, and St. Omer’s in France. he was ordained in Segovia in 1662. John returned to England after ordination and served as a missionary in Cheshire. He became a tutor at Puddington Hall near Chester until his arrest and martyrdom by hanging at Barrowshill, Boughton. near Chester. Pope Paul VI canonized him in 1970.

July 20

St. Etheidwitha. Widowed queen of King Alfred the Great of England. She was an Anglo-Saxon princess, also called Ealsitha. Etheldwitha founded a convent at Winchester in the Benedictine rule and became the abbess there.

July 22

Sts. Philip Evans and John Lloyd- Martyrs . Philip Evans was born at Monmouth in 1645, was educated at Saint-Omer, and joined the Society of Jesus at the age of twenty. In 1675 he was ordained at Liege and sent to South Wales. He was soon well known for his zeal, but no active notice was taken by the authorities until the scare of Oates plot, when in the November of 1678 John Arnold, of Llanvihangel Court near Abergavenny, a justice of the peace and hunter of priests, offered a reward of £200 for his arrest. Father Evans refused to leave his flock, and early in December was caught at the house of Christopher Turberville at Sker in Glamorgan. He refused the oath and was confined alone in an underground dungeon in Cardiff Castle. Two or three weeks afterwards he was joined by Mr. John Lloyd, a secular priest, who had been taken at Penlline in Glamorgan. He was a Breconshire man, who had taken the missionary oath at Valladolid in 1649 and been sent to minister in his own country.

After five months the two prisoners were brought up for trial at the shire-hall in Cardiff, charged not with complicity in the plot but as priests who had come unlawfully into the realm. It had been difficult to collect witnesses against them, and they were condemned and sentenced by Mr. Justice Owen Wynne principally on the evidence of two poor women who were suborned to say that they had seen Father Evans celebrating Mass. On their return to prison they were better treated and allowed a good deal of liberty, so that when the under-sheriff came on July 21 to announce that their execution was fixed for the morrow, Father Evans was playing a game of tennis and would not return to his cell till he had finished it. Part of his few remaining hours of life he spent playing on the harp and talking to the numerous people who came to say farewell to himself and Mr. Lloyd when the news got around. The execution took place on Gallows Field (at the north-eastern end of what is now Richmond Road, Cardiff). St Philip died first, after having addressed the people in Welsh and English, and saying ‘Adieu, Mr. Lloyd, though for a little time, for we shall shortly meet again, to St John, who made only a very brief speech because, as he said, ‘I never was a good speaker in my life.

St. Dabius. Irish missionary to Scotland called Davius in some lists. He was part of the great monastic missionary effort in the British Isles, and then in Europe. Several churches there bear his name.

St. Movean. Abbot and companion of St. Patrick also called Biteus. Movean was abbot of Inis-Coosery, County Down, Ireland. He served as a missionary in Perthshire and died as a hermit.

July 23

Sts. Rasyphus and Ravennus, 5th century. Martyrs. They came from Britain, fleeing the islands upon the invasions by the Anglo Saxons. Settling in Gaul, they became hermits and were martyred, perhaps by Arian Goths who were advancing through the West. Their relics are enshrined in the cathedral of Bayeux.

July 24

St. Declan. St. Declan First bishop of Ardmore in Ireland July 24 was baptized by St. Colman, and preached the faith in that country a little before the arrival of St. Patrick, who confirmed the Episcopal see of Ardmore, in a synod at Cashel in 448. Many miracles are ascribed to St. Declan, and he has ever been much honored in the viscounty of Dessee, anciently Nandesi.

Sts. Wulfhade and Ruffinus, 7th century. Wulfhade and Ruffinus (d.c. seventh century). Martyrs of England. Little is known about them with any certainty, although according to tradition they were two princes of Mercia who were baptized by St. Chad and were swiftly executed by their pagan father. They were martyred at Stone, Staffordshire

St. John Boste, 1594 A.D. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. He was born at Dufton, at Westmoreland, England, and studied at Oxford. Becoming a Catholic in 1576, he went to Reims and received ordination in 1581. John went back to England where he worked in the northern parts of the kingdom and became the object of a massive manhunt. He was betrayed, arrested, and taken to London. There he was crippled on the rack and returned to Dryburn near Durham. On July 24, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered. John was canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1970 as a martyr of Durham.

St. Lewina, 5th century. Martyred virgin of England, a Briton slain by invading Saxons. In 1058, her relics were translated from Seaford, in Sussex, England, to Berques in Flanders, Belgium.

St. Menefrida, 5th century. Patron saint of Tredresick, in Cornwall, England. She belonged to the family of Brychan of Brecknock.

ENGLISH SAINTS AND MARTYRS JULY 11-JULY17

2010-07-10T06:59:00.000-07:00

July 11

St. Turketil , 975 A.D. Abbot and brother of King Edred of England, he served as his chancellor until 948 when he abandoned the court life and entered a monastery. He soon became abbot of Croyland and successfully established a school which was attached to the community.

St. Oliver Plunkett, 1681 A.D. Oliver Plunkett was born in Loughcrew in County Meath, Ireland on November 1, 1625. In 1647, he went to study for the priesthood in the Irish College in Rome. On January 1, 1654, he was ordained a priest in the Propaganda College in Rome. Due to religious persecution in his native land, it was not possible for him to return to minister to his people. Oliver taught in Rome until 1669, when he was appointed Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of Ireland. Archbishop Plunkett soon established himself as a man of peace and, with religious fervor, set about visiting his people, establishing schools, ordaining priests, and confirming thousands.

The year 1673 brought a renewal of religious persecution, and bishops were banned by edict. Archbishop Plunkett went into hiding, suffering a great deal from cold and hunger. His many letters showed his determination not to abandon his people, but to remain a faithful shepherd. He thanked God "Who gave us the grace to suffer for the chair of Peter." The persecution eased a little and he was able to move more openly among his people. In 1679 he was arrested and falsely charged with treason. The government in power could not get him convicted at his trial in Dundalk. He was brought to London and was unable to defend himself because he was not given time to bring his own witnesses from Ireland. He was put on trial, and with the help of perjured witnesses, was sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn. With deep serenity of soul, he was prepared to die, calmly rebutting the charge of treason, refusing to save himself by giving false evidence against his brother bishops. Oliver Plunkett publicly forgave all those who were responsible for his death on July 1, 1681. On October 12, 1975, he was canonized a saint.

St. Drostan, 610 A.D. Irish born abbot, a disciple of St. Columba. Drostan was a member of the royal Cosgrach family of Ireland. He was named the first abbot of Deer in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and is considered an apostle to Scotland. He ended his days near Glenesk, Angus, and a well is associated with him at Aberdour.

July 12

St. Menulphus, 7th century. Bishop of Quimper in Brittany, France, originally an Irish pilgrim. Also called Menou, Menuiphus made a journey to Rome and died at Bourges on his return to Quimper.

Bl. David Gonson, 1541 A.D. Martyred English knight of St. John. He was the son of a British vice-admiral. David was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Southwark.

St. John Jones, 1598 A.D. Franciscan member of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. He was born in Clynog Fawr, Gwynedd, Wales, and left the island for Rome where he became a Franciscan. He was ordained and returned to England in 1592, where he used the alias Buckley to assist his work. Arrested by English authorities for caring for the prisoners of London, he was kept in confinement for two years. John was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Southwark, London. Pope Paul VI canonized him in 1970.

July 13

Bl. Thomas Tunstal, 1616 A.D. English martyr. Born in Whinfell, near Kendal, Westmoreland, he studied for the priesthood at Douai, France, and was ordained there in 1609. The next year he returned to England but was arrested almost immediately upon his arrival. Escaping, Thomas was recaptured and taken to Norwich where he spent six years in confinement until finally being hanged, drawn, and quartered. While in prison, he joined the Benedictine Order.

St. Dogfan, 5th century. Welsh martyr, descended from chieftain Brychan of Brecknock. He was slain by pagan invaders at Dyfed, Wales. A church there honors his memory.

July 14

Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, 1680 A.D. Patron of the environment and ecology. Kateri was born near the town of Auriesville, New York, in the year 1656, the daughter of a Mohawk warrior. She was four years old when her mother died of smallpox. The disease also attacked Kateri and transfigured her face. She was adopted by her two aunts and an uncle. Kateri became converted as a teenager. She was baptized at the age of twenty and incurred the great hostility of her tribe. Although she had to suffer greatly for her Faith, she remained firm in it. Kateri went to the new Christian colony of Indians in Canada. Here she lived a life dedicated to prayer, penitential practices, and care for the sick and aged. Every morning, even in bitterest winter, she stood before the chapel door until it opened at four and remained there until after the last Mass. She was devoted to the Eucharist and to Jesus Crucified. She died on April 7, 1680 at the age of twenty-four. She is known as the "Lily of the Mohawks". Devotion to Kateri is responsible for establishing Native American ministries in Catholic Churches all over the United States and Canada. Kateri was declared venerable by the Catholic Church in 1943 and she was Beatified in 1980. Work is currently underway to have her Canonized by the Church. Hundreds of thousands have visited shrines to Kateri erected at both St. Francis Xavier and Caughnawaga and at her birth place at Auriesville, New York. Pilgrimages at these sites continue today. Bl. Kateri Teckakwitha is the first Native American to be declared a Blessed.

Bl. Richard Langhorne, 1679 A.D. English martyr. Born in Bedfordshire, he was educated at the Inner Temple and worked as a lawyer. He was arrested in 1667, released in 1679, and then arrested again as a conspirator in the so-called “Popish Plot.” He was hanged at Tybum on July 14. Richard was beatified in 1929.

July 15

St. Swithun "Swithin". Swithun, also spelled Swithin, was born in Wessex, England and was educated at the old monastery, Winchester, where he was ordained. He became chaplain to King Egbert of the West Saxons, who appointed him tutor of his son, Ethelwulf, and was one of the King's counselors. Swithun was named bishop of Winchester in 852 when Ethelwulf succeeded his father as king. Swithun built several churches and was known for his humility and his aid to the poor and needy. He died on July 2. A long-held superstition declares it will rain for forty days if it rains on his feast day of July 15, but the reason for and origin of this belief are unknown.

St. Donald. All that is recorded of this saint, whose name is so common in Scotland, is that he lived at Ogilvy in Forfarshire in the eighth century, that his wife bore him nine daughters, and that on her death they formed a sort of community who led the religious life under his direction. But if no more is known of him, he has nevertheless left his mark otherwise, for the often found natural features, wells, hills, and so on, which are known as the "Nine Maidens", are so called in memory of his daughters. They are said to have afterwards entered a monastery founded by St. Darlugdach and St. Brigid at Abernethy, and were commemorated on July 18. The popularity of the name in Scotland must be attributed, not to veneration for the saint, but to the ubiquity of the sons of Somerled of the Isles, clan Donald.

St. Edith of Polesworth. St. Edith of Polesworth, whose feast day is July 15, was the sister of King Athelstan of England. She married Viking king Sihtric at York in 925, and when he died the next year, she became a Benedictine nun at Polesworth, Warwickshire, where she was noted for her holiness and may have become Abbess. She may also have been the sister of King Edgar and aunt of St. Edith of Wilton; or possibly these were two different woman of Polesworth

St. Seduinus. English saint possibly identical to St. Swithin or Sithian.

St. David of Sweden, 1080 A.D. Benedictine bishop, born in England and sometimes called David of Muntorp. He went as a missionary to Sweden to aid Bishop Sigfrid of Vaxio, who had lost his three missionary nephews. Sigfrid sent David to Vastmanland, and there David founded a monastery at Munktorp or Monkentorp. He ruled that monastery as abbot until becoming the bishop of Vasteras

St. Plechelm, 775 A.D. A Benedictine companion to St. Wiro. Plecheim was from Northumbria, England, and was an ordained priest. He traveled with St. Wiro to establish a monastery at Odilienburg.

July 16

St. Tenenan, 7th century. Hermit and bishop. A native of Britain, he lived for many years as a recluse in Brittany, France, and later served as bishop of Le6n, Spain.

St. Helier, 6th century. Martyr on the island of Jersey, Britain. Also called Helerous, he was murdered by pagans he was evangelizing. He was born in Tongres, Belgium, and raised by a priest; later, he spent time with St. Marculf at Nanteuil.

July 17

St. Turninus, 9th century. Irish priest and missionary. He labored to help evangelize the region of the Netherlands with St. Foillan, especially in the area around Antwerp.

St. Cynllo, 5th century. Welsh saint, patron of churches named in his honor. No records of his life are extant.

St. Fredegand. Benedictine abbot, an Irishman and a companion of St. Foillan. He was abbot of Kerkeloder Abbey, near Antwerp, Belgium, also listed as Fregaut. He also aided St. Willibrord.

St. Kenelm, 821 A.D. Martyred king of Mercia, England. Traditions state that he was the son of King Kenulf, who succeeded to the throne at the age of seven. He was murdered by henchmen of his sister, Cynefrith. Another tradition states that his sister Quendreda bribed his tutor to slay him. He is buried at Winchcombe Abbey, in Gloucestershire. Miracles took place there. Kenelm is now belived to have died before his father. He is mentioned in the Canterbury Tales.

ENGLISH SAINTS AND MARTYRS JULY 3 -JULY10

2010-07-03T16:42:00.000-07:00

July 4

Bl. William Andleby, 1597 A.D. Martyr of England. Born at Eton, near Beverley, England, he studied at St. Johns College, Cambridge, and was converted to Catholicism on the way to fight the Spanish. He went to Douai, France, and was ordained in 1577. Returning home, he worked in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire for two decades. Arrested and condemned, he was executed at York with Thomas Warcop and two companions. He was beatified in 1929.

Bl. Thomas Warcop, 1597 A.D. English martyr. A gentleman in Yorkshire, England, who sheltered Blessed William Andleby. He was arrested and condemned for giving this aid and hanged at York with three companions on July 4.

Bl. Edward Fulthrop, 1597 A.D. An English martyr at Yorkshire. He reconciled to the faith and was martyred at York. Edward was beatified in 1929.

St. Henry Abbot, Blessed, 1597 A.D. Martyr of England. A native of Howden, England, Henry became a convert to the Church and was duly arrested and hanged at York. Pope Pius XI beatified him 1929.

Bl. John Carey, 1594 A.D. Martyr of England, an Irish layman. He was the servant of Blessed Thomas Bosgrave and was put to death with Blesseds Thomas Bosgrave, John Cornelius, and Patrick Salmon at Dorchester in Oxfordshire. They were beatified in 1929.

Bl. John Cornelius, 1594 A.D. Martyred Jesuit of England. He was of Irish descent and was born in Bodmin. Educated at Oxford, he went to Reims and then Rome where he was ordained in 1583. John went to England the next year, where he used the alias Mohan, and where he became a Jesuit. He was discovered at Lady Arundel’s Castle in Dorset. In 1594, after working for ten years in Lanherne, he was executed at Dorchester, Oxfordshire, with Blesseds Thomas Bosgrave, John Carey, and Patrick Salmon. They were beatified in 1929.

St. Odo the Good, 959 A.D.
Archbishop of Canterbury, also known as Odo of Canterbury. Born to Danish parents in East Anglia, he joined a Benedictine monastery at Fleury-sur-Loire and then was appointed bishop of Ramsbury, in Wessex. In 937, Odo was present at the Battle of Brunabur where King Athelstan of Wessex defeated a force of Scots, Danes, and Northumbrians. In 942, Odo became archbishop of Canterbury, wielding both secular and spiritual authority with fairness and deep concern for the welfare of the people. He assisted in the formulation of the legislation of Kings Edmund and Edgar the Peaceful, created as a separate diocese the region of East Anglia, and gave his blessings to the monastic reforms of St. Dunstan at Glastonbury, thereby promoting the revival of monasticism in England. Known as “the Good” because of his famed holiness, he was also credited with miracles

Bl. Patrick Salmon, 1594 A.D. Martyr of England. He was a servant of Blessed Thomas Bosgrave and was martyred with him at Dorchester, England. They were charged with sheltering a priest.

July 5

St. Edana, Irish saint venerated in western Ireland, sometimes called Etaoin. She lived near the Boyle and Shannon Rivers and a well bears her name. She may be confused with St. Modwenna.

Sts. Fragan and Gwen, 5th century. The parents of Sts. Jacut, Guithem, and Winwaloe. Fragan and Gwen went to Brittany, France, to escape the pagan barbarians of England. Churches in Brittany were dedicated to each of them.

July 6

Bl. Thomas Alfield, 1585 A.D. English martyr. A native of Gloucester, he was educated at Eton and Cambridge. While raised as an Anglican, he eventually was converted to Catholicism and left England to study for the priesthood at Douai and Reims, France, receiving ordination in 1581. Returning to England, he was soon arrested while handing out copies of the polemic True and Modest Defence by Dr. Allen. Condemned, he was hanged at Tybum. Thomas was beatified in 1929.

