Saints: Becoming an Image of Christ Every Day of the Year

By Dawn Marie Beutner

Since Jesus told us to be perfect, and Vatican Council II emphasized a universal call to holiness for all Christians, how do we learn to do that? One great way is to learn from and pray with the saints of the Catholic Church. We can follow in the footsteps of the ordinary Catholic men and women who fought the good fight to be holy until the end of their lives – and won that fight.

The saints have been the inspiration of faithful Catholics for hundreds of years because they show us what it looks like to follow Jesus Christ despite countless challenges and obstacles. This unique book contains short biographies of multiple saints for every day of the year, including an intercessory prayer to each saint. This helps the reader to learn about, and pray with, the numerous saints of the Church, "the communion of saints" whose personalities and challenges often resonate with our own.

This collection also provides wonderful resource information to learn more about individual saints, inspiring quotes from saints, and detailed explanations of Catholic terms that often befuddle us.

The saints in this collection come from every period in his- tory, countries, age ranges, and vocations. They show us that holiness truly is a path open to all who seek to follow Jesus Christ. By reading about the lives of the saints each day, we can learn how to apply their life lessons to our own daily challenges. By praying daily for their help, we can ask for their spiritual help and wisdom – and point ourselves toward Heaven, where we hope to spend eternity with God.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ignatius Press
• Release date: May 6, 2020
• ISBN: 9781642291155

Dawn Marie Beutner

Dawn Marie Beutner entered the Catholic Church as a young adult and worked as an engineer before becoming a technical writer. She lives with her husband and two children in northern Virginia, where she leads various parish groups that promote life issues, serve the needy, and learn about the Bible and the Catholic faith.

Book preview

CHART OF CALENDARS

S: Solemnity

F: Feast

M: Memorial

OM: Optional Memorial

Calendar of Saints and Blesseds on the Official Calendar

January 1

     The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God (S)

     Saint Odilo of Cluny

     Saint Joseph Mary Tommasi

     Blessed Marian Konopinski

January 2

     Saint Basil the Great (M)

     Saint Gregory of Nazianzus (Gregory Nazianzen) (M)

     Saint Telesphorus

January 3

     The Most Holy Name of Jesus (OM)

     Saint Anterus

     Saint Daniel of Padua

     Saint Genevieve of Paris

January 4

     Saint Angela of Foligno

     Blessed Thomas Plumtree

     Saint Elizabeth Bayley Seton (M)

January 5

     Saint Deogratias of Carthage

     Saint Edward the Confessor

     Blessed Jacques Ledoyen

     Saint John Nepomucene Neumann (M)

January 6

     The Epiphany of Our Lord (S)

     Saints Julian and Basilissa of Antioch

     Saint Andrew Corsini

     Saint John de Ribera

     Saint Andre Bessette (OM)

January 7

     Saint Raymund (Raymond) of Penyafort (OM)

     Saint Polyeuctus of Melitene

     Saint Canute Lavard

January 8

     Saints Theophilus and Helladius of Libya

     Saint Severinus of Noricum

     Saint Laurence Giustiniani (Lawrence Justinian)

January 9

     Saint Adrian of Canterbury

     Saint Honorius of Buzancais

     Saints Agatha Yi and Teresa Kim

January 10

     Saint Miltiades (Melchiades)

     Saint Paul the Hermit

     Saint Gregory of Nyssa

     Saint Agatho

     Saint Peter Orseolo

     Blessed Gregory X

January 11

     Saint Hyginus

     Saint Theodosius the Cenobiarch

January 12

     Saint Arcadius of Mauritania

     Saint Benedict (Benet) Biscop

January 13

     Saint Hilary of Poitiers (OM)

     Saints Hermylus and Stratonicus of Belgrade

     Saint Remigius of Rheims

January 14

     Saint Felix of Nola

     Martyrs of Mt. Sinai

     Blessed Peter Donders

January 15

     Saint Maurus

     Blessed Peter of Castelnau

     Blessed Nicholas (Nikolaus) Gross

January 16

     Saint Marcellus I

     Saint Honoratus

January 17

     Saint Anthony the Great (M)

     Saints Leonilla, Speusippus, Eleusippus, and Meleusippus

January 18

     Saint Prisca of Rome

     Saint Deicolus (Desle)

     Saint Margaret of Hungary

January 19

     Saints Maris, Martha, Audifax, and Abachum of Rome

     Saints Liberata and Faustina of Como

January 20

     Saint Fabian (OM)

     Saint Sebastian (OM)

     Saint Wulfstan of Worchester

     Saint Eustochia (Smeralda) Calafato

January 21

     Saint Agnes (M)

     Saint Meinrad (Meginrad)

January 22

     Saint Vincent of Saragossa (see January 23)

     Saint Anastasius (Magundat)the Persian

     Saint Vincent Pallotti

     Blessed William (Joseph) Chaminade

     Blessed Laura Vicuna

January 23

     Saint Vincent of Saragossa (OM)

     Saint Emerentiana of Rome

     Saint Ildephonsus of Toledo

     Saint Marianne Cope (OM)

January 24

     Saint Francis de Sales (M)

     Saint Sabinian of Troyes

     Blessed Vincent Pewoniuk and Companions

January 25

     The Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle (F)

     Saint Ananias of Damascus

     Blessed Henry Suso

January 26

     Saint Timothy (M)

     Saint Titus (M)

     Saint Paula of Rome

     Saint Eystein (Augustine) Erlandsson of Nidaros

     Blessed Michael Kozal

January 27

     Saint Angela Merici (OM)

     Saint Vitalian

     Blessed Rosalie du Verdier de la Soriniere

January 28

     Saint Thomas Aquinas (M)

     Blesseds Agatha Lin Zao, Jerome Lu Tingmei, and Laurence Wang Bing

January 29

     Saints Sarbellius and Barbea of Edessa

     Saint Gildas the Wise

January 30

     Saint Martina of Rome

     Saint Bathildis (Bathild) of France

     Saint Hyacinth Mariscotti

     Saint Mucian Mary (Aloysius) Wiaux

     Blessed Columba (Joseph) Marmion

January 31

     Saint John Bosco (M)

     Saint Metranus of Alexandria

February 1

     Saint Tryphon of Campsada

     Saint Brigid of Ireland

     Saint Henry Morse

February 2

     The Presentation of the Lord (F)

     Saint Catherine dei Ricci

     Saint Joan de Lestonnac

     Saint John (Jean) Theophane Venard

February 3

     Saint Blaise (OM)

     Saint Ansgar (OM)

     Prophet Simeon and Prophetess Anna of Jerusalem

February 4

     Saint Gilbert of Sempringham

     Saint Jane Valois

     Saint John de Britto

February 5

     Saint Agatha (M)

     Saint Adelaide of Bellich

     Blessed Elizabeth Canori Mora

February 6

     Saint Paul Miki and Companions (M)

     Saint Dorothy

February 7

     Saint Luke the Younger

     Blessed Pius IX

     Blesseds Anselm (Anselmo) Polanco and Philip (Felipe) Ripoll Morata

February 8

     Saint Jerome Emiliani (OM)

     Saint Josephine Bakhita (OM)

     Martyrs of Constantinople

February 9

     Saint Apollonia of Alexandria

     Saint Michael Febres Cordero

February 10

     Saint Scholastica (M)

     Blessed Aloysius (Alojzije) Stepanic

February 11

     Our Lady of Lourdes

     Saint Soteris of Rome

     Saint Gregory II

     Saint Paschal I

February 12

     Martyrs of Carthage

     Saint Meletius

     Saint Benedict of Aniane

February 13

     Saint Benignus of Todi

     Blessed Eustochium (Lucrezia Bellini) of Padua

February 14

     Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius, Apostles of the Slavs (M)

     Saint Valentine of Rome

February 15

     Saint Onesimus

     Saints Faustinus and Jovita of Brescia

     Saint Sigfrid of Sweden

     Saint Claude de la Colombiere

February 16

     Martyrs of Cilicia

     Saint Maruta of Syria

February 17

     Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order (OM)

     Saint Theodore Tiro

     Saint Flavian of Constantinople

February 18

     Saint Tarasius of Constantinople

     Saint Theotonius of Coimbra

     Blessed John (Fra Angelico) of Fiesole

     Saint John Peter Neel

February 19

     Saint Boniface of Lausanne

     Blessed Conrad of Piacenza

     Blessed Joseph (Jozef) Zaplata

February 20

     Saint Serapion of Alexandria

     Saint Eleutherius of Tournai

     Saint Jacinta Marto

February 21

     Saint Peter Damian (OM)

     Saint Robert Southwell

February 22

     The Chair of Saint Peter (F)

     Saint Margaret of Cortona

     Blessed Diego (Didacus) Carvalho

February 23

     Saint Polycarp (M)

     Blessed Rafaela Ybarra Arambarri de Vilallonga

February 24

     Saint Evetius of Nicomedia

     Saint Ethelbert of England

February 25

     Saint Nestor of Magdyos

     Saint Caesarius of Nazianzus

     Saint Walburga of Heidenheim

     Blesseds Luigi Versiglia and Callisto Caravario

February 26

     Saint Alexander of Alexandria

     Saint Porphyry of Gaza

     Blessed Robert Drury

February 27

     Saint Baldomer of Lyons

     Saint Gregory of Narek

     Saint Anne Line

     Saint Gabriel (of Our Lady of Sorrows) Possenti

February 28

     Martyrs of Alexandria

     Saint Romanus

February 29

     Saint Hilary (Hilarus or Hilarius)

     Saint Auguste Chapdelaine

March 1

     Saint Felix III

     Saint David (Dewi) of Wales Saint Agnes Cao Guiying

March 2

     Saint Chad (Ceadda) of Mercia

     Blessed Charles the Good

     Blessed Angela Guerrero y Gonzalez

March 3

     Saints Marinus and Asterius of Caesarea

     Saint Cunegund Saint Teresa Eustochio (Ignazia) Verzeri

     Saint Katharine Drexel (OM)

March 4

     Saint Casimir of Poland (OM)

     Blesseds Christopher Bales, Alexander Blake, and Nicholas Horner

March 5

     Saint Cono the Gardener

     Saint Lucius I

     Saint Phocas the Gardener

     Saints Adrian and Ebulus of Caesarea

     Saint John Joseph-of-the-Cross (Carlo Calosinto)

March 6

     Saint Julian of Toledo

     Saint Fridolin the Wanderer

     Saint Chrodegang of Metz Martyrs of Amorium

     Saint Rose of Viterbo

     Saint Colette Boylet of Corbie

March 7

     Saints Perpetua, Felicity, and Companions (M)

     Saint Simeon-Francois Berneux

March 8

     Saint John of God (OM)

     Saints Apollonius and Philemon of Antinopolis

     Saint Duthac (Duthus) of Scotland

March 9

     Saint Frances of Rome (OM)

     Forty Martyrs of Armenia

     Saint Catherine of Bologna

     Saint Dominic Savio

March 10

     Saint Simplicius

     Saint John Ogilvie

March 11

     Saint Sophronius of Jerusalem

     Saint Oengus (Aengus)