St. Modwenna. The St. Modwenna, or Monenna, formally venerated at Burton-on-Trent and elsewhere, may have lived in the middle of the seventh century and been a recluse on an islet called Andresey in the Trent. But not only are other and conflicting things alleged of her, but her legend has been confused with that of the Irish saint Darerca, or Moninne, said to have been the first abbess of Killeavy, near Nerwy and to have died in 517; and she has perhaps been confused with others as well. Capgrave and others speak of St. Modwenna as having charge of St. Edith of Polesworth, which were it true would throw no useful light on either saint. The most valuable information we possess about St. Moninne seems to be the entry in the Felire of Oengus: "Moninne of the mountain of Cuilenn was a fair pillar; she gained a triumph, a hostage of purity, a kinswoman of great Mary", with the gloss.

July 7

St. Ercongotha, 660 A.D. Benedictine nun, the daughter of a king of Kent and St. Sexburga. Also called Ercongota, she was a nun in Faremoutiers-en-Brie, France, at least for a short time, and possibly died there at a young age.

St. Humphrey Lawrence, 1572-1591 A.D. Martyr of England. Born in Hampshire, he was a convert to Catholicism through the efforts of Jesuit missionaries. Humphrey openly called Queen Elizabeth I a heretic and she had him arrested immediately. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Winchester. Pope Pius XI beatified him in 1929.

Bl. Ralph Milner, 1591 A.D. English martyr. He was born at Stocksteads, Hampshire, and was a convert. He was arrested the day he received his first Communion. A husbandman by trade, Ralph was allowed a leave from prison and aided priests and Catholics. He was executed at Winchester on July by being hanged, drawn, and quartered for giving assistance to Blessed Roger Dickenson. He was beatified in 1929.

St. Maolruain. Abbot founder of Ireland. He opened Tallaght and compiled a mythology of the area.

Sts. Medran and Odran, 6th century. Two brothers who were disciples of St. Kieran of Saghir, in Ireland. One remained with St. Kieran and the other founded Muskerry Abbey.

St. Palladius, 432 A.D. An early Irish missionary, the first bishop of Ireland, and the immediate predecessor to St. Patrick. Perhaps originally of British or Roman descent, Palladius was possibly a deacon in Rome or, more likely, in Auxerre, France. According to the fifth century theologian Prosper of Aquitaine, Palladius convinced Pope Celestine I to send St. Germanus, bishop of Auxerre, to England with the aim of expunging the Pelagian heresy which was then rampant. It seems that Palladius was then consecrated a bishop by the pope who, in about 430, sent Palladius to preach among the Irish. He landed near Wicklow and founded at least three churches in Leinster, but his mission apparently made little impact upon the native population. Palladius departed Ireland and sailed for Scotland, where he preached among the Picts. He died at Fordun, near Aberdeen, a short time after arriving, although there is an unreliable Scottish tradition that he lived among the Picts for more than twenty years.

July 8

St. Kilian. An Irish monk, St. Kilian was consecrated Bishop, went to Rome with eleven companions in 686, and received permission from Pope Conon to evangelize Franconia (Baden and Bavaria). He was successful, with two followers - Colman, a priest, and Totnan, a deacon - in his missionary endeavors until he converted Gosbert, Duke of Wurzburg, who had married Geilana, his brother's widow. According to legend, while Gosbert was away on a military expedition, Geilana is reputed to have had the three missionaries beheaded when she found that Gosbert was going to leave her after Kilian had told him the marriage was forbidden by the Church.

St. Withburga, 743 A.D. Withburga (d.c. 743). Virgin and Benedictine nun. The youngest daughter of King Anna of East Anglia, England (d. 653). Following the death of her father in battle, she moved to Dereham where she established a nunnery and a church. She died with the church unfinished, on March 17. Her remains were later stolen by monks who enshrined her in Ely. A fresh spring, called Withburga's Well, sprang up at her grave in Dereham.

St. Grimbald, 901 A.D. Benedictine abbot also called Grimwald, invited to England by King Alfred in 885. Grimbald arrived in England and declined the see of Canterbury, preferring to remain a monk. He became the abbot of New Minster Abbey at Winchester appointed by King Edward the Elder. Grimbald is credited with restoring learning to England.

July 9

St. Everild, 7th century. Benedictine abbess and disciple of St. Wilfrid of York, England, sometimes called Averil. She was a noblewoman of Wessex who received the veil from St. Wilfrid. He also gave her a place called “the Bishop’s Farm”, where she became abbess of a large community. Her companions were Sts. Bega and Wulfreda.

Bl. Adrian Fortescue, 1539 A.D. Martyr who opposed the divorce of King Henry VIII of England from Catherine. A cousin of Anne Boleyn, Adrian was born in Punsborne, England, and was married twice. When his first wife Anne Stonor died in 1499, Adrian raised their two daughters. Twelve years later he married Anne Rede, who gave him three sons. A Knight of the Bath and a justice of the peace for Oxford, Adrian was a Dominican tertiary. Although related to Anne Boleyn, he opposed her marriage to the king and was arrested in 1534 for a short time. In 1539, when he refused to take the Oath of Supremacy supporting Henry VIII’s separation for Rome, Adrian was placed in the Tower of London. Permitted no trial and condemned by Parliament, Adrian was beheaded along with Thomas Dinglay on July 8 or 9.

July 10

St. Etto, 670 A.D. Irish missionary bishop in Belgium, also called Hitto. He was at St. Peter Abbey in Fescau .

ENGLISH SAINTS AND MARTYRS JUNE 27-JULY 3

2010-06-26T08:01:00.000-07:00

June 28

St. Almus, 1270 A.D. Cistercian abbot also called Alme and Alanus. He was a monk in the English Cistercian monastery at Melrose when he was elected abbot of Scotland's Balmerino monastery, founded by Ermengardis, the widow of William I of Scotland.

St. John Southworth, 1654 A.D. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. He was born in Lancashire and became a priest in 1619 in Douai. Sent to England that same year, he was arrested but released through the intercession of Queen Henrietta Maria. He joined St. Henry Morse, subsequently working diligently during the plague of 1636. Arrested again, he was martyred by being hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tybum. His relics are in Westminster Cathedral in London, discovered there in 1927. Pope Paul VI canonized him in 1970.

St. Austell, 6th century. Confessor and disciple of St. Newman of Cornwall, England. Modern scholars believe that Austell was a woman named Hoystill, a daughter of Brychan of Wales.

St. Crummine, 5th century. Bishop and disciple of St. Patrick of Ireland. St. Patrick placed Crummine over the church in Lachan County, Westmeath.

June 30

St. Airick, twelfth century. Hermit and companion of St. Godric. Airick was a noted recluse in England. St. Godric is recorded as being his friend and deathbed companion.

St. Eurgain, 6th century. Virgin foundress of Wales. The daughter of chieftain Caradog of Glamorgan, Wales, she founded Cor-Eurgain, later called Llanwit.

Bl. Philip Powell, 1594-1646 A.D. Benedictine English martyr. Born in the Gwent district, southeast Wales, or at Tralon, England, he was educated in London and then entered the Benedictines in Douni in 1614. Ordained in 1621, he was sent to assist the English mission and spent two decades in the area of Devon, Somerset, and Cornwall before being arrested. He also served as a chaplain in the Civil War. Philip was executed at Tyburn by being hanged, drawn, and quartered; he was beatified in 1929.

July 1

St. Veep, 6th century. Patron saint of St. Veep, in Cornwall, England, also called Veepu and Wennapa. Veep was possibly a member of the celebrated clan of Brychan.

St. Servan, 6th century. Patron of the Orkney Islands. Bishop, also known as Servanus, Serf, or Sair. According to an unreliable legend, he was from Ireland, receiving consecration as bishop from St. Palladius and preaching among the Scots. He is honored as the patron of the Orkney Islands, although it is highly unlikely that he was ever there. He is called the Apostle of West Fife.

St. Juthware, 7th century. Virgin and possible martyr of England, the sister of St. Sidwell. Many legends are connected to her life, including one in which she was beheaded.

St. Cewydd, 6th century. A Welsh saint of Anglesey, Wales. Nothing else is known of him.

St. Gall, 450-645 A.D. Famous Irish missionary and companion of St. Columban. Born in Ireland, he was trained by Sts. Columban and Comgall, and he was one of the twelve companions who accompanied Columban to France. He was a noted scriptural scholar and helped in the founding of Luxeuil Monastery. When St. Columban was exiled in 610, Gall followed him to Switzerland and then to Italy. Gall remained in Switzerland and became a hermit on the Steinach River. The monastery of St. Gall was erected on this site. Gall refused two bishoprics and abbacy of Luxeuil. He is venerated as an apostle to the land. He died in Arbon.

Sts. Julius and Anron, 305 A.D. Martyrs of Britain, put to death at Caerlon, Monmouthshire, with companions. St. Bede listed them in his martyrology.

July 2

St. Oudaceus, 615 A.D. Welsh bishop, also called Oudaceus and Eddogwy. Supposedly the son of a local leader in Brittany and the nephew of St. Teilo, he was raised in Wales. Oudaceus entered the monastic life, and succeeded Teilo as abbot of Llandeilo Fawr, Carmarthenshire. He later became a bishop, and is considered one of the four saints to whom the cathedral of Llandaff, Wales, is dedicated.

July 3

St. Bladus. One of the early bishops of the Isle of Man off the Scottish coast.

St. Byblig, 5th century. Welsh holy man, also called Biblig, Pebliq, Pibliq, and Publicus. He is associated with Caenarvon, Wales.

St. Cillene, 752 A.D. An abbot of lona, Scotland. He was Irish and became abbot around 726.

St. Gunthiern, 500 A.D. Welsh prince who became a hermit in Brittany, France.

St. Guthagon, 8th century. An Irish hermit who took residence in Belgium.

St. Maelmuire O' Gorman. Abbot of Knock, Ireland. He is revered as an Irish poet.

ENGLISH SAINTS AND MARTYRS JUNE 20-26

2010-06-20T07:19:00.000-07:00

June 20

St. Govan, 6th century. Hermit who lived on a cliff at St. Govan’s Head, Dyfed, Wales. He was a disciple of St. Ailbhe and in some lists is called Cofen or Gonen.

Bl. Anthony Turner, 1679 A.D. Martyr of England. The son of a Protestant minister, he was born in Leicestershire and educated at Cambridge. A convert to Catholicism, Anthony went to Rome and joined the Jesuits in Flanders and was ordained in 1661. He returned to England and labored in Worcester until he was arrested in the so-called Titus Oates affair. Convicted on perjured evidence, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn on June 20. Anthony was beatified in 1929.

Bl. William Harcourt, 1679 A.D. Jesuit martyr of England, also called William Barrows. Born in Lancashire in 1609, he studied at St. Omer, France, where in 1632 he became a Jesuit. Returning to England in 1645, he labored in London on behalf of the Catholic mission for more than thirty years. Condemned falsely for complicity in the so-called Popish Plot, he was executed at Tyburn with five other Jesuits, He was beatified in 1929.

Bl. Thomas Whitbread, 1679 A.D. English Jesuit and martyr. A native of Essex, England, he studied at St. Omer, France, and entered the Jesuits in 1635. Back in England and using the alias Thomas Harcourt, he served as provincial of the Jesuit mission until his arrest on the entirely false charges of complicity in the Popish Plot. Thomas was tried for sheltering the plotters and was convicted of the charge of attempting to murder the king. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn.

Bls. John Fenwick and John Gavan, 1679 A.D. Jesuit Martyrs of England. John Fenwick was born in Durham and educated at Saint-Omer. He became a Jesuit in 1656. John Gavan was born in London and entered the Jesuits in 1660. They were involved in the Titus Oates Plot hysteria, falsely charged with complicity, and put to death at Tyburn with three Jesuit companions.

June 21

St. John Rigby, 1600 A.D. Martyr of England, a layman executed at Southwark. He was born near Wigan, England, and was reconciled to the Church. Admitting that he was a Catholic, he was arrested and placed in Newgate Prison. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Southwark on June 21. John is one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales and was canonized in 1970 by Pope Paul VI.

St. Corbmac, 6th century. An abbot and disciple of St. Columba, who made him the superior of Durrow Monastery.

St. Maine. Founder of Saint-Meon in Brittany, France. He was a disciple of St. Samson. Maine, who also is listed as Meen, Mevenus, Mavenus, or Mewan, was either Welsh or Cornish.

June 22

St. Aaron. Aaron was a native of Britain. He went to Brittany, where he became a hermit on Cesabre (St. Malo) island. He attracted numerous disciples, among them St. Malo of Wales, and became their Abbot.

St. Alban. St. Alban was the first martyr of England, his own country (homeland). During a persecution of Christians, Alban, though a pagan, hid a priest in his house. The priest made such a great impression on him that Alban received instructions and became a Christian himself. In the meantime, the governor had been told that the priest was hiding in Alban's house, and he sent his soldiers to capture him. But Alban changed clothes with his guest, and gave himself up in his stead. The judge was furious when he found out that the priest had escaped and he said to Alban, "You shall get the punishment he was to get unless you worship the gods." The Saint answered that he would never worship those false gods again. "To what family do you belong?" demanded the judge. "That does not concern you," said Alban. "If you want to know my religion, I am a Christian." Angrily the judge commanded him again to sacrifice to the gods at once. "Your sacrifices are offered to devils," answered the Saint. "They cannot help you or answer your requests. The reward for such sacrifices is the everlasting punishment of Hell." Since he was getting nowhere, the judge had Alban whipped. Then he commanded him to be beheaded. On the way to the place of execution, the soldier who was to kill the Saint was converted himself, and he too, became a martyr.

St. Thomas More, 1535 A.D. St. Thomas More, Martyr (Patron of Lawyers) St. Thomas More was born at London in 1478. After a thorough grounding in religion and the classics, he entered Oxford to study law. Upon leaving the university he embarked on a legal career which took him to Parliament. In 1505, he married his beloved Jane Colt who bore him four children, and when she died at a young age, he married a widow, Alice Middleton, to be a mother for his young children. A wit and a reformer, this learned man numbered Bishops and scholars among his friends and by 1516 wrote his world-famous book "Utopia". He attracted the attention of Henry VIII who appointed him to a succession of high posts and missions, and finally made him Lord Chancellor in 1529. However, he resigned in 1532, at the height of his career and reputation, when Henry persisted in holding his own opinions regarding marriage and the supremacy of the Pope. The rest of his life was spent in writing mostly in defense of the Church. In 1534, with his close friend, St. John Fisher, he refused to render allegiance to the King as the Head of the Church of England and was confined to the Tower. Fifteen months later, and nine days after St. John Fisher's execution, he was tried and convicted of treason. He told the court that he could not go against his conscience and wished his judges that "we may yet hereafter in heaven merrily all meet together to everlasting salvation." And on the scaffold, he told the crowd of spectators that he was dying as "the King's good servant-but God's first." He was beheaded on July 6, 1535.

St. John Fisher. St. John Fisher was born in Beverly, Yorkshire, in 1459, and educated at Cambridge, from which he received his Master of Arts degree in 1491. He occupied the vicarage of Northallerton, 1491-1494; then he became proctor of Cambridge University. In 1497, he was appointed confessor to Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII, and became closely associated in her endowments to Cambridge; he created scholarships, introduced Greek and Hebrew into the curriculum, and brought in the world-famous Erasmus as professor of Divinity and Greek. In 1504, he became Bishop of Rochester and Chancellor of Cambridge, in which capacity he also tutored Prince Henry who was to become Henry VIII. St. John was dedicated to the welfare of his diocese and his university. From 1527, this humble servant of God actively opposed the King's divorce proceedings against Catherine, his wife in the sight of God, and steadfastly resisted the encroachment of Henry on the Church. Unlike the other Bishops of the realm, St. John refused to take the oath of succession which acknowledged the issue of Henry and Anne as the legitimate heir to the throne, and he was imprisoned in the tower in April 1534. The next year he was made a Cardinal by Paul III and Henry retaliated by having him beheaded within a month. A half hour before his execution, this dedicated scholar and churchman opened his New Testament for the last time and his eyes fell on the following words from St. John's Gospel: "Eternal life is this: to know You, the only true God, and Him Whom You have sent, Jesus Christ. I have given you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. Do you now, Father, give me glory at your side". Closing the book, he observed: "There is enough learning in that to last me the rest of my life."

June 23

Saint Ethelreda (Audrey), 679 A.D. Around 640, there was an English princess named Ethelreda, but she was known as Audrey. She married once, but was widowed after three years, and it was said that the marriage was never consummated. She had taken a perpetual vow of virginity, but married again, this time for reasons of state. Her young husband soon grew tired of living as brother and sister and began to make advances on her. She continually refused. He eventually attempted to bribe the local bishop, Saint Wilfrid of York, to release Audrey from her vows.