     Blessed John Kearney

March 12

     Saint Maximilian of Theveste

     Saint Innocent I

     Saint Theophanes the Chronographer

     Blessed Luigi Orione

March 13

     Saint Sabinus of Egypt

     Saint Leander of Seville

March 14

     Saint Alexander of Pidnae

     Saint Leobinus (Lubin)

     Saint Matilda of Saxony

March 15

     Saint Zachary Saint Leocritia of Cordoba

     Saint Louise de Marillac

     Saint Clement Marie (John Dvorak) Hofbauer

March 16

     Saint Heribert of Cologne

     Blesseds John Amias and Robert Dalby

March 17

     Saint Patrick of Ireland (OM)

     Martyrs of Alexandria

     Saint Jan Sarkander

March 18

     Saint Cyril of Jerusalem (OM)

     Saint Braulio of Saragossa

     Blesseds John Thules and Roger Wrenno

March 19

     Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary (S)

     Blessed Marcel Callo

March 20

     Saint Cuthbert of Lindisfarne

     Saint John Nepomucene

March 21

     Martyrs of Alexandria

     Saint Enda of Ireland

     Saint Nicholas of Flue

March 22

     Saint Lea of Rome

     Saint Nicholas Owen

March 23

     Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo (OM)

     Blessed Edmund Sykes

     Saint Rebecca (Boutrossieh) de Himlaya Arrayes

March 24

     Martyrs of Caesarea

     Saint Catherine of Sweden

March 25

     The Annunciation of the Lord (S)

     Saint Dismas the Good Thief

     Saint Margaret Clitherow

     Saint Lucy Filippini

March 26

     Saints Montanus and Maxima of Sirmium

     Saint Ludger of Utrecht

     Blessed Maddalena Caterina Morano

March 27

     Saint Rupert of Salzburg

     Blessed Panacea de Muzzi of Quarona

     Blessed Francis (Francesco) Faa di Bruno

March 28

     Saints Priscus, Malchus, and Alexander of Caesarea

     Saint Guntramnus of France

     Saint Stephen Harding

March 29

     Blessed Berthold of Mount Carmel

     Saint Ludolf of Ratzeburg

March 30

     Saint John Climacus

     Saint Leonard Murialdo

     Blessed Mary Restituta (Helena) Kafka

March 31

     Saint Benjamin the Deacon

     Saint Guy (Guido) of Pomposa

     Blessed Christopher Robinson

April 1

     Saint Venantius of Spalato and Companions

     Saint Mary of Egypt

     Saint Hugh of Grenoble

April 2

     Saint Francis of Paola (OM)

     Saint Appian of Caesarea

     Saint Pedro (Peter) Calungsod and Blessed Diego (James) Luis de San Vitoris

     Saint Francis Coll Guitart

April 3

     Saint Sixtus I

     Saint Richard of Wyche

     Saint Luigi Scrosoppi

April 4

     Saint Isidore of Seville (OM)

     Saint Agathopedes (Agathopus) the Deacon

     Saint Francisco Marto

     Saint Gaetano Catanoso

April 5

     Saint Vincent Ferrer (OM)

     Saint Irene of Thessalonica

     Saint Juliana of Mont Cornillon

April 6

     Saint Irenaeus of Sirmium

     Blessed Notkar (Notker the Stammerer) Balbulus

     Saint William of Eskilsoe

     Saint Peter of Verona

April 7

     Saint John Baptist de la Salle (M)

     Blessed Edward Oldcorne

     Blessed Mary Assunta Pallotta

April 8

     Saint Agabus the Prophet Martyrs of Antioch

     Blessed Julian of Saint Augustine

     Saint Julie Billiart

April 9

     Saint Aedesius of Caesarea

     Saint Waldetrudis (Waudru or Waltrude)

     Saint Casilda of Toledo

     Blessed Thomas of Tolentino

April 10

     Saint Terence and Companions of Africa

     Saint Fulbert of Chartres

     Saint Magdalen of Canossa

April 11

     Saint Stanislaus of Cracow (M)

     Saint Gemma Galgani

April 12

     Saint Julius I

     Saint Alferius of La Cava

     Saint Teresa of the Andes

April 13

     Saint Martin I (OM)

     Saint Hermenegild of Spain

     Saint Caradoc of Wales

April 14

     Saints Tiburtius, Valerian, and Maximus of Rome

     Saint Benezet (Benedict) of Hermillon

     Saint Peter (Telmo) Gonzalez

     Saint Lidwina of Schiedam

April 15

     Saints Theodore and Pausilopo of Thrace

     Saint Paternus of Wales

     Blessed Cesar de Bus

April 16

     Martyrs of Saragossa

     Saint Benedict Labre

     Saint Bernadette Soubirous

April 17

     Saint Simeon Bar Sabas and Companions

     Saint Robert of Molesme

April 18

     Saint Galdinus of Milan

     Blessed Joseph Moreau

April 19

     Saint Alphege of Canterbury

     Saint Leo IX

April 20

     Saint Anicetus

     Saint Agnes of Montepulciano

     Blessed Anastasius (Anastazy) Pankiewicz

April 21

     Saint Anselm of Canterbury (OM)

     Saint Apollonius of Rome

April 22

     Saint Soter

     Saints Epipodius and Alexander of Lyons

     Saint Caius

     Saint Agapetus I

     Saint Theodore of Sykeon

April 23

     Saint George (OM)

     Saint Adalbert (Vojtech) of Prague (OM)

     Blessed Maria Gabriella Sagheddu

April 24

     Saint Wilfrid of York

     Saint Fidelis (Mark Rey) of Sigmaringen (OM)

April 25

     Saint Mark the Evangelist (F)

     Saint Peter of Saint Joseph Betancur

April 26

     Saint Anacletus (Cletus)