Saint Wilfrid refused, and helped Audrey escape. She fled south, with her husband following. They reached a promontory known as Colbert's Head, where a heaven sent seven day high tide separated the two. Eventually, Audrey's husband left and married someone more willing, while Audrey took the veil, and founded the great abbey of Ely, where she lived an austere life. She eventually died of an enormous and unsightly tumor on her neck, which she gratefully accepted as Divine retribution for all the necklaces she had worn in her early years. Throughout the Middle Ages, a festival, "St. Audrey's Fair", was held at Ely on her feast day. The exceptional shodiness of the merchandise, especially the neckerchiefs, contributed to the English language the word "tawdry", a corruption of "Saint Audrey."

St. Thomas Garnet, 1608 A.D. English Jesuit martyr. A nephew of the Jesuit Henry Garnet, he was born in Southwark, England, and studied for the priesthood at St. Omer, France, and Valladolid, Spain. Initially ordained as a secular priest, he joined the Jesuits in 1604 and worked to advance the Catholic cause in Warwick until his arrest in 1606. He was exiled after months of torture but returned in 1607 and was soon arrested. He was hanged at Tyburn. Beatified in 1929, he was canonized in 1970 and is included among the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.

St. Moelray, 493 A.D. Abbot of Nendrum Monastery, installed by St. Patrick. A native of Ireland, Moelray, also called Moeliai, instructed Sts. Finian and Colman.

St. Peter of Juilly, 1136 A.D. Benedictine monk and preacher. Originally from England, he became a friend of St. Stephen Harding and was his companion at Molesme. Later, he was named confessor and chaplain to the nuns of Juilly les Nonnais who were under the care of St. Humbeline, sister of St. Bernard of Clairvaux. Peter also possessed a reputation for being a brilliant preacher and a miracle worker.

June 24

St. Bartholomew of Fame, 1193 A.D. A Benedictine hermit and miracle worker associated with Durham, England. He was born in Whitby, in Northumbria, England, and was called Tostig. After going to Norway, Bartholomew was ordained and returned to Durham, where he entered the Benedictine Order. He became a hermit on the island of Fame, on the coast of Northumbria, remaining there for forty-two years. Bartholomew was noted as a miracle worker.

St. Germoc, 6th century. Confessor of the faith, an Irish chieftain. He was the brother of St. Breaca. Germoc settled in Cornwall, England.

June 25

St. Adalbert, 740 A.D. A missionary in Ireland whose tomb became a center for pilgrims. Adalbert was born in Northumbria, England, and was educated at Rathmelgisi Monastery. Accompanying St. Willibrord and others to Friesland, he gained many converts in an area called Egmont. Adalbert was also a companion of St. Egbert to Ireland. It is believed that he became St. Willibrord's successor as the abbot of Epternach. Adalbert's shrine was noted for miracles after his death.

St. Selyf, 6th century. Hermit in Cornwall. He is perhaps to be identified with St. Solomon, who has the same feast day.

St. Moloc, 572 A.D. Scottish bishop and missionary, sometimes called Lugaidh, Molvanus, Molluog, or Murlach. The son of a Scottish noble, he was educated in Ireland under St. Brendan the Elder and evangelized the Hebrides region of Scotland. He died at Rossmarkie, Scotland. His shrine was at Martlach, and he is venerated in Argyll.

St. Molonachus, 7th century. Bishop of Lismore, in Argyl, Scotland. He was a disciple of St. Brendan.

June 26

St. Corbican, 8th century. An Irish recluse in the Low Countries, now Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. He gave his life to educating the local peasants.

ENGLISH SAINTS AND MARTYRS JUNE 13-19

2010-06-13T08:57:00.000-07:00

June 13

St. Damhnade. Virgin venerated in Ireland.

June 14

St. Cearan, 870 A.D. Irish abbot called “the Devout,” also known as Ciaran. He was abbot of Bellach-Duin now Castle Kerrant, County Meath.

St. Dogmael, 6th century. Welsh monk of the house of Cunedda, the son of Ithel ab Ceredig ab Cunedda Wledig. He preached in Pembrokeshire, Wales, and then went to Brittany, in France. Several churches bear his name.

St. Elgar, 1100 A.D. Hermit on the isle of Bardsey, off the coast of Cearnarvon, Wales. He was born in Devonshire, England, and spent many years as a captive in Ireland.

St. Nennus. Abbot. From Ireland, he became abbot of monasteries on the isles of Arran and Bute. Nennus was the successor of St. Enda

June 15

St. Vouga, 6th century. Irish bishop also called Vougar, Veho, and Fiech. He gave up his post and went to Brittany, France, where he lived as a hermit near Lesneven.

St. Trillo, 6th century. A Welsh saint of whom little is known beyond his status as patron saint of two sites in Gwynedd, Wales. In some lists he is called Drel or Drillo.

St. Edburga of Winchester, 960 A.D. Benedictine abbess, the daughter of King Edward the Elder and his third wife Edgiva, and the granddaughter of Alfred the Great. She became a nun at Winchester Abbey, then abbess, and was known for her miracles. Her shrine is at Pershore, in Worchestershire, England.

Bls. Thomas Green, Thomas Scryven, and Thomas Reding, 1537 A.D. English Carthusian martyrs. Thomas Green studied at St. John's College, Cambridge, entering the London Charterhouse of the Carthusians where he took vows and received ordination. Arrested for opposing King Henry VIII's (r. 1509-1547) claim of spiritual supremacy over the English Church, Thomas was imprisoned with two other Carthusians, the lay brothers Thomas Scryven and Thomas Reding, and four other companions. All were starved to death at Newgate Prison.

June 16

Bl. William Greenwood, 1537 A.D. Carthusian martyr of England. A lay brother in the Carthusian London Charterhouse, he was arrested for opposing the policies of King Henry VIII (r. 1509-1547) and starved to death in Newgate Prison with six companions.

St. Cettin, 5th century. Bishop and disciple of St.Patrick also called Cetagh. Cettin was consecrated a bishop to help St. Patrick.

St. Colman McRhoi, 6th century. An abbot and disciple of St. Columba. He founded the monastery of Reachrain, now Lamboy Island, in Dublin, Ireland, ruling as abbot.

St. Curig, 6th century. Welsh bishop in the see of Llanbadarn. Several churches in Wales are dedicated to Curig.

June 17

St. Herve, 575 A.D. Welsh bard who was is a popular patron in Brittany, France. Herve, sometimes called Harvey or Hervues, was the son of the bard Hyvarnion, and was born blind. Raised by his uncles because his mother was a hermitess, he was taken to Brittany. There he built an abbey at Lanhourneau, and he was venerated as a miracle worker and bard. He is invoked against eye trouble, and he is depicted with a wolf. Tales and legends associated Herve with a wolf.

St. Adulf, 680 A.D. Bishop and missionary, venerated with his brother, Butulf. They were nobles of Saxon or Irish lineage who became monks. Both went as missionaries to Germany. There Adulf was made the bishop of Utrecht. Butulf returned to England and founded a religious house in 654, becoming widely respected for his holiness.

St. Briavel. The patron of a parish in Dean Forest, Gloucestershire, England.

St. Nectan. Hermit and martyr also called Nighton or Nectaran. Possibly a native of Wales or Ireland, he is best known through legends. He lived as a hermit in Devonshire, England, founding churches there and in Cornwall, England. The patron saint of Hartland, Devonshire, he was much venerated during the Middle Ages and his shrine was a popular place for pilgrims until its destruction during the Reformation in the sixteenth century. He was reported beheaded by robbers, and in some traditions was a relative of the chieftain Brychan.

St. Moling, 697 A.D. Bishop of Ferns, the successor of St. Aidan. Born in Wexford, Ireland, he is also listed as Dairchilla, Molignus, Moling, or Myllin. Moling was a monk at Glendalough and then founded an abbey at Achad Cainigh, which became Teghmollin, or Tech Molin, St. Mullins. He was buried there.

June 19

Bl. Humphrey Middlemore, 1572-1591 A.D. Carthusian martyr of England. He was hanged at Tyburn with two monks of the London Charterhouse.

Bl. William Exmew, 1535 A.D. Carthusian martyr. An Englishman, he was educated at Cambridge and entered the Carthusians, eventually becoming sub-prior of the London Charterhouse. Owing to their refusal to accept the reforms of King Henry VIII (r. 1509-1547), William was executed with Blesseds Sebastian Newdigate and Humphrey Middlemore. They were beatified in 1886.

Bl. Thomas Woodhouse, 1573 A.D. English martyr. A resident of Lincolnshire, he received ordination as a secular priest and took up a post there. Forced to resign from this post, he became a tutor in Wales. He was arrested in 1561 for celebrating a Mass and was sent to Fleet Prison. During the period of his incarceration, which lasted twelve years, he entered the Society of Jesus Thomas was tried in 1570. He was hanged at Tyburn.

Bl. Sebastian Newdigate, 1535 A.D. Carthusian martyr of England. Born at Harefield, Middlesex, England, he studied at Cambridge and was married. His wife died in 1524 and he became a priest. Before entering the Carthusians in the London Charterhouse, he also served as King Henry VIII’s privy counselor. When Sebastian and fellow monks refused to accept the declaration of King Henry VIII’s Supremacy over the Church of England, they were arrested. Sebastian was executed at Tyburn on June 19 with Blesseds Humphrey Middlemore and William Exmew.

ENGLISH SAINTS AND MARTYRS JUNE 06-12

2010-06-06T07:25:00.000-07:00

June 6
Bl. Walter Pierson, 1537 A.D. Carthusian martyr of England. A member of the Carthusian Charterhouse of London, he served as a lay brother and was arrested with his companions by English authorities for opposing the religious policies of King Henry VIII (r. 1509-1547). With six other Carthusians, he was starved to death in prison.

St. Cocca, Patroness of Kilcock on the borders of Counties Meath and Kildare in Ireland also called Cucca or Cuach.

St. Jarlath. St. Jarlath, Bishop is regarded as the founder and principle patron of the Archdiocese of Tuam in Galway, Ireland. He belonged to the Conmaicne family, perhaps the most important and powerful family in Galway during that period. Jarlath was trained by a holy man and ordained a priest along with his cousin. He then founded the monastery of Cluain Fois, just outside Tuam, and presided over that monastery as abbot-bishop. Later, Jarlath opened a school attached to the monastery, one which soon became known as a great center of learning. St. Brendan of Clonfert and St. Colman of Cloyne were among his pupils at the school. Jarlath died around 550 A.D.

St. Gudwal, 6th century. Welsh bishop who founded Plecit Monastery, near Locoal, and monasteries in Brittany, France. Also called Gurval, he may be the Gudwall who succeeded St. Malo at Aleth. His relics are venerated in Ghent, Belgium.

Bl. John Davy, 1537 A.D. Carthusian martyr of England. A member of the Carthusian Charterhouse of London, he was an opponent of the Act of Supremacy of King Henry VIII. and was arrested and starved to death in Newgate Prison with six Carthusian companions. John was beatified in 1886.

Bl. Robert Salt, 1537 A.D. Carthusian martyr. Robert was a lay brother in the Carthusian community of London who, with six other members of the order, was starved to death at Newgate by order of King Henry VIII of England after they resisted his Dissolution of the Monasteries.

June 7

St. Robert of Newminster. Robert of Newminster, Saint, Abbot, (Benedictine) Cistercians (1100-1159) A priest from North Yorkshire who took the Benedictine habit at Whitby and obtained permission to join some monks of York who were attempting to live according to a new interpretation of the Benedictine rule at Fountains abbey (1132). Fountains soon became Cistercian and one of the centres of the White Monks in N. England. Newminster abbey in Northumberland was founded from it in 1137, and Robert became its first abbot. He is described as gentle and merciful in judgement.

St. Willibald, 786 A.D. Bishop and missionary. A native of Wessex, England, he was the brother of Sts. Winebald and Walburga and was related through his mother to the great St. Boniface. After studying in a monastery in Waitham, in Hampshire, he went on a pilgrimage to Rome (c. 722) with his father, who died on the way at Lucca, Italy. Willibald continued on to Rome and then to Jerusalem. Captured by Saracens who thought him a spy, he was eventually released and continued on to all of the holy places and then to Constantinople (modern Istanbul, Turkey), where he visited numerous lauras, monasteries, and hermitages. Upon his return to Italy, he went to Monte Cassino where he stayed for ten years, serving as sacrist, dean, and porter. While on a visit to Rome, he met Pope St. Gregory III (r. 731-741), who sent him to Germany to assist his cousin St. Boniface in his important missionary endeavors. Boniface ordained him in 741 and soon appointed him bishop of Eichstatt, in Franconia. the Site of Willibald's most successful efforts as a missionary. With his brother Winebald, he founded a double monastery at Heidenheim, naming Winebald abbot and his sister Walburga abbess. Willibald served as bishop for some four decades. His Vita is included in the Hodoeporicon (the earliest known English travel book). An account of his journeys in the Holy Land was written by a relative of Willibald and a nun of Heidenheim.

June 8

St. Bron, 511 A.D. Bishop and disciple of St. Patrick. Bron was the bishop of Cassel-lrra, near Sligo, Ireland. He continued St. Patrick's missionary efforts and introduced literary and artistic standards in Irish monastic life.

St. William of York. Bishop. William of York was the son of Count Herbert, treasurer to Henry I. His mother Emma was the half-sister of King William. Young William became treasurer of the church of York at an early age and was elected archbishop of York in 1140.

St. Edgar the Peaceful, 975 A.D. English king and patron of St. Dunstan, who served as his counselor. England underwent a religious revival in his reign, and he is venerated at Glastonbury. However, his daughter, St. Edith of Wilton, was borne by one of two religious women with whom he had an affair.

St. Levan, 6th century. Celtic saint sometimes listed as Levin or Selyr. He went to Cornwall, England, as a missionary and is revered there.

St. Muirchu, 7th century. Irish confessor. He is noted for writing the lives of St. Brigid and Patrick. In some lists he is called Maccutinus.

June 9

St. Columba, 521-597 A.D. Born probably in Donegal Ireland of royal descent he studied at Moville under St. Finnian then in Leinster at the monastery of Clonard under another St. Finnian. He was ordained before he was twenty-five and spent the next fifteen years preaching and setting up foundations at Derry, Durrow, and Kells. Possibly because of a family feud which resulted in the death of 3000 and for which he considered himself partly responsible he left Ireland at 42 and landed on the island of Iona off the coast of Scotland. There he built the monastery which was to become world famous. With SS Canice and Comgall he spread the gospel to the Picts; he also developed a monastic rule which many followed until the introduction of St. Benedicts. He died on Iona and is also known as Colm, Colum and Columcille.

St. Baithin, 598 A.D. Abbot and cousin of St. Columba, also listed as Comm or Cominus in some lists. Baithin was abbot of Tiree Abbey in Ireland, succeeding St. Columba as abbot of lona in Scotland in 597. He wrote about his saintly cousin and is said to have died on the anniversary of St. Columba's death.

St. Cummian, 8th century. Benedictine bishop of Ireland also called Cumian or Cummin. He traveled to Bobbio, in Italy, and remained there as a monk.

June 11

St. Tochmura. Irish virgin. She is venerated in the diocese of Kilmore, Ireland, and is considered a special patron of women in labor.

St. Blitharius, 7th century. Companion of St. Fursey. A native of Scotland, Blitharius went with St. Fursey to France to undertake missions and evangelization. He is venerated in Champagne, and is sometimes called Blier.

June 12

St. Ternan, 5th century. Missionary and bishop, sometimes called Torannan. According to tradition, he was a disciple of St. Palladius and was perhaps consecrated bishop by him in 432. He worked for many as a missionary bishop among the Picts in Scotland and he is honored as the founder of the abbey of Culross, in Fifeshire, where he died.

St. Chirstian, 1138 A.D. Bishop and brother of St. Malachy of Armagh. His Celtic name was Croistan O'Morgair. In 1126, Christian was named the bishop of Clogher, in Ireland.

St. Cominus. Patron saint of Ardcavan, Ireland, an abbot.

St. Cunera. A British virgin venerated in Germany.

St. Eskill, 1080 A.D. English missionary to Sweden, a companion of St. Sigfrid, his kinsman. Eskill went with St. Sigfrid to Sweden. There he was consecrated as the bishop of Strangnas and evangelized Sodermanland. King Sweyn the Bloody, the pagan successor to the murdered Christian King Inge, revived pagan practices. Eskill denounced a pagan festival and was stoned to death by order of the king.