     Saint Stephen of Perm

April 27

     Saint Simeon of Jerusalem

     Saint Zita of Lucca

     Blessed Peter Armengol

April 28

     Saint Peter Mary Chanel (OM)

     Saint Louis Marie Grignon de Montfort (OM)

     Saint Vitalis of Milan

     Saint Gianna Molla

April 29

     Saint Catherine of Siena (M)

     Saint Hugh of Cluny

     Saint Antonius Kim Song-u

April 30

     Saint Pius V (OM)

     Saints Amator, Peter, and Louis of Cordoba

     Saint Marie of the Incarnation Guyart Martin

May 1

     Saint Joseph the Worker (M)

     Prophet Jeremiah

     Saint Sigismund of France

     Saint Peregrine Laziosi

     Saint Richard (Erminio) Pampuri

May 2

     Saint Athanasius of Alexandria (M)

     Saints Exsuperius, Zoe, Cyriacus, and Theodolus of Attalia

     Saint Antoninus of Florence

May 3

     Saint Philip the Apostle (F)

     Saint James the Lesser, Apostle (F)

     Saints Eventius, Alexander, and Theodolus of Rome

     Saint Juvenal of Narni

     Saint Theodosius of Kiev

May 4

     Saint Florian

     Blessed John Martin Moye

May 5

     Saint Hilary of Arles

     Saint Godehard (Gothard) of Hildesheim

     Blessed Gregory (Grzegorz) Boleslaw Frackowiak

May 6

     Saint Lucius of Cyrene

     Saints James and Martin of Numidia

     Saint Peter Nolasco

     Saint Francis de Montmorency-Laval

     Blessed Henryk Kaczorowski

May 7

     Saint Flavia Domitilla

     Saint John of Beverly

     Saint Anthony of Kiev

     Saint Agostino Roscelli

May 8

     Saint Acacius (Agathius) of Constantinople

     Saint Arsenius

     Saint Boniface IV

     Saint Benedict II

May 9

     Prophet Isaiah

     Saint Hermas of Rome

     Saint Pachomius the Great

May 10

     Patriarch Job

     Saints Gordian and Epimachus of Rome

     Saint John of Avila

     Saint Damien Joseph de Veuster of Molokai (OM)

May 11

     Saint Anthimus of Rome

     Saint Walter (Gauthier) of l’Esterp

     Saint Francis di Girolama

     Saint Ignatius (Vincenzo Peis) of Laconi

May 12

     Saints Nereus and Achilleus of Terracina (OM)

     Saint Pancras of Rome (OM)

     Saint Germanus of Constantinople

     Saint Dominic of the Causeway

May 13

     Our Lady of Fatima (OM)

     Saint Andrew Hubert Fournet

May 14

     Saint Matthias the Apostle (F)

     Saint Theodore (Anne-Therese) Guerin

     Saint Michael Garicoits

     Saint Mary Domenica Mazzarello

May 15

     Saints Cassius and Victorinus of Clermont

     Saint Isidore the Farmer (OM)

May 16

     Saint Brendan

     Saint Ubaldus (Ubaldo) Baldassini

     Saint Simon Stock

     Saint Andrew Bobola

May 17

     Saint Restituta of Carthage

     Saint Paschal Baylon

     Blessed Antonia Mesina

May 18

     Saint John I (OM)

     Saint Eric of Sweden

     Saint Felix of Catalice

May 19

     Saint Urban I

     Saint Dunstan of Canterbury

     Saint (Pietro) Celestine V

     Saint Crispino of Viterbo

May 20

     Saint Bernardine of Siena (OM)

     Saint Lydia of Thyatira

     Saint Protasius Chong Kuk-bo

May 21

     Saint Christopher (Cristobal) Magallanes Jara and Companions (OM)

     Saint Eugene de Mazenod

May 22

     Saint Rita of Cascia (OM)

     Saint Julia of Corsica

     Saint Humility (Rosanna) of Florence

May 23

     Saint Desiderius of Vienna

     Saint John Baptist Rossi

May 24

     Saint Manean

     Saint Joanna

     Saint Vincent of Lerins

     Saint John del Prado

May 25

     Saint Bede the Venerable (OM)

     Saint Gregory VII (OM)

     Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi (OM)

     Saint Madeline Sophie Barat

     Blessed Nicholas (Mykola) Tsehelsky

May 26

     Saint Philip Neri (M) Saint Eleuterus (Eleutherius)

May 27

     Saint Augustine of Canterbury (OM)

     Saint Julius of Dorostorum

May 28

     Saint Germanus

     Blessed Margaret Pole

May 29

     Saints Sisinnius, Alexander, and Martyrius of Trentino

     Blessed William Arnaud and Companions

     Saint Ursula Ledochowska

     Saint Paul VI

May 30

     Saint Dymphna of Ireland

     Saint Hubert of Liege

     Saint Ferdinand III of Castile

     Saint Joan of Arc

May 31

     The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (F)

     Saint Petronilla of Rome

     Saints Cantius, Cantianus, and Cantianella of Rome

June 1

     Saint Justin Martyr (M)

     Saints Ammon, Zeno, Ptolomy, Ingen, and Theophilus of Alexandria

     Saint Eneco (Inigo)

June 2

     Saints Marcellinus and Peter of Rome (OM)

     Saint Erasmus (Elmo)

     Saint Eugene I

June 3

     Saints Charles Lwanga, Joseph Mkasa, and Companions (M)

     Saint Clotilda of France

June 4

     Saint Quirinus of Siscia

     Saint Francis Caracciolo

June 5

     Saint Boniface of Germany (M)

     Saint Sanctius of Cordoba

June 6

     Saint Norbert of Magdeburg (OM)