Sts. Marinus, Vimius, & Zimius. The “Three Holy Exiles’ they were Benedictines at the Scottish St. James Abbey in Regensburg, Germany. They became hermits at Griestatten.

ENGLISH SAINTS AND MARTYRS MAY30-JUNE 05

2010-05-29T16:34:00.000-07:00

May 30
Bl. William Filby
Feastday: May 30
1582 A.D.
Martyr of England. Born in Oxfordshire, he studied at Oxford. After graduation, William was converted to Catholicism and went to Reims, France, where he received ordination as a priest in 1581. He returned to England immediately and was arrested with St. Edmund Campion. William was executed at Tyburn with three companions on May 30. He was beatified in 1886.

Bl. Thomas Cottam
Feastday: May 30
1582 A.D.
English martyr. Born at Dilworth, Lancashire, England, in 1549, he was raised as a Protestant and studied at Oxford University before undergoing a conversion to Catholicism. Leaving England to prepare for ordination at Douai and Rome, he was ordained and joined the Jesuits. going home in 1580. Arrested at his landing at Dover, he was taken to the Tower of London and eventually hanged, drawn, and quartered with three companions.

St. Walstan
Feastday: May 30
1016 A.D.
Penitent and model of charity. Born at Bawburgh, near Norwich, England, he was renowned for his charity and intense personal goodness, spending his life in prayer. Wealthy, he gave away his goods and worked as a farmhand at Taverham and Costessey. Walstan became a popular saint in the area of Norwich and became the hero of various legends. His shrine at Bawburgh was much visited until the English Reformation of the sixteenth century when it was destroyed.

Bl. Lawrence Richardson
Feastday: May 30
1582
Martyr of England. He was born in Great Crosby, Lancashire, England, and was educated at Oxford. Converting to the faith, Lawrence went to Douai, France, and was ordained in 1577. He returned to Lancashire and worked there until his martyrdom at Tyburn. He was beatified in 1886.

St. Luke Kirby
Feastday: May 30
1582 A.D.
One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. Probably educated at Cambridge, England, he converted and studied in Rome and in Douai, France. In 1580, he returned to England, only to be arrested two years later. Luke was imprisoned in the Tower of London and subjected to the infamous device “Scavenger’s Daughter.” a hideous form of torture. He was then martyred at Tyburn.

Bl. Richard Newport
Feastday: May 30
1612 A.D.
English martyr, also called Richard Smith. Born at Harringworth, Nothamptonshire, England, he studied in Rome and was ordained in 1597. Returning to England, he worked in London for a number of years before being arrested and banished twice, but he returned each time. His third arrest was with Blessed William Scott. Both were hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tybum for being Catholic priests.

Bl. Maurus Scott
Feastday: May 30
1612 A.D.
Benedictine martyr of England. Bom William Scott in Chigwell, Essex, England, he studied law at Cambridge, where he became a Catholic. Maurus was converted by Blessed John Roberts, the Benedictine, and was sent to Sahagun, in Spain, to St. Facundus Benedictine Abbey He was ordained there, taking the name Maurus. When he returned to England he was arrested, imprisoned for a year, and then banished. He returned again and again, being exiled each time. Finally, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn on May 30 with Blessed Richard Newport. They were beatified in 1929.

St. Madelgisilus
Feastday: May 30
Irish monk and companion of St. Fursey. Also known as Mauguille, Maguil, or Mauguil, he accompanied St. Fursey from Ireland to England and then to France. He became a monk at Saint-Riquier when St. Fursey died. He then left the monastery to avoid the adulation of his fellow monks and became a hermit at Monstrelet with St. Pulgan.

May 31

St. Vitalis
Feastday: May 31
1370 A.D.
Benedictine hermit. Originally a monk of Monte Subasio, near Assisi, Italy, he gave up the monastic life to become a hermit near Assisi. He spent two years in a hermitage.

==========================

June 1

St. Wistan, 850 A.D. Wistan (d.c. 850), Martyr of England. A grandson of the king of Mercia, he was supposedly murdered by Bertulph, king of Mercia and his godfather, for opposing the ruler's planned marriage to Wistan's mother. Originally buried at Repton, his remains were translated to Evesham Cathedral

St. Tegla. Patron saint of a church and well in Ciwyd, Wales.

St. Ronan. A Celtic bishop who promoted the faith in his native Cornwall, England, and in Brittany, France. Ronan is also associated with St. Rumon in some accounts.

Bl. John Storey,
1571 A.D.
Martyr of England. A Doctor of Law, John studied at Oxford, was president of Broadgate Hall and a professor of law, and was an active Catholic in the reign of Queen Mary Tudor. Married about 1547, he entered Parliament and was vocal in his opposition to various anti-Catholic laws then being proposed by the governments of King Edward VI and Queen Elizabeth I. Arrested and imprisoned, he managed to escape but was captured by Elizabeth’s agents in Antwerp, returned for a trial, and executed at Tyburn.

St. Candida. The village Whitchurch Canonicorum in Dorset, mentioned in the will of King Alfred as Hwitn Cyrcian, presumably takes its name from St. Wite, and its church is dedicated in her honor (the Latin form "Candida" is not recorded before the sixteenth century). In the north transept of the church is her shrine.

June 2

St. Adalgis, 686 A.D. A missionary and monastic founder, born in Ireland. As part of the heroic undertakings of the early Irish monks, Adalgis, who was a disciple of St. Fursey, sailed from his home to France. He did missionary work in Arras and Laon and founded a monastery in Picardy.

St. Bodfan, 7th century. Patron saint of Ahern, in Gwynredd, Wales. He saw the formation of Beaumaris Bay in a natural inundation and became a religious.

June 3

St. Kevin. Known in Ireland as Coemgen as well as Kevin, according to tradition he was born at the Fort of the White Fountain in Leinster, Ireland, of royal descent. He was baptized by St. Cronan and educated by St. Petroc. He was ordained, and became a hermit at the Valley of the Two Lakes in Glendalough. After seven years there, he was persuaded to give up his solitary life. He went to Disert-Coemgen, where he founded a monastery for the disciples he attracted, and later moved to Glendalough. He made a pilgrimage to Rome, bringing back many relics for his permanent foundation at Glendalough. He was a friend of St. Kieran of Clonmacnois, and was entrusted with the raising of the son of King Colman of Ui Faelain, by the king. Many extravagant miracles were attributed to Kevin, and he was reputed to be 120 years old at his death.

St. Cronan, 617 A.D. A disciple of St. Kevin called “the Tanner.”
St. Glushallaich, 7th century. Irish hermit who was a disciple of St. Kevin. Glunshallaich was buried in St. Kevin’s graveyard in Glenadalough, Ireland.

June 4

St. Petroc. Petroc was born in Wales, possibly the son of a Welsh king. He became a monk and with some of his friends, went to Ireland to study. They immigrated to Cornwall in England and settled at Lanwethinoc (Padstow). After thirty years there, he made a pilgrimage to Rome and Jerusalem, at which time he is also reputed to have reached the Indian Ocean where he lived for some time as a hermit on an island. He then returned to Cornwall, built a chapel at Little Petherick near Padstow, established a community of his followers, and then became a hermit at Bodmir Moor, where he again attracted followers and was known for his miracles. He died between Nanceventon and Lanwethinoc while visiting some of his disciples there.

St. Breaca, 5th or 6th century. Disciple of St. Brigid, also called Breque, Branca, and Branka. She went from Ireland to Cornwall, England, about 460. There Breaca and her companions settled on the bank of the Hoyle River.

St. Buriana, 6th century. Irish hermitess of Cornwall, known for penitential practices and holiness. She is venerated at Buryan, opposite the Isles of Scilly.

St. Walter, 1150 A.D. Benedictine abbot. Born in England, he served as a monk and then became the abbot of Fontenelle, France, the famed Benedictine spiritual center. Pope Innocent II (r. 1130-1143) noted his zeal and holiness.

St. Cornelius, 1176 A.D. Archbishop of Armagh, Ireland, also called Cornelius Mac Conchailleadh or McConchailleach. An Irishman, he joined the Augustinians at Armagh in 1140 and was made abbot in 1151. In 1174, he was made bishop. Cornelius died in Canbery, Savoy, France, while returning from a pilgrimage to Rome.

St. Croidan, 6th century. A disciple of St. Petroc with St. Medan and Degan.

June 5

St. Tudno, 6th century. Welsh saint after whom Llandudno in Gwynedd, Wales, is named. He figures in various Welsh Christian legends.

St. Eoban, 754 A.D. Benedictine monk and martyr of Irish descent, a companion of Sts. Willibrord and Boniface. Eoban was martyred with Boniface at Dokkum, Holland.

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS AND MARTYRS MAY 23-29

2010-05-23T07:29:00.000-07:00

May 23

St. William of Rochester
Feastday: May 23
Patron of adopted children
St. William of Rochester whose feast day is May 23rd is the patron saint of adopted children. William was a well-to-do burgher at Perth, Scotland. He went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem with his adopted son David who murdered him near Rochester, England. When a mentally deranged woman found his body and cared for it, she was miraculously cured of her mental problems. Reportedly miracles occurred at his grave, and it is said that he was canonized by Pope Alexander IV in 1256, though there is no record of such a canonization. There is a shrine dedicated to William at Rochester Cathedral.

St. Goban
Feastday: May 23
6th or 7th century
Abbot also called Gobhnena. He is believed to be the Goban mentioned in the life of St. Laserian. Goban served in Tascaffin, County Limerick, Ireland.

St. David I
Feastday: May 24
1153 A.D.
King of Scotland, the son of King Malcolm III and St. Margaret, born in 1084. He was sent to the English Norman court in 1093, and he married Matilda, the widow of the earl of Northhampton, becoming an English baron in 1113. David succeeded his brother, Alexander I, as the king of Scotland in 1124. Years of Struggle against King Stephen ended in 1139 when they made peace. David founded dioceses and monasteries in Scotland, instituted Norman law, started the office of chancellor, and conducted many charitable projects. He died in Carlisle, Scotland, May 24. He was never formally canonized.

May 25

Venerable Bede
Feastday: May 25
Bede was born near St. Peter and St. Paul monastery at Wearmouth-Jarrow, England. He was sent there when he was three and educated by Abbots Benedict Biscop and Ceolfrid. He became a monk at the monastery, was ordained when thirty, and except for a few brief visits elsewhere, spent all of his life in the monastery, devoting himself to the study of Scripture and to teaching and writing. He is considered one of the most learned men of his time and a major influence on English literature.

St. Aldhelm
Feastday: May 25
709 A.D.
Bishop and abbot, also called Adelemus, Athelmas, Adelnie, Eadelhelm, Aedelhem. Born about 639, and a relative of King Ine of Wessex, he received his early education at Malmesbury, in Wiltshire, England. There he was trained by an Irish teacher, Maildubh, and by Adrian, a native of Roman Africa. Adrian arrived in England with Bishop Theodore and was made abbot of St. Augustine's, Canterbury. After his training in Malmesbury, Aldhelrn was named abbot of Malmesbury, where he practiced great austerity. During his term in office the abbey prospered, and he also founded St. Lawrence monastery, in the area of Bradfordon-on-Avon. Aldhelm went to Rome to represent Malmesbury before Pope Sergius. He also counseled the Wessex Synod. In 705, Aldhelm succeeded Hedda as bishop of Sherborne, Hedda's original diocese being divided. He died only four years later. A silver shrine was erected at Malmesbury in 857 by King Ethelwulf. The shrine honored not only the saint's holiness but his extraordinary and long-lasting impact on English scholarship. He was the first Englishman to promote classical learning in the isles. Some evidence of his own remarkable literary skills is extant.

St. Dunchadh
Feastday: May 25
717 A.D.
Abbot of lona, in Scotland, from 710 until his death. Roman liturgical customs were adopted in Scotland in his time.

May 26

St. Becan
Feastday: May 26
6th century
Irish hermit in Cork. Becan lived in the time of St. Columba and was known for his sanctity.

St. Dyfan
Feastday: May 26
Missionary to the Britons. He was sent by Pope St. Eleutherius when a local Briton king requested missionaries from the pope. Dyfan is remembered with a church at Merthyr-Dyfan, Britain. He is also called Deruvianus and Damian.

Sts. Fugatius and Damian
Feastday: May 26
2nd century
Reportedly missionaries sent by Pope St. Eleutherius to Britain. They are also listed as Phaganus and Diruvianus Fagan and Deruvian, or as Hager and Dyfan.

St. Oduvald
Feastday: May 26
695 A.D.
Scottish abbot. A native of Scotland, he entered the monastic life and became abbot of Melrose, which was then a great spiritual center of the era.

May 28

Bl. Thomas Ford
Feastday: May 28
1582 A.D.
Martyr of England. He was born in Devon and educated at Oxford. There he converted and set out for Douai, France. Ordained a priest in 1573, he was sent back to England three years later. Thomas labored in Oxfordshire and Berckshire until his arrest. He was martyred on May 28 at Tyburn by being hanged, drawn, and quartered. He was a companion of St. Edmund Campion, and he died with Blesseds Robert Johnson and John Shert. Thomas was beatified in 1882.

Bl. Robert Johnson
Feastday: May 28
1582 A.D.
English martyr. Born in Shropshire, England, he was a servant before he went to study at Rome and Douai, France, receiving ordination in 1576. Returning to the English mission, he served in the area of London for four years, until his arrest. Robert was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn with Blesseds Thomas Ford and John Short. Robert was beatified in 1886.

St. Augustine of Canterbury
Feastday: May 28
605 A.D.
At the end of the sixth century anyone would have said that Augustine had found his niche in life. Looking at this respected prior of a monastery, almost anyone would have predicted he would spend his last days there, instructing, governing, and settling even further into this sedentary life.

But Pope St. Gregory the Great had lived under Augustine's rule in that same monastery. When he decided it was time to send missionaries to Anglo-Saxon England, he didn't choose those with restless natures or the young looking for new worlds to conquer. He chose Augustine and thirty monks to make the unexpected, and dangerous, trip to England.

Missionaries had gone to Britain years before but the Saxon conquest of England had forced these Christians into hiding. Augustine and his monks were to bring these Christians back into the fold and convince the warlike conquerors to become Christians themselves.

Bl. John Shert
Feastday: May 28
1582 A.D.
English martyr. He was born at Shert Hall, near Macclesfield, Cheshire, and educated at Oxford. Converting to the Church, John studied at Douai and Rome. Ordained in 1576, he went to England three years later, working only two years before his arrest. John was martyred at Tyburn with Blessed Thomas Ford and Blessed Robert Johnstone by being hinged, drawn, and quartered. Pope Leo XIII beatified him in 1886.

Bl. Margaret Pole
Feastday: May 28
Martyr of England. She was born Margaret Plantagenet, the niece of Edward IV and Richard III. She married Sir Reginald Pole about 1491 and bore five sons, including Reginald Cardinal Pole. Margaret was widowed, named countess of Salisbury, and appointed governess to Princess Mary, daughter of Hemy VIII and Queen Catherine of Aragon, Spain. She opposed Henry’s marriage to Anne Boleyn, and the king exiled her from court, although he called her “the holiest woman in England.” When her son, Cardinal Pole, denied Henry’s Act of Supremacy, the king imprisoned Margaret in the Tower of London for two years and then beheaded her on May 28. In 1538, her other two sons were executed. She was never given a legal trial. She was seventy when she was martyred. Margaret was beatified in 1886.

May 29

Bl. Richard Thirkeld
Feastday: May 29
1349 A.D.
English martyr, also listed as Thirkild. Born in Durham, England, he studied at Oxford and was said to be quite old when he left the isle to receive preparation for the priesthood at Reims and Douai, France. Ordained in 1579, he went back to England and served the Catholics in the area around Yorkshire until his execution for being a priest on May 29 at York.

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS AND MARTYRS MAY 16-22

2010-05-17T06:42:00.000-07:00

May 16

St. Simon Stock
Feastday: May 16
Although little is known about Simon Stock's early life, legend has it that the name Stock, meaning "tree trunk," derives from the fact that, beginning at age twelve, he lived as a hermit in a hollow tree trunk of an oak tree. It is also believed that, as a young man, he went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land where he joined a group of Carmelites with whom he later returned to Europe. Simon Stock founded many Carmelite Communities, especially in University towns such as Cambridge, Oxford, Paris, and Bologna, and he helped to change the Carmelites from a hermit Order to one of mendicant friars. In 1254 he was elected Superior-General of his Order at London. Simon Stock's lasting fame came from an apparition he had in Cambridge, England, on July 16, 1251, at a time when the Carmelite Order was being oppressed. In it the Virgin Mary appeared to him holding the brown scapular in one hand. Her words were: "Receive, my beloved son, this scapular of thy Order; it is the special sign of my favor, which I have obtained for thee and for thy children of Mount Carmel. He who dies clothed with this habit shall be preserved from eternal fire. It is the badge of salvation, a shield in time of danger, and a pledge of special peace and protection."
The scapular (from the Latin, scapula, meaning "shoulder blade") consists of two pieces of cloth, one worn on the chest, and the other on the back, which were connected by straps or strings passing over the shoulders. In certain Orders, monks and nuns wear scapulars that reach from the shoulders almost to the ground as outer garments. Lay persons usually wear scapulars underneath their clothing; these consist of two pieces of material only a few inches square. There are elaborate rules governing the wearing of the scapular: although it may be worn by any Catholic, even an infant, the investiture must be done by a priest. And the scapular must be worn in the proper manner; if an individual neglects to wear it for a time, the benefits are forfeited. The Catholic Church has approved eighteen different kinds of scapulars of which the best known is the woolen brown scapular, or the Scapular of Mount Carmel, that the Virgin Mary bestowed on Simon Stock. His feast day is May 16th.