     Blessed William Greenwood

June 7

     Saints Peter, Wallabonsus, Sabinian, Wistremundus, Habentius, and Jeremiah of Cordoba

     Blessed Anne of Saint Bartholomew

     Saint Antony Gianelli

June 8

     Saint William of York

     Saint Jacques Berthieu

June 9

     Saint Ephraem (Ephrem) the Syrian (OM)

     Saints Primus and Felicianus

     Saint Columba of Iona

     Saint Joseph de Anchieta

     Blessed Anna Maria Taigi

June 10

     Saint Landry of Paris

     Blesseds Thomas Green and Walter Pierson

June 11

     Saint Barnabas (M)

     Saint John de Sahagun (John of San Facundo)

     Saint Paula Frassinetti

     Blessed Ignazio Maloyan

June 12

     Saint Basilides of Rome

     Saint Leo III

June 13

     Saint Anthony of Padua (M)

     Blessed Marianna Biernacka

June 14

     Prophet Elisha

     Saint Methodius I of Constantinople

     Saints Anastasius, Digna, and Felix of Cordoba

June 15

     Prophet Amos

     Saint Vitus of Rome

     Saint Germaine of Pibrac

June 16

     Saint Cyricus and Julitta

     Saint Lutgardis of Aywieres

June 17

     Saint Ranieri of Pisa

     Saint Peter (Phero) Da

June 18

     Saints Mark and Marcellian of Rome

     Blessed Oseanna Andreasi

     Saint Gregory Barbarigo

June 19

     Saint Romuald (OM)

     Saints Gervase and Protase of Milan

     Saint Juliana Falconieri

     Blesseds Sebastian Newdigate, Humphrey Middlemore, and William Exmew of England

     Blessed Thomas Woodhouse

June 20

     Saint Methodius of Olympus

     Blessed Dermot O’Hurley

June 21

     Saint Aloysius Gonzaga (M)

     Saint John Rigby

June 22

     Saint Paulinus of Nola (OM)

     Saint John Fisher (OM)

     Saint Thomas More (OM)

     Saint Nicetas of Remesiana

     Blessed Innocent V

June 23

     Saint Thomas Garnet

     Saint Joseph Cafasso

June 24

     The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist (S)

     Saint Gohardus of Nantes

     Saint Joseph Yuen Zaide

June 25

     Saint Solomon III of Bretagne

     Saint William of Vercelli

June 26

     Saints John and Paul of Rome

     Saint Anthelm of Belley

     Saint Josemaria Escriva (OM)

June 27

     Saint Cyril of Alexandria (OM)

     Saint Arialdus of Milan

June 28

     Saint Irenaeus of Lyons (M)

     Saints Plutarch, Serenus (two individuals with this name), Heraclides, Heron, Heraidis, Potamioena, and Marcella of Alexandria

     Saint Paul I

June 29

     Saints Peter and Paul (S)

     Blessed Raymond (Ramon) Llull

June 30

     First Martyrs of the Church of Rome (OM)

     Saint Martial of Limoges Saint Otto of Bamberg

July 1

     High Priest Aaron

     Saint Oliver Plunket

     Saint Junipero Serra (OM)

July 2

     Saints Processus and Martinian of Rome

     Saint Swithin of Winchester

July 3

     Saint Thomas the Apostle (F)

     Saint Hyacinth of Cappadocia

     Saint Leo II

July 4

     Saint Elizabeth of Portugal (see July 5)

     Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati

     Blessed Joseph Kowalski

July 5

     Saint Elizabeth of Portugal (OM)

     Saint Anthony Zaccaria (OM)

     Saint Stephen of Reggio

     Saint Athanasius the Athonite

July 6

     Saint Maria Goretti

     Saint Sisoes the Great

July 7

     Saint Willibald of Eichstatt

     Blessed Benedict XI

     Blessed Peter To Rot

July 8

     Saints Aquila and Priscilla the Tentmakers

     Saint Procopius of Caesarea

     Saint Adrian III

     Blessed Eugene III

July 9

     Saint Augustine Zhao Rong and Companions (OM)

     Saint Nicholas Pieck and Companions

     Saint Veronica (Ursula) Giuliani

July 10

     Saints Rufina and Secunda of Rome

     Saints Anatolia and Victoria of Rome

July 11

     Saint Benedict of Nursia (M)

     Saint Pius I

July 12

     Saints Nabor and Felix of Milan

     Saint John Gualbert

     Saint Louis Martin Saint Zelie (Marie-Azelie) Guerin Martin

July 13

     Saint Henry II Prophet Ezra

     Saint Myrope of Chios

     Saint Clelia Barbieri

July 14

     Saint Camillus de Lellis (M) (see July 18)

     Blessed Hroznata of Bohemia

     Saint Kateri Tekakwitha (M)

     Blessed Michael Ghebre

July 15

     Saint Bonaventure (M)

     Martyrs of Alexandria

July 16

     Our Lady of Mount Carmel (OM)

     Blessed Marguerite Rose de Gordon and Companions

     Saint Mary Magdalen Postel

July 17

     Saint Alexis (Alexius) of Rome

     Saint Leo IV

     Saint Colman of Stockerau

     Blessed Teresa of Saint Augustine and Companions, or the Sixteen Blessed Martyred Nuns of Compiegne

July 18

     Saint Camillus de Lellis (OM)

     Saint Symphorosa and Sons of Rome

     Saint Bruno of Segni

July 19

     Saint Macrina the Younger

     Saint Symmachus

     Saint Aurea of Cordoba

     Blessed Peter (Pietro) Cresci of Foligno

July 20

     Prophet Elijah (Elias)

     Saint Apollinaris of Ravenna (OM)

     Saint Margaret of Antioch

     Saint Frumentius of Ethiopia

July 21

     Saint Praxedes of Rome

     Saint Simeon Salus

     Saint Lawrence (Cesare de Rossi) of Brindisi (OM)

July 22

     Saint Mary Magdalene (F)

     Saints Philip Evans and John Lloyd

July 23

     Prophet Ezekiel Saint John Cassian

     Saint Bridget of Sweden (OM)

     Blessed Basil Hopko

July 24

     Saint Sharbel (Charbel) Makhlouf (OM)

     Saint Christina of Bolsena

     Saint Euphrasia (Eupraxia) of Thebes

     Saint Christina the Astonishing

July 25

     Saint James the Greater, Apostle (F)

     Saint Christopher

     Blessed John Soreth

July 26

     Saints Joachim and Anne (M)

     Saint William Ward (Webster)

     Saint Bartholomea Capitainio

     Blessed Titus (Anno Sjoera) Brandsma

July 27

     Seven Sleepers of Ephesus

     Saint Pantaleon

     Saint Celestine I

     Saint Simeon the Stylite

     Saints Clement of Okhrida and Companions

July 28

     Saints Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus

     Saints Nazarius and Celsus of Milan

     Saint Victor I

     Saint Samson of York

July 29

     Saint Martha (M)

     Saint Lazarus

     Saints Simplicius, Faustinus, Beatrice, and Rufo of Rome

     Saint Olaf of Norway

     Blessed Urban II

July 30

     Saint Peter Chrysologus (OM)

     Saints Abdon and Sennen of Rome

     Saint Godelva of Gistel

     Saint Leopold (Adeodato) Mandic

July 31

     Saint Ignatius of Loyola (M)

     Saint Helen of Skofde

August 1

     Saint Alphonsus Liguori (M)

     The Holy Maccabees

     Saint Peter Faber

     Martyrs of Nowogrodek

August 2

     Saint Eusebius of Vercelli (OM)

     Saint Peter Julian Eymard (OM)

     Saint Stephen I

     Blessed Zephyrinus (Ceferino) Jimenez Malla

August 3

     Blessed Augustine Gazotich

     Blessed Salvador Ferrandis Segui

August 4

     Saint John Vianney (M)

     Saint Ia of Persia

August 5

     Dedication of Saint Mary Major and Our Lady of the Snows (OM)

     Saint Oswald of Northumbria

August 6

     The Transfiguration of the Lord (F)

     Saints Justus and Pastor of Alcala

     Saint Hormisdas

August 7

     Saint Sixtus II and Companions (OM)

     Saint Cajetan the Theatine (OM)

     Saint Afra of Augsburg

August 8

     Saint Dominic de Guzman (M)

     Saint Cyriacus and Companions

     Saint Mary MacKillop

August 9

     Saint Teresa Benedicta (Edith Stein) of the Cross (M)

     Saint Romanus Ostiarius of Rome

     Blessed Richard Bere

August 10

     Saint Lawrence (Laurence) the Deacon (F)

     Saint Blane

August 11

     Saint Clare of Assisi (M)

     Saint Tiburtius of Rome

     Saint Susanna of Rome

August 12

     Saint Jane Frances de Chantal (OM)

     Saint Euplius of Catania

     Blessed Innocent XI

August 13

     Saints Pontian (Pontianus) and Hippolytus (OM)

     Saint Cassian of Imola

     Saint Maximus the Confessor

     Saint John Berchmans

August 14

     Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe (M)

     Saint Eusebius of Rome

     Saint Anthony Primaldo and the Martyrs of Otranto

August 15

     The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (S)

     Saint Tarcisius

     Saint Hyacinth of Poland

August 16

     Saint Stephen of Hungary (OM)

     Saint Rock (Roch or Rocco)

     Blessed John of Saint Martha

August 17

     Saint Mamas (Mammes)

     Saint Eusebius

     Saint Clare of Montefalco

     Saint Joan Delanoue

August 18

     Saint Agapitus of Palestrina

     Saint Helen of Constantinople

August 19

     Saint John Eudes (OM)

     Saint Sixtus III

     Saint Louis of Anjou

     Martyred Carmelite Sisters of Charity

August 20

     Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (M)

     Prophet Samuel

     Blessed Maria Climent Mateu

August 21

     Saint Pius X (M)

     Saint Privatus of Mende

     Blessed Victoire Rasoamanarivo

August 22

     The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary (M)

     Saint Symphorianus of Autun

     Saint Timothy of Rome

     Saint Philip Benizi

August 23

     Saint Rose of Lima (OM)

     Blesseds Rosaria Quintana Argos, Seraphina Fernandez Ibaro, and Companions

August 24

     Saint Nathaniel Bartholomew the Apostle (F)

     Saint Audoenus (or Ouen or Dado) of Rouen

August 25

     Saint Louis IX of France (OM)

     Saint Joseph Calasanz (Calasanctius) (OM)

     Saint Genesius of Arles

     Saint Thomas Cantalupe

August 26

     Patriarch Melchizedek

     Saint Elizabeth Bichier des Ages

     Saint Mary Baouardy

     Blessed Leucadia (Levkadia) Harasymiv

August 27

     Saint Monica (M)

     Saint Caesarius of Arles

     Saint David Lewis

August 28

     Saint Augustine of Hippo (M)

     Saint Hermes of Rome

     Saint Moses the Black

August 29

     The Passion of John the Baptist (M)

     Saint Sabina of Rome

     Blessed Teresa Bracco

August 30

     Saints Felix and Adauctus of Rome

     Saint Margaret Ward and Companions

     Saint Jeanne Jugan

August 31

     Saint Joseph of Arimathea

     Saint Nicodemus Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne

     Saint Raymond Nonnatus

September 1

     Prophet Joshua

     Saint Priscus of Capua

     Saint Giles

September 2

     Saint Habib (Abibus) of Edessa

     Blesseds John-Marie du Lau d’Alleman, Francis-Joseph de la Rochefoucauld, Peter-Louis de la Rochefoucauld, and Companions, also known as the Martyrs of September