St. Brendan
Feastday: May 16
583 A.D.
St. Brendan died in 583. Born possibly in Tralee, Ireland, and educated by St. Ita and ordained by Bishop Erc, he became a monk and founded a large monastery at Clonfert. Many fantastic details have been added to this brief knowledge usually based on the fictional "Navagation" in which he is described as searching for the Isles of the Blessed, touching the Canaries, and even discovering america. It is possible that he actually made visits to Scotland and Wales

St. Carantac
Feastday: May 16
5th-6th century
Welsh abbot and monastic founder, also called Carannog. Carantac founded a church at Llangrannog, Wales, spent time in Ireland, and upon returning to Wales founded a monastery at Cernach. He is associated with Crantock in Cornwall, and Carhampton in Somerset, England. He is also venerated in Brittany, France. He is sometimes identified with a Welsh prince, Carantac, an aide to St. Patrick.

May 17

St. Cathan
Feastday: May 17
6th or 7th century
Bishop of the isle of Bute, in Scotland, called Kil-Cathan in his honor. A tomb bearing his name was found near Londonderry, Ireland, but Scottish scholars claim his remains are at Kil-Cathan.

St. Madern
Feastday: May 17
Hermit of Cornish descent, also called Maden and Madron. Nothing is known of his life, but he was of Cornish descent and connected with Brittany, France. Numerous churches in England bear his name, and the reputed site of his hermitage, St. Madern’s Well, is still popular.

St. Maiduif
Feastday: May 17
Irish abbot and founder of Malmesbury Abbey in England. He trained St. Aldhelm there.

May 18

St. Feredarius
Feastday: May 18
863 A.D.
Irish abbot of lona, Scotland, in 863. He moved the relics of St. Columba to Ireland because of Danish raids.

St. Merililaun
Feastday: May 18
8th century
Martyred pilgrim. He was from England, journeying to Rome, when he was slain at Reims, France, under circumstances that warranted his being considered a martyr.

Bl. Alcuin
Feastday: May 19
804 A.D.
Benedictine scholar and counselor to Charlemagne, sometimes called Alcuin of York. He was born inYork, England, circa 735 and became a monk in the Benedictine Order in York. Ordained a deacon, Alcuin became headmaster of the cathedral school. He went to Rome and then met Charlemagne at Parma. Charlemagne invited Alcuin to become the minister of education for the Frankish court. Alcuin also founded a school and tutored the emperor. Upon retiring from the court, he became the abhot of St. Martin of Tours Monastery, reforming the house with St. Benedict of Aniane. Alcuin was listed in martyrologies as a Blessed. He was known for his holiness and scholarly wisdom, writing theological and liturgical treatises, and for his contributions to the so called Carolingian Renaissance.

St. Dunstan
Feastday: May 19
Patron of armorers, goldsmiths, locksmiths, and jewelers
Born of a noble family at Baltonsborough, near Glastonbury, England, Dunstan was educated there by Irish monks and while still a youth, was sent to the court of King Athelstan. He became a Benedictine monk about 934 and was ordained by his uncle, St. Alphege, Bishop of Winchester, about 939. After a time as a hermit at Glastonbury, Dunstan was recalled to the royal court by King Edmund, who appointed him abbot of Glastonbury Abbey in 943. He developed the Abbey into a great center of learning while revitalizing other monasteries in the area. He became advisor to King Edred on his accession to the throne when Edmund was murdered, and began a far-reaching reform of all the monasteries in Edred's realm.
Dunstan also became deeply involved in secular politics and incurred the enmity of the West Saxon nobles for denouncing their immorality and for urging peace with the Danes. When Edwy succeeded his uncle Edred as king in 955, he became Dunstan's bitter enemy for the Abbot's strong censure of his scandalous lifestyle. Edwy confiscated his property and banished him from his kingdom. Dunstan went to Ghent in Flanders but soon returned when a rebellion replaced Edwy with his brother Edgar, who appointed Dunstan Bishop of Worcester and London in 957. When Edwy died in 959, the civil strife ended and the country was reunited under Edgar, who appointed Dunstan Archbishop of Canterbury. The king and archbishop then planned a thorough reform of Church and state. Dunstan was appointed legate by Pope John XII, and with St. Ethelwold and St. Oswald, restored ecclesiastical discipline, rebuilt many of the monasteries destroyed by the Danish invaders, replaced inept secular priests with monks, and enforced the widespread reforms they put into effect.
Dunstan served as Edgar's chief advisor for sixteen years and did not hesitate to reprimand him when he thought it deserved. When Edgar died, Dunstan helped elect Edward the martyr king and then his half brother Ethelred, when Edward died soon after his election. Under Ethelred, Dunstan's influence began to wane and he retired from politics to Canterbury to teach at the Cathedral school and died there. Dunstan has been called the reviver of monasticism in England. He was a noted musician, played the harp, composed several hymns, notably Kyrie Rex splendens, was a skilled metal worker, and illuminated manuscripts. He is the patron of armorers, goldsmiths, locksmiths, and jewelers. His feast day is May 19th.

May 19

Bl. Peter Wright
Feastday: May 19
1651 A.D.
Jesuit martyr in England. Born in Slipton, Northamptonshire, England, Peter converted to Catholicism and was given preparation for the priesthood in Ghent and Rome. Entering the Jesuits in 1629, he ministered to English soldiers in Flanders and accompanied Sir Henry Gage back to England. He also served as a chaplain to the Royalist army during the English Civil War. After the war, he was arrested at the home of the Marquis of Winchester during the oppression of Catholicism by Oliver Cromwell and was put to death at Tyburn.

May 20

St. Ethelbert
Feastday: May 20
794 A.D.
Martyred king of East Anglia, England. When Ethelbert, the son and heir of Ethelred, went to Mercia to ask for the hand of a princess, he was murdered by her mother, Queen Cynethryth. He was especially venerated in Hereford.

May 21

St. Barrfoin
Feastday: May 21
6th century
Irish missionary, possibly a bishop, and friend of Sts. Columba and Brendan. Barrfoin took charge of a church founded by St. Columba in Drum Cullen, Offaly. He lived at Killbarron. He also journeyed to spread the faith. Barrfoin repeated his adventures on a voyage to the Americas to St. Brendan the Navigator.

St. Constantine the Great
Feastday: May 21
337 A.D.
Junior Emperor and emperor called the “Thirteenth Apostle” in the East. The son of Constantius I Chlorus, junior emperor and St. Helena, Constantine was raised on the court of co-Emperor Diocletian. When his father died in 306, Constantine was declared junior emperor of York, England, by the local legions and earned a place as a ruler of the Empire by defeating of his main rivals at the battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312.

St. Gollen
Feastday: May 21
7th century
Welsh saint also listed as Collen or Colan. He gave his name to Llangollen, in Clwyd, Wales, and he is associated in legend with Glastonbury, England, and Rome.

May 22

St. Boethian
Feastday: May 22
7th century
Benedictine martyr and a disciple of St. Fursey. An Irishman by birth, Boethian built the Pierrepoint Abbey near Laon, in France. He was murdered there by rebellious monks.

Bl. John Forest
Feastday: May 22
1538 A.D.
Martyr of England, the confessor of the first wife of King Henry VIII, Queen Catherine of Aragon. He became a Franciscan at Greenwich at the age of seventeen and studied at Oxford. John opposed Henry’s divorce and the suppression of religious orders. Because of this he was arrested at Newgate and ordered to agree to the Oath of Supremacy. Refusing, John was dragged on a hurdle to Smithfield and then burned to death at the stake. A wooden statue of St. Derfel was burned with John. He was beatified in 1886.

St. Conall
Feastday: May 22
7th century
Abbot of Inniscoel Monastery in County Donegal, Ireland. A holy well there is named after St. Conall.

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS AND MARTYRS MAY 9-15

2010-05-10T07:17:00.000-07:00

Bl. Thomas Pickering
1679A.D.
Feastday May 9
Benedictine martyr. Born in Westmoreland, England, he entered the Benedictines as a lay brother at Douai, France, and there took his vows in 1660. Going home to England, he became attached to the Benedictines in the service of the Chapel Royal of Queen Catherine of Braganza, wife of Charles II (r. 1660-1685). Arrested as part of the "Popish Plot," he was condemned and hanged at Tyburn.

St. Beatus
Feastday: May 9
112 A.D.
A monk and hermit, called Beatus of Lungern and earlier designated as the Apostle of Switzerland. Baptized in England by St. Barnabas and ordained by St. Peter, Beatus went to Switzerland. He lived and died on Mount Beatenburg above Lake Thun. The cave became a popular pilgrim's destination, the famed site of Beatus' fight with a dragon.

St. Sanctan
Feastday: May 9
6th century
Irish bishop. He governed two sees, at Kill-da-Les and Kill-na-Sanctan (modern Dublin). It is possible that he was British by birth.

St. Gorfor
Feastday: May 9
A saint of Wales, patron of Llanover, in Gwent, Wales.

St. William of Pontoise
Feastday: May 10
1192 A.D.
English hermit. He resided at Pontoise, in France, having gone there to take up the eremetical life. His hermitage became popular in the region. He may have been a Benedictine at St. Martin's Abbey.

St. Comgall
Feastday: May 10
b.516 A.D. d.601 A.D.
Abbot and teacher of St. Columbanus and the monks who evangelized France and central Europe. He was born about 516 in Ylster, Ireland, and studied under St. Fintan at Cluain Eidnech Monastery. After living under a harsh rule as a hermit, Comgall founded a monastery in Bangor. He was abbot for eight thousand monks. Comgall also accompanied St. Columba on a mission to Inverness, Scotland, and founded a monastery at Heth. He died at Bangor.

Bl. Damien de Veuster
Feastday: May 10
1889 A.D.
The Leper Priest, the Hero of Molokai. Born in Tremelo, Belgium, on January 3, 1840, he joined the Sacred Hearts Fathers in 1860. He was bom Joseph and received the name Damien in religious life. In 1864, he was sent to Honolulu, Hawaii, where he Was ordained. For the next nine years he worked in missions on the big island, Hawaii. In 1873, he went to the leper colony on Molokai, after volunteering for the assignment. Damien cared for lepers of all ages, but was particularly concerned about the children segregated in the colony. He announced he was a leper in 1885 and continued to build hospitals, clinics, and churches, and some six hundred coffins. He died on April 15 , on Molokai. Slandered by a Protestant minister, Mr. Hyde, Damien was defended by Robert Louis Stevenson, who wrote an impassioned defense of Damien in 1905. He was declared venerable in 1977. Pope John Paul II declared him beatified on June 4, 1995.

Bl. John of Rochester
1537 A.D.
Feastday: May 11
Carthusian martyr of England who died with Blessed James Walworth. He was born in Terling, Essex, and became a monk in the London Charterhouse. John was implicated in Blessed James Walworth’s correspondence with the duke of Norfolk. He and James refused to take the Oath of Supremacy and were martyred at York and beatified in 1886.

St. Tudy
Feastday: May 11
5th century
Abbot, also called Tegwin and Tudinus. A native of Brittany, France, he became a disciple of St. Brioc and embraced the erernetical life. Eventually, he served as abbot of a community of monks near Landevennec, Brittany. Later, he journeyed to England and preached in Cornwall.

Saint Pancras (Pancratius)
Feastday: May 12
We have no reliable historical information about this martyr. Legend tells us he was born at the end of the third century and brought up by an uncle in Rome after the death of his parents. Both he and his uncle became Christians. Pancras was beheaded in 304 during Diocletian's persecution. He was only 14 years old.
Pancras is especially venerated in England because Augustine of Canterbury dedicated his first church to Pancras and his relics were presented as a gift to the king of Northumberland. A district in London is named St. Pancras after him.

St. Diomma
Feastday: May 12
5th century
Patron saint of Kildimo County, Limerick, in Ireland. He taught St. Declan of Ardmore and other Irish evangelists.

St. Dionysius
Feastday: May 12
304 A.D.
Martyr and uncle of St. Pancras. An Asiatic by birth, Dionysius brought St. Pancras to Rome, where they became Christians. Dionysius died in a Roman prison.

St. Etheihard
Feastday: May 12
Archbishop of Canterbury, England, after Pope Leo III restored the primacy of that see, also called Aethelhard. He had to go into exile until Lichfield was abolished as a metropolitan see.

Bl. Juliana of Norwich
1423 A.D.
Feastday: May 13
Benedictine English mystic, sometimes called Julian. She was a recluse of Norwich, living outside the walls of St. Julian’s Church. In 1373, she experienced sixteen revelations. Her book, Revelations of Divine Love - a work on the love of God, the Incarnation, redemption, and divine consolation - made her one of the most important writers of England. She wrote on sin, penance, and other aspects of the spiritual life, attracting people from all across Europe. She is called Blessed, although she was never formally beatified

St. Mael
Feastday: May 13
A hermit of Wales, sometimes called Mabel. He was a disciple of St. Cadfan, whom he accompanied from Brittany, France, to Wales and then to the island of Bardsey.

St. Abban
Feastday: May 13
Irish hermit whose life is largely undocumented. Born in Ireland, Abban resided in Abingdon, England before the era of St. Patrick. Abban is part of the great panorama of early Irish Christians who served as models for European monasticism and faith. He is especially revered in Abingdon, England.

St. Merewenna
970 A.D.
Feastday: May 13
Abbess of Romsey, in Hampshire, England. She is also called Merwenna and Merwinna. King Edgar the Peaceful of England restored Merewenna’s abbey.

St. Carthach the Younger
Feastday: May 14
637 A.D.
Irish hermit and bishop, also called Carthage, Cuda, or Mochuda. Originally a swineherd, Carthach was ordained and then became a hermit about 590 in Kiltulagh and then in Bangor, under St. Comgall. Carthach traveled to Offaly, where he founded a monastery, ruling more than eight hundred monks. He wrote a rule for the monastery in metrical verse, a document that is extant. He is believed to have served as the bishop of Fircall until he and his monks were expelled by some local lord. Carthach founded another monastery at Lismore on the banks of the Blackwater, and lived in a nearby cave. He died on May 14.

St. Engelmund
Feastday: May 14
739 A.D.
Benedictine abbot, companion of St. Willibrord. He was born in England where he ruled an abbey. Then he went to Friesland.

St. Britwin
Feastday: May 15
733 A.D.
Benedictine abbot of Beverley, England, and friend of St. John of Beverley, who became the bishop of York. Britwin did much to foster monasticism and culture in England.

St. Gerebrand
Feastday: May 15
7th century
Martyred Irish priest, companion of St. Dymphna. He was quite elderly when he went with St. Dymphna to Belgium, where they were slain by pagans. Gerebrand, sometimes called Gerebern, is patron of a Rhineland area.

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS AND MARTYRS MAY 2-8

2010-05-03T06:59:00.000-07:00

St. Ultan
Feastday: May 2
686 A.D.
Benedictine abbot.The brother of Sts. Fursey and Foil Ian, he followed them into the monastic life, entering the community of monks at Burgh Castle, nearyarmouth, East Anglia, England. He subsequently went to France to escape the predations of the Mercians and was greeted with enthusiasm by St. Gertrude of Nivelles. After serving as chaplain to Gertrude's nuns, be became the founding abbot of Fosses Monastery on land given to him by Sts. Gertrude and Ita. He also ruled Peronne.

St. Neachtian
Feastday: May 2
Irish confessor. He was a friend of St. Patrick, possibly a relative, and was supposedly present when Patrick died.

St. Ethelwin
Feast day: May 3.
(d. eighth century) Second bishop of Lindsey, England. He accompanied St. Egbert to Ireland, where he died.

St. Scannal
Feastday: May 3
563 A.D.
Disciple of St. Columba and an Irish missionary. He was associated with the region of CellColeraine.

St. John Houghton
Feastday: May 4
1535 A.D.
Protomartyr of the English Reformation. A native of Essex, he served as a parish priest after graduating from Cambridge. He then became a Carthusian and the prior of the Carthusian Charterhouse of London. As an opponent of King Henry Viii’s Acts of Succession and Supremacy, he was arrested with other Carthusians but was released temporarily. He then refused to swear to the Oath of Supremacy, the first man to make this refusal. Dragged through the streets, he was executed at Tyburn with four companions by being hanged, drawn, and quartered. Parts of his remains were put on display in assorted spots throughout London. Pope Paul VI canonized him in 1970 as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.

St. Augustine Webster
Feastday: May 4
1535 A.D.
One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales, canonized in 1970. Augustine was a Carthusian prior of the Charterhouse at Axholme, England. He was arrested in London and martyred at Tyburn.

St. John Payne
1582 A.D.
English martyr. Payne was born at Peterborough, England, and was possibly a convert. In 1574, he departed England and went to Douai, where he was ordained in 1576. Immediately thereafter, he was sent back to England with St. Cuthbert Mayne. His labors met with considerable success, but he was arrested within a year. Released by English authorities, he departed the island but came back in 1579. While staying in Warwickshire on the estate of one Lady Petre, he was arrested once more after being denounced by John Eliot, a known murderer who made a career out of denouncing Catholics and priests for bounty. Imprisoned and tortured in the Tower of London for nine months, he was finally condemned to death and hanged, drawn, and quartered at Chelmsford. He is one of the Martyrs of England and Wales canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1970.

St. Robert Lawrence
Feastday: May 4
1535 A.D.
One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. After joining the Carthusians, he served as prior of the Charterhouse at Beauvale, Nottinghamshire, at the time when King Henry VIII of England broke with Rome and launched the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Robert went with St. John Houghton to see Thomas Cromwell, who had them arrested and placed in the Tower of London. When they refused to sign the Oath of Supremacy, they were cruelly tortured and executed at Tyburn, making them among the first martyrs from the order in England. Beatified in 1886, Robert was canonized by Pope Paul VI with the other martyrs in 1970.

St. Conleth
Feastday: May 4
519 A.D.
Irish metalworker and hermit, also called Conlaed. He lived as a recluse at Old Connell on the Liffey, and was a close friend of St. Brigid. In time he served as spiritual director of St. Brigid’s convent at Kildare. A copyist and skilled illuminator of manuscripts, he is noted for the crozier that he fashioned for St. Finbar of Termon Barry.

St. Ethelred
Feastday: May 4
King of Mercia who resigned his throne to become a Benedictine monk at Bardney, England. He became the abbot at Bardney.

Forty Martyrs of England & Wales
Feastday: May 4
A famed group of Catholic martyrs who were put to death for the faith and who received canonization on October 25 , 1970, by Pope Paul VI. The saints belonging to this group are covered in individual entries, but the members are: Alban Roe (January 21), Alexander Bryant (December 1), Ambrose Barlow (September 11), Anne Line (February 27), Augustine Webster (May 4), Cuthbert Mayne (November 29), David Lewis (August 27), Edmund Arrowsmith (August 28), Edmund Campion (December 1), Edmund Gennings (December 10), Henry Morse (February 1), Henry Walpole (April 7), John Almond (December 5), John Boste (July24), John Houghton (May 4), John Jones (July 12), John Kemble (August 22), John Lloyd (July 22), John Payne (April 2), John Plessington (July 19), John Rigby (June 19), John Roberts (December 9), John Stone (May 12), John Southworth (June 27), John Wall (August 22), Luke Kirby (May 30), Margaret Clitherow (October 21), Margaret Ward (August 30), Nicholas Owen (March 2), Philip Evans (July 22), Philip Howard (October 19), Polydore Plasden (December 10), Ralph Sherwin (December 1), Richard Gwyn (October 17), Richard Reynolds (May 4), Robert Lawrence (May 4), Robert Southwell (February 21), Swithun Wells (December 10), and Thomas Garnet (June 26).

Bl. John Haile
Feastday: May 5
1535 A.D.
Martyr of England, a companion in death of St. John Houghton at Tyburn. He was an elderly secular priest, the vicar of Isleworth, Middlesex, when he was arrested by King Henry VIII’s men. John was executed at Tyburn. He was beatified in 1886.

St. Aventinus
http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=1642
Feastday: May 5
1180 A.D.
Hermit and companion of St. Thomas Becket. A hermit in Tours, France, he was ordained a deacon by St. Thomas and accompanied him to the Synod of Tours in 1163. When Thomas was martyred In 1170 Aventinus went toTouraine, France, remaining there until his death.

St. Echa
Feastday: May 5
767 A.D.
Anglo-Saxon priest hermit, also called Etha. He was a Benedictine who lived at Crayk, near York, England. Hermits such as Echa served as a link to the early Desert Fathers of Egypt.

Bl. Edmund Ignatius Rice
Feastday: May 5
1844 A.D.
The founder of the Congregation of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, often called the Irish Christian Brothers. Edmund was born in Wescourt, Ireland, in June, 1762, the fourth of seven sons in a fanning family At seventeen he began working at his uncle’s import-export business in Waterford. He later inherited the business. Married at twenty-five, Edmund lost his wife two years later and was left with a sickly infant daughter. A devout man, Edmund dedicated himself to charitable works. Though he saw how the economic and political storms of the day were impacting Ireland, he desired a religious vocation in the contemplative life. However, the Bishop of Waterford drew Edmund’s attention to the bands of ragged youth in the streets, asking Edmund if he, too, planned to abandon them. Encouraged by Pope Pius VII and Bishop Hussey, Edmund sold his business, arranged for his daughter’s care, and opened his first school in 1802

St. Hydroc
Feastday: May 5
5th century
The patron saint of Lanhydroc Cornwall, England.

Bl. Anthony Middleton
1590 A.D.
Feastday: May 6
English martyr from Middleton, Yorkshire. Anthony was educated and ordained at Reims, France, and then went back to England to serve the remaining Catholics of that land. Arrested and charged, Anthony was hanged, drawn, and quartered in London.

Bl. Edward Jones
Feastday: May 6
English martyr
Blessed Edward Jones and Anthony Middleton, Martyrs Edward Jones from Wales and Anthony Middleton from Yorkshire were both educated at the Douai College in Rheims. They became priests and were sent to the English mission in the time of Elizabeth II. Middleton was the first to arrive in England, in 1586, and pursued the ministry for some time without being discovered, helped considerably by his youthful appearance and slight stature. Jones followed, in 1588, and quickly became known by the English Catholics as a devout and eloquent preacher. The two men of God were hunted down and captured with the aid of spies posing as Catholics, and they were hanged before the very doors of the houses in Fleet Street and Clerkenwell where they were arrested. Their trial is regarded as full of irregularities; the reason for the summary justice dispensed to them was spelled out in large letters: "For treason and foreign invasion." After offering their death for the forgiveness of their sins, the spread of the true Faith, and the conversion of heretics, they died on May 6, 1590.

St. John of Beverly
Feastday: May 7
John was born at Harpham, Yorkshire, England. He studied under Adrian at St. Theodore's School in Kent, and on his returen to his native land, became a monk at Whitby. He was named bishop of Hexham in 687 and then transferred to York as metropolitan in 705, succeeding St. Bosa. John was known for his holiness, his preference for the contemplative life, and his miracles, many of which are recounted in Bede's Ecclesiastical History, the author of which he had ordained. In ill health, John resigned the bishopric of York in 717 and retired to Beverly Abbey, which he had founded, and remained there until his death on May 7. His shrine was for centuries one of the most popular pilgrim centers in England. He was canonized by Pope Benedict IX in 1037.

St. Liudhard
Feastday: May 7
600 A.D.
Bishop and chaplain to Queen Bertha, daughter of King Charibert of Paris, France. When Bertha went to England to marry King Ethelbert of Kent, Liudhard accompanied her. He played an important role in King Ethelbert’s conversion and Baptism by St. Augustine of Canterbury. Liudhard, also called Liphard and Letard, was buried at Canterbury.

St. Abran
Feastday: May 8
515 A.D.
Hermit also called Gibrian. From Ireland, Abran, the eldest of five brothers and three sisters, sailed to Brittany with his siblings. There all of them continued their hermitages and greatly influenced the people of the area. Abran and his brothers and sisters were all declared saints.

St. Odrian
Feastday: May 8
5th century
One of the first bishops of Waterford, Ireland. Waterford was part of an ancient deanery system at the time, ruled by abbot bishops. Odrian was a prelate.

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS AND MARTYRS APRIL 25-MAY 1

2010-04-25T07:21:00.000-07:00

Bl. William Marsden
1586 A.D.
Feastday: April 25
Martyr of England. A native of Lancashire, he studied at Oxford and then departed the island for Reims, France, where he was ordained in 1585 with Blessed Robert Anderson. They were sent to England but were forced to land on the Isle of Wight in a storm. They were arrested and then condemned and hanged on April 25 on Wight. Both were beatified in 1929, and share the feast.

St. Mella
Feastday: April 25
780 A.D.
Widow and abbess. She was the mother of St. Cannech and Tigernach, and lived in Connaught, Ireland. She became the abbess of DoireMelle, Leitrim.

St. Riquier
Feastday: April 26
645 A.D.
Abbot and hermit, also called Richarius. Born at Celles, near Amiens, France, he became a priest after rescuing two Irish missionaries from a murderous band of local pagans. After studying in England, he was ordained and returned home, where he founded an abbey at Celles over which he presided as abbot. He later resigned from his office and spent his remaining days as a hermit on the site of Forest Montiers Monastery. Abbeville is the modern site of Riquier’s foundation.

St. Asicus
Feastday: April 27
490 A.D.
Abbot-Bishop of Ireland and disciple of St. Patrick, also called Ascicus and Tassach. Asicus was a coppersmith and was married when he first met St. Patrick. In time he was made the first abbot-bishop of Elphim Monastery in Roscommon, Ireland. Humble and not believing he was worthy of the office, Asicus went to an island in Donegal Bay, where he resigned his rank and became a hermit. After seven years the monks of Elphin found him and persuaded him to return to the monastery. He died at Raith Cungilor on the return journey.

St. Winewald
Feastday: April 27
731 A.D.
Winewald, Second abbot of Beverley monastery in England succeeding St. Berchtun. He was successful in his efforts to make Beverley a center for English cultural and spiritual growth.

St. Enoder
Feastday: April 27
6th century
Grandson of Welsh chieftain Brychan of Brecknock, also called Cnydr, Keneder, and Quidic. There is considerable dispute as to his identity, as he could be St. Enoder or Enodoc of Cornwall, England. Llangynidir of Powys wrote of him. Enoder was an abbot.

St. Cronan of Roscrea
Feastday: April 28
626 A.D.
Founder and hermit in Ireland. He was the son of Odran, born in Munster, or possibly Ely O’Carroll, Offaly, Ireland. Cronan founded fifty monasteries, the first at Puay and the most famous at Roscrea. He ended his life as a blind hermit.

St. Wilfrid the Younger
Feastday: April 29
744 A.D.
Benedictine abbot and bishop of York, England. A monk and disciple of St. John of Beverley, he studied at Whitby Abbey and received ordination. He became John's chaplain when John was named bishop of York, and received appointment as abbot of the cathedral community in the city. Soon after, he was appointed John's coadjutor and succeeded to the see atYork at his benefactor's passing in 721. He eventually retired to a monastery, most likely Ripon, where he died.

St. Senan
Feastday: April 29
7th century
Welsh hermit. Owing to the confusion of records and traditions of this time and region, it is difficult to determine precise details of his life, but he is known to have labored in the northern districts of Wales.

St. Dichu
Feastday: April 29
5th century
First convert of St. Patrick in Ulser, Ireland. He is listed as a swineherd in some lists and in others as a the son of an Ulster chieftain. Opposed to Patrick originally, Dichu converted and gave Patrick a church in Saul, the capital of Lecale in County Down.

St. Endellion
Feastday: April 29
6th century
Virgin recluse honored at St. Endellion, in Cornwall, England. She was the sister of St. Nectan of Hartland, and the daughter of Brychan of Brecknock.

St. Fiachan
Feastday: April 29
7th century
Disciple of St. Carthage the Younger, a native of Munster, Ireland. He was a monk in Lismore Abbey.

Bl. Francis Dickenson
Feastday: April 30
1590 A.D.
English martyr. He was born in Yorkshire, England, and was a convert to the Church. After being ordained at Reims, France, in 1589, he returned to England and was promptly arrested. Francis was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Rochester. He was beatified in 1929.

St. Cynwl
Feastday: April 30
6th century
A hermit, the brother of St. Deinoil, noted fir his austere life in southern Wales. Several churches in the region were dedicated to Cynwl.

St. Forannan
Feastday: April 30
932 A.D.
Irish bishop of Domhnach-Mor, Ireland, no longer listed as a diocese. With twelve companions he went to Belgium and founded an abbey at Waulsort, on the Meuse River, becoming abbot in 962. Forannan introduced the Benedictine rule to Waulsort. Forannan went to Belgium in response to a dream.

St. Gerard Miles
Feastday: April 30
1590 A.D.
Martyr of England with Blessed Francis Dickinson. He was born in Lancashire, England, and went to Douai and Reims where he was ordained in 1583. Returning from England, he was arrested when the ship that he and Francis were using wrecked at Kent. They were arrested and hanged, drawn, and quartered at Rochester in April. They were beatified in 1929.

St. Asaph
Feastday: May 1
600 A.D.
First bishop of Asaph in Wales,also called Asa. He is believed to have lived in a hemitage near Tenegel, near Holywell. He is also described in a life of St. Kentigern, or Mungo. While still young, Asaph served Kentigern. Asked to bring Kentigern a piece of wood for the fire, Asaph brought live coals in his apron, an event that alerted Kentigern to Asaph's sanctity. When Kentigern left the area in 573, Asaph was consecrated a bishop. Asaph's relatives, Deiniol, Tysilo, and others were honored as saints.

St. Brieuc
Feastday: May 1
510 A.D.
Bishop educated by St. Germanus, in Auxerre, France. He is believed to have been born in Dyfed or Cardiganshire, Wales, circa 420. Ordained in France, Brieuc returned to England as a missionary. Known also as Briocus, Briomaglus, or Brioc, he converted his parents and became known for his miracles. He also converted Conan, a local ruler of Brittany, France, and founded a monastery near the present site of the town of Saint-Brieuc in Brittany. He remained in Brittany, dying at the age of ninety. Brieuc is venerated in Cornwall, England, and is credited with stopping a plague.

St. Ceallach
Feastday: May 1
6th century
Disciple of St. Kiernan, a bishop, sometimes called Kellach or Celsus. He was a bishop of Killala, Ireland, but ended his life as a hermit. Some records lists him as a martyr.

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS AND MARTYRS APRIL 18-24

2010-04-22T06:27:00.000-07:00

St. Cogitosus
Feastday: April 18
8th century
Monk of Kildare, Ireland, and the biographer of St. Brigid. This work is invaluable because of its details of St. Brigid in the era in which she lived.

St. Laserian
Feastday: April 18
639 A.D.
Bishop and papal legate, brother of St. Goban, also listed as Molaisse. Laserian was born in Ireland and was a monk on lona, Scotland. He went to Rome and was ordained by Pope St. Gregory I the Great. Returning to Ireland, Laserian supported Roman liturgical images, and he went back to Rome with a group to have Pope Honorius I settle the dispute. Laserian was made a bishop and papal legate to Ireland. In 637, he succeeded his brother, St. Goban, as abbot of Leighlin.

St. James Duckett, Blessed
Feastday: April 18
1602 A.D.
Martyr of England, hanged at Tybum. James was born in Gilfortriggs, Westmoreland, England. After being drawn to Catholicism, he refused to attend Protestant services and passed two terms in prison. He then took instructions and was baptized. James went to London, where he spent more time in prison and distributed Catholic materials. Arrested for his faith, he was imprisoned for nine years before his execution at Tyburn. He was beatified in 1929.