September 3

     Saint Gregory the Great (Gregory I) (M)

     Blessed Bartholomew Gutierrez and Companions

September 4

     Prophet Moses

     Saint Boniface I

     Saint Rosalia of Palermo

     Blessed Scipion Jerome Brigeat Lambert

September 5

     Saints Peter Nguyen Van Tu and Joseph Hoang Luong Canh

     Saint Teresa of Calcutta

September 6

     Prophet Zechariah

     Saint Onesiphorus

     Saint Cagnoald

     Saint Bega (Bee)

September 7

     Saint Sozon (Sozonte)

     Saint Clodoald (Cloud) of France

September 8

     The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (F)

     Saint Adrian of Nicomedia

     Saint Sergius I

     Saint Corbinian

     Saint Thomas of Villanova

     Blessed Antoine-Frederic Ozanam

September 9

     Saint Gorgonio (Gorgonius) of Rome

     Blessed Maria de la Cabeza

     Saint Peter Claver (M)

     Blessed Jacques-Desire Laval

September 10

     Saint Nicholas of Tolentino

     Blesseds Sebastian Kimura, Francis Morales, and Companions

September 11

     Saints Protus and Hyacinth of Rome

     Saint Paphnutius of Egypt

September 12

     Most Holy Name of Mary (OM)

     Blessed Pierre (Roger) Sulpice Christopher Faverge

September 13

     Saint John Chrysostom (M)

     Saint Marcellinus of Carthage

September 14

     The Triumph of the Cross (F)

     Saint Peter of Tarentaise

     Saint Albert of Jerusalem

     Saint Notburga of Eben

     Saint Jean Gabriel Taurin Dufresse

September 15

     Our Lady of Sorrows (M)

     Saint Nicomedes of Rome

     Saint Catherine Fieschi of Genoa

September 16

     Saint Cornelius (M)

     Saint Cyprian of Carthage (M)

     Saint Euphemia of Chalcedon

     Blessed Victor III

     Blessed John Massias of Lima

September 17

     Saint Robert Bellarmine (M)

     Saint Columba of Cordoba

     Saint Hildegard of Bingen

September 18

     Saint Joseph of Cupertino Blesseds Daudi (David) Okelo and Jildo (Gildo) Irwa Blessed Carlos Erana Guruceta

September 19

     Saint Januarius of Benevento (OM)

     Saint (Marie Guillemette) Emily de Rodat

September 20

     Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gon, Paul Chong Hasang, and Companions (M)

     Saint Eustace of Rome

September 21

     Saint Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist (F)

     Prophet Jonah

     Saints Eusebius, Nestulus, and Zeno of Gaza

September 22

     Saint Maurice and Companions

     Saint Ignatius (Laurence Maurice Belvisotti) of Santhia

September 23

     Saint Pio (Francis Forgione) of Pietrelcina (M)

     Saints Elizabeth and Zechariah

     Saint Linus

     Saint Adamnan (Eunan) of Iona

September 24

     Saint Gerard Sagredo

     Saint Pacificus (Charles Antony Divini) of San Severino

September 25

     Saint Cleophas

     Saint Finbar (Lochan) of Cork

     Saint Sergius (Bartholomew) of Radonezh

September 26

     Saints Cosmas and Damian (OM)

     Prophet Gideon

     Saint Teresa (Maria Victoria) Couderc

September 27

     Saint Vincent de Paul (M)

     Saints Adolph and John of Cordoba

September 28

     Saint Wenceslaus of Bohemia (OM)

     Saint Laurence Ruiz and Companions (OM)

     Saint Eustochium of Rome

September 29

     Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, Archangels (F)

     Saints Rhipsime, Gaiana, and Companions

September 30

     Saint Jerome of Stridon (M)

     Saint Antoninus of Piacenza

     Saint Francis de Borgia

October 1

     Saint Therese (of the Child Jesus) Martin of Lisieux (M)

     Saints Julia, Maxima, and Verissimus of Lisbon

     Saint Bavo of Ghent

October 2

     The Holy Guardian Angels (M)

     Saints Leger (Leodegardis) and Gerinus of France

October 3

     Saint Dionysius the Areopagite

     Saint Ewald the Black and Saint Ewald the Fair

     Saint Ambrosio Francisco Ferro and Companions

October 4

     Saint Francis of Assisi (M)

     Blessed Henry (Enrique) Morant Pellicer

October 5

     Saint Placid

     Saint Flora of Beaulieu

     Blessed Raymond de Vineis of Capua

     Blesseds William Hartley, John Hewitt, and Robert Sutton

     Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos (OM)

     Blessed Bartholomew (Bartolo) Longo

     Saint Faustina (Helena) Kowalska

October 6

     Saint Bruno the Carthusian (OM)

     Blessed Marie-Rose (Eulalia) Durocher (OM)

     Saint Francis Tran Van Trung

October 7

     Our Lady of the Rosary (M)

     Saint Mark (Marcus)

     Blessed Joseph Llosa Balaguer

October 8

     Saint Reparata

     Blessed Hugh Canefro of Genoa

October 9

     Saint Denis and Companions (OM)

     Saint John Leonardi (OM)