St. Alphege
Feastday: April 19
1012 A.D.
Archbishop and "the First Martyr of Canterbury." He was born in 953 and became a monk in the Deerhurst Monastery in Gloucester, England, asking after a few years to become a hermit. He received permission for this vocation and retired to a small hut near Somerset, England. In 984 Alphege assumed the role of abbot of the abbey of Bath, founded by St. Dunstan and by his own efforts. Many of his disciples from Somerset joined him at Bath. In that same year, Alphege succeeded Ethelwold as bishop of Winchester.
He served there for two decades, famed for his care of the poor and for his own austere life. King Aethelred the Unready used his abilities in 994, sending him to mediate with invading Danes. The Danish chieftain Anlaf converted to Christianity as a result of his meetings with Alphege, although he and the other chief, Swein, demanded tribute from the Anglo-Saxons of the region. Anlaf vowed never to lead his troops against Britain again. In 1005 Alphege became the successor to Aleric as the archbishop of Canterbury, receiving the pallium in Rome from Pope John XVIII. He returned to England in time to be captured by the Danes pillaging the southern regions.
The Danes besieged Canterbury and took Alphege captive. The ransom for his release was about three thousand pounds and went unpaid. Alphege refused to give the Danes that much, an act which infuriated them. He was hit with an ax and then beaten to death. Revered as a martyr, Alphege's remains were placed in St. Paul's Church in London. The body, moved to Canterbury in 1023, was discovered to be incorrupt in 1105. Relics of St. Alphege are also in Bath, Glastonbury, Ramsey, Reading, Durham, Yorkminster and in Westminster Abbey. His emblem is an ax, and he is depicted in his pontifical vestments or as a shepherd defending his flock.

St. Ursmar
Feastday: April 19
713 A.D.
Benedictine abbot-bishop, and missionary. A native of Ireland, he served as abbot-bishop of the abbey of Lobbes, on the Sambre, in Flanders, Belgium, from which he organized exceedingly successful missionary efforts in the region.

Bl. John Finch
Feastday: April 20
1584 A.D.
Martyr of England. He was a yeoman farmer of Eccleston, Lancashire, who returned to the Church. He harbored priests and acted as a clerk and catechist. John was arrested and tried with Blessed James Bell. They were executed at Lancaster. Both were beatified in 1929.

Bl. Robert Watkinson
Feastday: April 20
1579-1602
English martyr. Born at Hemingborough, Yorkshire, he left England and studied at Douai, France, and then Rome in preparation for his ordination in 1602 in Arras, France. Sent home to work for the reconversion of England, he was arrested almost immediately and executed at Tyburn. Robert was hanged, drawn, and quartered on April 20, with Blessed Francis Page. He was beatified in 1929.

Bl. Francis Page
Feastday: April 20
1602 A.D.
Jesuit martyr of England. Born in Antwerp, Belgium, Francis was a member of an English Protestant family of Harrow-on-the-Hill, in England. Reconciled to the Catholic faith, he was ordained in 1600 and sent from Douai, France, to England. He was arrested there two years later. While in prison, Francis entered the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits. He was martyred at Tyburn, England, and was beatified in 1929.

St. Beuno
Feastday: April 21
Beuno's legend has him a monk in Wales who founded his own community and performed numerous miracles, among them, restoring St. Winifred's head after she was beheaded. However, he does seem to have been an effective preacher who evangelized much of North Wales and founded a monastery at Clynnog Fawr (Carnavonshire).

St. Arwald
Feastday: April 22
686 A.D.
Martyrs, sons of Arwald, the prince of the Isle of Wight, just off the English coast. The martyrs are called Arwald because their proper names are not known. They were slain after Baptism by King Cadwall, who was a pagan.

St. George
Feastday: April 23
Patron of England, Constantinople & Catalonia
Pictures of St. George usually show him killing a dragon to rescue a beautiful lady. The dragon stands for wickedness. The lady stands for God's holy truth. St. George was a brave martyr who was victorious over the devil.

He was a soldier in the army of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, and he was one of the Emperor's favorite soldiers. Now Diocletian was a pagan and a bitter enemy to the Christians. He put to death every Christian he could find. George was a brave Christian, a real soldier of Christ. Without fear, he went to the Emperor and sternly scolded him for being so cruel. Then he gave up his position in the Roman army. For this he was tortured in many terrible ways and finally beheaded.

So boldly daring and so cheerful was St. George in declaring his Faith and in dying for it that Christians felt courage when they heard about it. Many songs and poems were written about this martyr. Soldiers, especially, have always been devoted to him.

We all have some "dragon" we have to conquer. It might be pride, or anger, or laziness, or greediness, or something else. Let us make sure we fight against these "dragons", with God's help. Then we can call ourselves real soldiers of Christ. .

St. Mellitus of Canterbury
Feastday: April 24
624
Archbishop of Canterbury from 619. In 601, he was sent from St. Andrew’s Monastery, Rome, to England by Pope St. Gregory I the Great. Mellitus spent three years as a missionary in Kent, England, aiding St. Augustine. He also became the first bishop of London and was responsible for converting the King of the East Saxons. The Saxons, however, exiled him in 616 over some conflict, but Mellitus returned to England and was named archbishop of Canterbury, in succession to St. Lawrence. Tradition states that he saved Canterbury from a disastrous fire with his prayers.

St. Egbert
Feastday: April 24
Egbert IS A 8th. Century An English monk of Lindisfarne, he was anxious to go on the mission to Germany. His destiny, however, was less heroic but quite important. Settling on Iona, he succeeded in persuading the monks to adopt the roman usage over the celebration of Easter - a task which took thirteen years of gentle persuasion.

St. Diarmaid
Feastday: April 24
851 A.D.
Irish bishop of Armagh known for his learning. He was named bishop in 834 but was driven from his see by a usurper, Forau. Diarmaid went to Connacht, where he ruled as primate. During his reign, Norsemen destroyed churches inArmagh in 841.

St. Dyfnan
Feastday: April 24
Founder at Anglesey, Wales. He was the son of the Welsh chieftain Brychan of Brecknock.

April 11-17

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"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

THEY CHOSE TO OBEY THE CHURCH RATHER THAN CIVIL AUTHORITY

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Bl. William Andleby
Feastday: July 4
1597
Martyr of England. Born at Eton, near Beverley, England, he studied at St. Johns College, Cambridge, and was converted to Catholicism on the way to fight the Spanish. He went to Douai, France, and was ordained in 1577. Returning home, he worked inYorkshire and Lincolnshire for two decades. Arrested and condemned, he was executed at York with Thomas Warcop and two companions. He was beatified in 1929.

Bl. Thomas Bosgrave
Feastday: July 4
1594
English martyr. The nephew of Sir J. Arundel, Thomas was arrested by English authorities at Arundel's Chidicock Castle in Dorset. He was hanged at Dorchester with Blessed John Cornelius and two of his servants. He was beatified.

Bl. Thomas Warcop
Feastday: July 4
1597
English martyr. A gentleman in Yorkshire, England, who sheltered Blessed William Andleby. He was arrested and condemned for giving this aid and hanged atYork with three companions on July 4.

Bl. Edward Fulthrop
Feastday: July 4
1597
An English martyr at Yorkshire. He reconciled to the faith and was martyred at York. Edward was beatified in 1929.

St. Henry Abbot, Blessed
Feastday: July 4
1597
Martyr of England. A native of Howden, England, Henry became a convert to the Church and was duly arrested and hanged at York. Pope Pius XI beatified him 1929.

Bl. John Carey
Feastday: July 4
1594
Martyr of England, an Irish layman. He was the servant of Blessed Thomas Bosgrave and was put to death with Blesseds Thomas Bosgrave, John Cornelius, and Patrick Salmon at Dorchester in Oxfordshire. They were beatified in 1929.

Bl. John Cornelius
Feastday: July 4
1594
Martyred Jesuit of England. He was of Irish descent and was bom in Bodmin. Educated at Oxford, he went to Reims and then Rome where he was ordained in 1583. John went to England the next year, where he used the alias Mohun, and where he became a Jesuit. He was discovered at Lady Arundel’s Castle in Dorset. In 1594 , after working for ten years in Lanherne, he was executed at Dorchester, Oxfordshire, with Blesseds Thomas Bosgrave, John Carey, and Patrick Salmon. They were beatified in 1929.

Bl. Patrick Salmon
Feastday: July 4
1594
Martyr of England. He was a servant of Blessed Thomas Bosgrave and was martyred with him at Dorchester, England. They were charged with sheltering a priest.

Bl. John Nutter and John Munden

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Bl. John Nutter & John Munden
Feastday: February 12
1584
English martyrs. John Nutter was from Lancaster and was ordained at Reims in 1581 . Munden, a native of Dorset, was ordained at Reims in 1582. They were martyred at Tyburn with three priest companions. Both were beatified in 1929.

THEY PROVED THEIR FAITH

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Bl. William Richardson
Feastday: February 7
1603
Martyr of England. Born in Sheffield, he studied for the priesthood at Valladolid and Seville, Spain, receiving ordination in 1594. William was sent back to England, where he used the name Anderson. He was soon arrested and executed at Tyburn by being hanged, drawn, and quartered. He was the last martyr in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (r. 1558-1603).

Bl. Thomas Hemerford
Feastday: February 12
1584
English martyr. A native of Dorsetshire, he was educated at Oxford and then studied for the priesthood at English College, Rome. He was ordained in Rome in 1583, and returned to England, where he was swifily arrested. Condemned for being a priest, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn with four companions. He was beatified in 1929.

St. James Feun, Blessed
Feastday: February 12
1584
Martyr in England. Born in Somerset, he studied at Oxford and became a fellow until he refused to take the Oath of Supremacy and was removed. James married and became a schoolmaster in Somerset. After the passing of his wife, he went to Reims where he studied for the priesthood and received ordination in 1580. Returning to England, he worked in Somerset until arrested. He was then moved to London and named a conispirator of a bogus assassination plot. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn on February 12. Pope Pius XI canonized him in 1929.

THESE DIED THAT WE MAY LIVE

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Bl. Thomas Reynolds
Feastday: January 21
1642
English martyr. Born Thomas Green at Oxford, he left England and studied at Reims, France, and at Valladolid and Seville in Spain. Ordained in 1592, he went to England but was exiled in 1606. Thomas returned and labored for the faith until his arrest in 1628. He spent fourteen years in prison until he was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn, with Blessed Alban Bartholomew Roe. Thomas was eighty at the time

St. Alban Bartholomew Roe
Feastday: January 21
1642
Missionary and martyr, one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. Alban is believed to have been born in Bury St. Edmund's, England, about 1580. He converted to Catholicism and went to the English College at Douai, where he was dismissed for an infraction of discipline. In 1612 he became an ordained Benedictine at Dieulouard, France. From there he was sent to England. In 1615 he was arrested and banished. In 1618 he returned to England and was imprisoned again. This imprisonment lasted until 1623, when the Spanish ambassador obtained his release. In 1625, once again having returned to England to care for Catholics, Alban was arrested for the last time. For seventeen years he remained in prison and was then tried and condemned. Alban was sentenced with Thomas Reynolds, another English martyr. They were hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn on January 21, 1642.

Bl. Edward Stransham
Feastday: January 21
1586
English martyr born and educated at Oxford, England. Studying at Douai and Reims, France, Edward was ordained in 1580 and was sent back to England in 1581. He worked in London and Oxford until his arrest. Condemned, Edward was martyred at Tyburn. He was beatified in 1929.

Bl. William Patenson
Feastday: January 22
1592
English martyr. Born at Durham, he departed his homeland and studied at Reims before receiving ordination there in 1587. The following year he sailed home and worked to promote the Catholic cause in the dangerous atmosphere of Elizabethan England. Arrested in 1591, he was tried and condemned for being a priest and was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn. During his imprisonment, he converted six other prisoners to the Catholic faith. Beatified in 1929.

Bl. William Ireland
Feastday: January 24
1679
Jesuit martyr of England. He was born in Lincolnshire and studied at St. Omer, France, where he joined the Jesuits in 1655. He was professed in 1673 and was a confessor to nuns until he was sent to England, where he became known as William Ironmonger or Iremonger. William worked for the English mission until his arrest at the London Jesuit house and his subsequent execution at Tyburn for supposed complicity in the Popish Plot. He was beatified in 1929.

Bl. John Grove
Feastday: January 24
1697
English martyr, the servant of Blessed William Ireland. He served several Jesuits at a London house until his arrest. John was martyred at Tyburn with Blessed William Ireland for alleged involvement in the Titus Oates Plot. He was beatified in 1929.

THREE ENGLISH MARTYRS

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Bl. William Richardson
Feastday: February 7
1603
Martyr of England. Born in Sheffield, he studied for the priesthood at Valladolid and Seville, Spain, receiving ordination in 1594. William was sent back to England, where he used the name Anderson. He was soon arrested and executed at Tyburn by being hanged, drawn, and quartered. He was the last martyr in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (r. 1558-1603).

Bl. Thomas Hemerford
Feastday: February 12
1584
English martyr. A native of Dorsetshire, he was educated at Oxford and then studied for the priesthood at English College, Rome. He was ordained in Rome in 1583, and returned to England, where he was swifily arrested. Condemned for being a priest, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn with four companions. He was beatified in 1929.

St. James Feun, Blessed
Feastday: February 12
1584
Martyr in England. Born in Somerset, he studied at Oxford and became a fellow until he refused to take the Oath of Supremacy and was removed. James married and became a schoolmaster in Somerset. After the passing of his wife, he went to Reims where he studied for the priesthood and received ordination in 1580. Returning to England, he worked in Somerset until arrested. He was then moved to London and named a conispirator of a bogus assassination plot. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn on February 12. Pope Pius XI canonized him in 1929.

English Catholic Martyrs Jan 21-24

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Bl. Thomas Reynolds
Feastday: January 21
1642
English martyr. Born Thomas Green at Oxford, he left England and studied at Reims, France, and at Valladolid and Seville in Spain. Ordained in 1592, he went to England but was exiled in 1606. Thomas returned and labored for the faith until his arrest in 1628. He spent fourteen years in prison until he was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn, with Blessed Alban Bartholomew Roe. Thomas was eighty at the time

St. Alban Bartholomew Roe
Feastday: January 21
1642
Missionary and martyr, one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. Alban is believed to have been born in Bury St. Edmund's, England, about 1580. He converted to Catholicism and went to the English College at Douai, where he was dismissed for an infraction of discipline. In 1612 he became an ordained Benedictine at Dieulouard, France. From there he was sent to England. In 1615 he was arrested and banished. In 1618 he returned to England and was imprisoned again. This imprisonment lasted until 1623, when the Spanish ambassador obtained his release. In 1625, once again having returned to England to care for Catholics, Alban was arrested for the last time. For seventeen years he remained in prison and was then tried and condemned. Alban was sentenced with Thomas Reynolds, another English martyr. They were hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn on January 21, 1642.

Bl. Edward Stransham
Feastday: January 21
1586
English martyr born and educated at Oxford, England. Studying at Douai and Reims, France, Edward was ordained in 1580 and was sent back to England in 1581. He worked in London and Oxford until his arrest. Condemned, Edward was martyred at Tyburn. He was beatified in 1929.

Bl. William Patenson
Feastday: January 22
1592
English martyr. Born at Durham, he departed his homeland and studied at Reims before receiving ordination there in 1587. The following year he sailed home and worked to promote the Catholic cause in the dangerous atmosphere of Elizabethan England. Arrested in 1591, he was tried and condemned for being a priest and was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn. During his imprisonment, he converted six other prisoners to the Catholic faith. Beatified in 1929.

Bl. William Ireland
Feastday: January 24
1679
Jesuit martyr of England. He was born in Lincolnshire and studied at St. Omer, France, where he joined the Jesuits in 1655. He was professed in 1673 and was a confessor to nuns until he was sent to England, where he became known as William Ironmonger or Iremonger. William worked for the English mission until his arrest at the London Jesuit house and his subsequent execution at Tyburn for supposed complicity in the Popish Plot. He was beatified in 1929.

Bl. John Grove
Feastday: January 24
1697
English martyr, the servant of Blessed William Ireland. He served several Jesuits at a London house until his arrest. John was martyred at Tyburn with Blessed William Ireland for alleged involvement in the Titus Oates Plot. He was beatified in 1929.

Ven. Edward Waterson-martyred at Newcastle-on-Tyne, 7 January

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Ven. Edward Waterson
Born at London; martyred at Newcastle-on-Tyne, 7 January 1594 (1593 old style).

A romantic episode marks this martyr's early career, for as a young man he travelled to Turkey with some English merchants, and attracted the attention of a wealthy Turk, who offered him his daughter in marriage if he would embrace Moslemism.
Rejecting the offer with horror, Edward Waterson returned westward through Italy and, coming to Rome, was there reconciled to the Catholic Church by Richard Smith, afterwards Bishop of Chalcedon.

The Pilgrim-book of the English College records his stay there, 29 November-11 December, 1588. He then went to Reims to study for the priesthood, arriving there 24 January, 1589.

He received the tonsure and minor orders on 18 August, 1590, subdiaconate on 21 September, 1591, diaconate on 24 February, 1592, and the priesthood 11 March following. On 24 June he returned to England, with such zeal for the missions that he declared to his companions that if he might have the Kingdom of France to stay there till the next midsummer he would rather choose to go to England.
Though he was not learned, his humility, sprit of penance, and other virtues caused him to be reagarded as a patern.

Captured at midsummer, 1593, he was cruelly treated in prison till his execution. Incidents occurred at the martyrdom of a miraculous nature. The horses were unable to drag the hurdle to the scaffold and the ladder was mysteriously agitated by invisible means, till the martyr signed it with the cross.

English Martyrs

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Bl. Thomas Plumtree
Feastday: January 4
1570

English martyr. Born in Lincoinshire, he studied at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, and was rector of Stubton. A dedicated Catholic, he took part in the uprising launched by northern Catholics, the Rising of the North against Queen Elizabeth I (r. 1558-1603), but was captured as the revolt failed completely. He was offered his freedom if he abjured the faith and he refused. He was hanged in Durham Castle.

Martyr of England

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Bl. William Howard
Feastday: December 29
1680
Martyr of England. He was born the son of Thomas, earl of Arundel, in 1616 and raised a Catholic. The grandson of Blessed Philip Howard and a member of the noble family of the Howards, William held the title of Viscount Stafford. He was made a Knight of the Bath by King Charles I (r.1624-1649), and married Mary Stafford in 1637. In 1640, William was named Baron Stafford. A county in Virginia in the United States bears his name. He was arrested on the false accusation of complicity in the so-called Popish Plot and imprisoned for two years before finally being beheaded on Tower Hill on December 29. He was beatified in 1929

English Marytrs December 5-15

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St. John Almond
Feastday: December 5
1612
One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. A native of Allerton,

England, he was educated in Ireland and then at Reims and in Rome.

After his ordination in 1598, he returned to England as a missionary,

and was arrested in 1602. John was imprisoned in 1608 for a time and

arrested again in 1612. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn.

St. John Roberts
Feastday: December 9
1610
Benedictine member of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. He was

born in Trawsfynydd, Gwynedd, Wales, and studied at Oxford. John became

a Catholic and went to Paris in 1598, Studying and becoming a

Benedictine priest in 1602. He then returned to England and aided so

many victims of the plague of 1603 that he became quite famous. He left

England for a time to establish a seminary but then returned to London.

He had many adventures until his final arrest for being a priest. With

Blessed Thomas Somers, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn.

Bl. Thomas Somers
Feastday: December 10
1610
English martyr. Born in Westmoreland, England, he worked for a time as

a schoolmaster. Leaving England, he went to Douai, France, where he

studied for the priesthood and received ordination before returning

home under the alias of Wison to assist the Catholic cause in London.

Arrested for being a priest, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered at

Tyburn with Blessed John Roberts.

St. Edmund Genings
Feastday: December 10
1591
One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. Born in Lichfield,

England, he converted to the faith. He was ordained a priest at Reims,

France, in 1590. The following years, after working in England, he was

martyred at Gray’s Inn Fields in London.

Bl. John Mason
Feastday: December 10
1591
Martyr of England, a layman arrested for harboring St. Edmund Gennings,

priest. He was martyred at Tyburn by being hanged, drawn, and quartered

with Sts. Edmund Gennings and palydore plasden. and With Blessed Sidney

Hodgson. pope Pius Xl beatified him in 1929.

St. Polydore Plasden
Feastday: December 10
1563-1591
One of the Forty Martyrs of England. A native of London, he studied for

the priesthood at Reims and Rome and was ordained in 1586. Sent to

England soon after, he worked for the reconversion of the island until

his arrest by English authorities. He was taken prisoner with St.

Edmund Genings. Polydore was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tybum.

Beatified in 1929, he was canonized in 1970 by Pope Paul VI as one of

the Forty Martyrs.

Bl. Thomas Holland
Feastday: December 12
1642
English martyr. Also known as Thomas Sanderson and Thomas Hammond, he

was born at Sutton, near Prescot, Lancashire, England, in 1600. Thomas

left England to study at St. Omer, France, and Valladolid, in Spain,

and entered the Jesuits after ordination in 1624. Going home, circa

1635, he worked to aid the Church in the isles for seven years until

his arrest in London. Thomas was hanged, drawn, and quartered at

Tyburn.

ENGLISH MARTYRS-DECEMBR 1-5

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Bl. Alexander Briant
Feastday: December 1
1581
Missionary and martyr, one of the English priests slain in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Alexander was born in Somerset, England, circa 1556 , and entered Oxford University at a young age. He was called "the beautiful Oxford youth" because of his handsome appearance and the radiance of his holiness. Alexander converted to Catholicism at Oxford and met Richard Holtby, following Holtby to the English seminary college at Reims, France. He was ordained a priest there on March 29, 1578. Returning to England, Alexander worked in Somerset and was caught up in a search by British authorities in April 1581. Taken to the Tower of London, he was subjected to inhuman tortures but did not reveal the names of other priests. He also wrote to the Jesuit Fathers, asking permission to join. He was accepted. In November 1581, he was condemned to death by an English court. Again Alexander suffered hideous tortures and died on December 1,1581, at the age of twenty-five.

Bl. John Beche
Feastday: December 1
1539
Martyr of England and a friend of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More. John was abbot of Coichester Abbey. A Benedictine, he received a doctorate from Oxford in 1515 . He took the Oath of Supremacy in 1534 , but then saw his own abbey being plundered. The deaths of Sts. John Fisher and Thomas More horrified him as well. When he refuted King Henry VIII’s right to suppress the English monasteries, he was arrested for treason and hanged, drawn, and quartered at Colchester. John was beatified in 1895.

Bl. Richard Langley
Feastday: December 1
1586
English martyr. A member of the gentry, he was born at Grimthorpe, where he had extensive estates, as he did in Riding. He was arrested for giving shelter to Catholic priests and hanged, drawn, and quartered at York on December 1. He was beatified in 1929.

Bl. Edward Coleman
Feastday: December 3
1678
English martyr, a victim of the Titus Oates Plot. Educated at Cambridge, he convened to the faith and served as secretary to the duchess of Thrk. Condemned falsely of conspiring to restore Catholicism to England, he was executed at Tyburn. He was beatified in 1929.

St. John Almond
Feastday: December 5
1612
One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. A native of Allerton, England, he was educated in Ireland and then at Reims and in Rome. After his ordination in 1598, he returned to England as a missionary, and was arrested in 1602. John was imprisoned in 1608 for a time and arrested again in 1612. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn.

English Martyrs November 28 And 29

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St. James Thompson, Blessed
Feastday: November 28
1582
English martyr. A native of York, he studied for the priesthood at Reims and was ordained there in 1581. Arrested soon after his return to England, he was hanged at York. He used the name Hudson in his mission work. James was beatified in 1895. Feast day: November 28.

St. Cuthbert Mayne
Feastday: November 29
1577
An English martyr, born near Branstaple, in Devonshire, as a Protestant. He converted to Catholicism at St. John’s, Oxford. Cuthbert was ordained at Douai, France, and sent home to England about 1575. Working in Cornwall, he was captured after a year. Condemned for celebrating a Mass, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered on November 25. Cuthbert was a friend of Edmund Campion, and he was aided by Francis Tregian in Cornwall. He was the first Englishman trained for the priesthood at Douai and was the protomartyr of English seminaries. Cuthbert was canonized by Pope Paul VI as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.

Condemned for celebrating a Mass

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Falsey inprisoned then murdered

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Bl. Hugh Faringdon
November 15
1539
Benedictine abbot of Reading, once a friend of King Henry VIII. When he refused to allow the king to dissolve Reading Abbey, he was martyred with two companions.

St. Hugh Green, Blessed
November 15
1642
Martyr of England. He was educated at Cambridge, converted to Catholicism, and went to Douai, France. There he was ordained in 1612. Returning to England, Hugh labored in Dorset until his arrest. He was hanged at Dorchester.

Bl. John Eynon
November 15
1539
Martyred Benedictine of St. Giles, Reading. John served as the pastor of the local parish in St. Giles. He refused to surrender the parish to the authorities and was taken to Reading Abbey. He was executed at the abbey gateway with Blessed Hugh Farington and Blessed John Rugg. They were beatified in 1895.

Bl. John Rugg
November 15
1539
Martyred monk of Chichester, England. In residence at Reading Abbey, he was martyred by King Henry VIII at Reading, with Blessed Hugh Farington and John Eynon for refusing to take the Oath of Supremacy. They were beatified in 1895.

Bl. John Thorne
November 15
1539
Benedictine martyr of England. Treasurer of Glastonbury Abbey, he was martyred with Blessed Richard Whiting and Blessed Roger James for protecting various treasures of Glastonbury from seizure by the rapacious minions of King Henry VIII of England Who were implementing the Dissolution of the Monasteries. They were beatified in 1895.

Bl. Richard Whiting
November 15
1539
Benedictine abbot and martyr. Born at Wrington, Somerset, England, he entered the Benedictines at Glastonbury and studied at Cambridge. Elected abbot of Glastonbury in 1525, he had the difficult task of ruling at the launch of the infamous Dissolution of the Monasteries by King Henry VIII of England. Arrested for refusing to surrender his celebrated abbey into the hands of the crown, he was condemned as a traitor and hanged on Tor Hill, overlooking Glastonbury, with Blesseds Roger James and John Thorne.

Bl. Roger James
November 15
1539
English martyr and monk at Glastonbury Benedictine monastery. The youngest member of the monastic community of Glastonbury, he served as sacrist until the seizure of the community by the troops of King Henry VIII during the infamous Dissolution of the Monasteries of England. Arrested and condemned as a traitor when the monks opposed the royal decree, Roger was hanged, drawn, and quartered on Tor Hill, over looking Glastonbury, with his abbot, Blessed Richard Whiting, and with Blessed John Thome. They were beatified in 1895.

33 Years in prison-then hanged

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Bl. John Bodey
Feastday: November 2
1583
English martyr and schoolmaster. He was born at Wells, Somerset, and educated at Oxford. Converting to the faith, John studied law at Douai in 1557 and returned to England to become a schoolmaster and to marry. When he repudiated King Henry VIII’s claim of supremacy in spiritual matters, he was arrested in 1550. John was imprisoned at Winchester until 1583, when he was taken on November 2 to Andover where he was hanged. He was beatified in 1929

October 29-30

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Douai Martyrs
Feastday: October 29
More than 160 priests trained in the English College of Douai, France, returned to England and Wales and faced arrest, torture, and execution by English authorities. A large group - more than eighty- were beatified in 1929, and English dioceses celebrate the feasts of these martyrs.
A group of 160 priests trained at the English College of Douai, in France. They were martyred in England and Wales during the century following the foundation of the famed college by Cardinal William Allen in 1568. All perished at the hands of English authorities while laboring to reconvert the island. Eighty alumni of Douai were beatified in 1929.

Bl. John Slade
Feastday: October 30
1583
Martyr of England. He was a native of Manston, Dorchestershire, and was educated at Oxford. John denied King Henry Viii’s supremacy in religious matters and was arrested and tried with Blessed John Bodey. They were hanged, drawn, and quartered at Winchester. He was beatified in 1929

They Died-That We May Live

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St. Richard Gwyn
Feastday: October 17
1584
One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. Also called Richard White, he was born in Montgomeryshire, Wales, in 1547, and studied at Cambridge University, England. Converted from Protestantism, he returned to Wales in 1562, married, had six children, and opened a school. Arrested in 1579, he spent four years in prison before his execution by being hanged, drawn, and quartered at Wrexham on October 15, for being a Catholic. While jailed, he composed many religious poems in Welsh. He is considered the protomartyr of Wales and was included among the canonized martyrs of England and Wales by Pope Paul VI in 1970.

St. Philip Howard
Feastday: October 19
1595
One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. Philip was the earl of Arundel and Surrey and, although a Catholic, led a religiously apathetic life until his personal conversion, after which he was a zealous Catholic in the midst of Elizabethan England. Arrested by authorities, he was placed in the Tower of London in 1585 and condemned to death in 1589. The sentence was never carried out, and Philip languished in the Tower until his death at the age of thirty eight. Beatified in 1929, he was included among the English martyrs canonized in 1970 by Pope Paul VI.

Bl. Thomas Thwing
Feastday: October 23
1680
English martyr. Born at Heworth, Yorkshire, England, he studied at Douai, France, where he was ordained in 1665. Returning home, he labored for fifteen years in theYorkshire area as chaplain for his cousin, Sir Miles Stapeton, and as a school chaplain. Arrested in 1680 for supposed complicity in the Titus Oates Plot with his uncle, Sir Thomas Gascoigne, he was condemned and hanged, drawn, and quartered at York.

Six English Catholics Die For Thier Faith

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Bl. Edward Campion
Feastday: October 1
1588
English martyr. He was born at Ludlow and studied at Oxford, England. A convert, he studied at Reims, France, and was ordained in 1587. Edward returned to England and a year later he was martyred at Canterbury. He was beatified in 1929

Bl. Edward James
Feastday: October 1
1588
English martyr. He was born near Breaston, and studied at Oxford, England. Converting to the faith, Edward studied at Reims, France, and Rome, and was ordained in 1583. Returning as a missionary to England, he was arrested and martyred at Chichester. He was beatified in 1929.

Bl. John Robinson
Feastday: October 1
1588
Martyr of England. He was from Ferrensby, Yorkshire, and a widower who went to Reims for ordination. Ordained in 1585, John went back to England and was executed at Ipswich, receiving beatification in 1929.

Bl. Robert Widmerpool
Feastday: October 1
1588
English martyr. Originally from Nottingham, England, he studied at Oxford and worked as a tutor for the sons of the earl of Northumberland. He was arrested for giving aid to a Catholic priest. Robert was executed by being hanged, drawn, and quartered at Canterbury with Blessed Robert Wilcox, and they share the same feast day.

Bl. Robert Wilcox
Feastday: October 1
1588
English martyr. Born at Chester, England, in 1558, he studied for the priesthood at Reims, France, and received ordination in 1585. Sent to England the following year, he worked in Kent. Robert was arrested in Marshsea. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered with Blessed Robert Widmerpool at Canterbury. with whom he shares a feast day.

St. Ralph Crockett
Feastday: October 1
1588
English martyr. Born at Barton on the Hill, in Cheshire, he was educated at Christ’s College, Cambridge, and Gloucester Hall, Oxford, and became a schoolmaster in Norfolk and Suffolk. Departing England, he went to Reims, France, and there studied for the priesthood, receiving ordination in 1586 . Returning home to undertake the hazardous work of reconverting the island, he was arrested with Blessed Edward James and was imprisoned for two and a half years in London before being taken to Chichester. Ralph was martyred at Chichester by being hanged, drawn, and quartered. He was beatified in 1929.

State ordained priest recants and is executed

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Bl. Robert Sutton
Feastday: October 5
1588
English martyr. Born at Kegwell, Leicestershire, he became an Anglican priest, studying at Oxford. In 1575, he converted and went to Douai, France. He returned to England and was arrested in London and hanged at Clerkenwell.

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English Martyrs

English Saints and Martyrs-May 28

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Bl. Thomas Ford Feastday: May 28 1582
Martyr of England. He was born in Devon and educated at Oxford. There he converted and set out for Douai, France. Ordained a priest in 1573, he was sent back to England three years later. Thomas labored in Oxfordshire and Berckshire until his arrest. He was martyred on May 28 at Tyburn by being hanged, drawn, and quartered. He was a companion of St. Edmund Campion, and he died with Blesseds Robert Johnson and John Shert. Thomas was beatified in 1882

Bl. John Shert Feastday: May 28 1582 English martyr. He was born at Shert Hall, near Macclesfield, Cheshire, and educated at Oxford. Converting to the Church, John studied at Douai and Rome. Ordained in 1576, he went to England three years later, working only two years before his arrest. John was martyred at Tyburn with Blessed Thomas Ford and Blessed Robert Johnstone by being hinged, drawn, and quartered. Pope Leo XIII beatified him in 1886.

Bl. Robert Johnson Feastday: May 28 1582 English martyr. Born in Shropshire, England, he was a servant before he went to study at Rome and Douai, France, receiving ordination in 1576. Returning to the English mission, he served in the area of London for four years, until his arrest. Robert was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn with Blesseds Thomas Ford and John Short. Robert was beatified in 1886.

Bl. Margaret Pole Feastday: May 28 1538
Martyr of England. She was born Margaret Plantagenet, the niece of Edward IV and Richard III. She married Sir Reginald Pole about 1491 and bore five sons, including Reginald Cardinal Pole. Margaret was widowed, named countess of Salisbury, and appointed governess to Princess Mary, daughter of Hemy VIII and Queen Catherine of Aragon, Spain. She opposed Henry’s marriage to Anne Boleyn, and the king exiled her from court, although he called her “the holiest woman in England.” When her son, Cardinal Pole, denied Henry’s Act of Supremacy, the king imprisoned Margaret in the Tower of London for two years and then beheaded her on May 28. In 1538, her other two sons were executed. She was never given a legal trial. She was seventy when she was martyred. Margaret was beatified in 1886.