     Patriarch Abraham

     Saint Louis Bertrand

     Saint John Henry Newman

October 10

     Saints Eulampius and Eulampia of Nicomedia

     Blessed Angela (Sophia Camille) Truszkowska

October 11

     Saint Philip the Deacon

     Saint Bruno the Great of Cologne

     Saint Peter (Phero) Le Tuy

     Saint Mary Soledad (Emmanuala) Torres Acosta

     Saint John XXIII

October 12

     Martyrs of North Africa

     Saint Felix IV

     Blessed Roman Sitko

October 13

     Saint Theophilus of Antioch

     Saints Faustus, Januarius, and Martial of Cordoba

     Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa

October 14

     Saint Callistus I (Calixtus) (OM)

     Blessed Roman Lysko

October 15

     Saint Teresa of Jesus (M)

     Saint Magdalena of Nagasaki

October 16

     Saint Hedwig of Silesia (OM)

     Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (OM)

     Saint Longinus the Centurion

     Saint Gerard Majella

     Blesseds Anicet Koplinski and Joseph Jankowski

October 17

     Saint Ignatius of Antioch (M)

     Prophet Hosea

     Saint John of Egypt

     Saint Jadwiga of Poland

October 18

     Saint Luke the Evangelist (F)

     Saint Peter of Alcantara

October 19

     Saint Paul of the Cross (see October 20)

     Saints John de Brebeuf and Isaac Jogues and Companions (M)

     Prophet Joel

     Saint Frideswide

October 20

     Saint Paul of the Cross (OM)

     Saint Cornelius the Centurion

     Saint Andrew of Crete

     Saint Bertilla (Anne Frances) Boscardin

October 21

     Saint Ursula and Companions of Cologne

     Saint Hilarion of Cyprus

October 22

     Saints Philip and Hermes of Heraclea

     Saint John Paul II

October 23

     Saint John of Capistrano (OM)

     Saint Severinus Boethius

     Saint Allucius of Campuliano

October 24

     Saint Anthony Mary Claret (OM)

     Saint Senoch of Tours

     Saint Mark (Martin) of Vertou

     Saint Joseph Le Dang Thi

October 25

     Saints Chrysanthus and Daria of Rome

     Saints Crispin and Crispinian of Rome

     Saint Gaudentius of Brescia

October 26

     Saints Lucian and Marcian of Nicomedia

     Saint Cedd of Lastingham

October 27

     Saint Evaristus Saint Odrian (Oterano) of Waterford

October 28

     Saints Simon and Jude (Thaddeus) the Apostles (F)

     Saints Francis Serrano, Joachim Royo, John Alcober, and Francis Diaz del Rincon

October 29

     Saint Narcissus of Jerusalem

     Saint Zenobius of Sidon

     Saint Abraham Kidunaia of Edessa

     Saint Theuderius (Chef) of Vienna

October 30

     Saint Eutropia of Alexandria

     Blessed Terrence Albert O’Brien

October 31

     Saint Quentin

     Saint Wolfgang of Ratisbon

     Saint Alphonsus Rodriguez

November 1

     All Saints’ Day (S)

November 2

     All Souls’ Day (Commemoration)

     Saint Victorinus of Pettau

     Saint Marcian of Chalcedon

November 3

     Saint Martin de Porres (OM)

     Saint Libertine of Agrigento

     Saint Joannicus of Mount Olympus

November 4

     Saint Charles Borromeo (M)

     Saints Vitalis and Agricola of Bologna

     Saint Felix of Valois

November 5

     Saint Bertilla

     Blessed Bernhard Lichtenberg

November 6

     Saint Paul of Constantinople

     Saint Illtud (Illtyd) of Wales

     Saint Leonard of Noblac

November 7

     Saint Herculanus of Perugia

     Saint Willibrord (Clement) of Echternach

     Saint Engelbert of Cologne

November 8

     Saints Simpronian, Claudius, Nicostratus, Castorius, and Simplicius of Sirmium Saint Deusdedit (Adeodatus I)

     Saint Godfrey of Amiens

     Blessed John Duns Scotus

November 9

     The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica (F)

     Blessed George Napper

     Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity Catez

November 10

     Saint Leo the Great (Leo I) (M)

     Saint Andrew Avellino

     Blessed Joaquin Pina Piazuelo

November 11

     Saint Martin of Tours (M)

     Saint Mennas of Egypt

     Saint John the Almsgiver

     Saint Marina of Omura

November 12

     Saint Josaphat (John) Kunsevich (M)

     Blessed John Cini

     Saint Didacus of Alcala

November 13

     Saint Nicholas I

     Saint Abbo of Fleury

     Saint Frances (Mary Francesca) Xavier Cabrini (M)

November 14

     Saint Laurence O’Toole

     Saint Serapius of Africa

November 15

     Saint Albert the Great (OM)

     Saint Leopold of Babenberg

     Blesseds Hugh Faringdon, John Eynon, and John Rugg

     Saint Raphael (Joseph) Kalinowski

November 16

     Saint Margaret of Scotland (OM)

     Saint Gertrude the Great (OM)

     Saints Augustinus and Felicitatis of Capua

November 17

     Saint Elizabeth of Hungary (M)

     Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus

     Saint Gregory of Tours

     Saint Lazarus Zographos

     Saints Jordan (Hyacinth) Ansalone and Thomas Hioji Nishi Rokuzaemon

November 18

     Dedication of the Basilicas of Saints Peter and Paul (OM)

     Saint Odo of Cluny

     Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne (OM)

     Blessed Karolina Kozkowna

November 19

     Prophet Obadiah

     Saint Barlaam of Antioch

     Saint Mechtilde of Helfta

November 20

     Saint Edmund the Martyr

     Blessed Maria Fortunata (Anna Felicia) Viti

November 21

     The Presentation of Mary (M)

     Saint Agapius of Caesarea

     Saint Gelasius I

November 22

     Saint Cecilia (Cecily) of Rome (M)

     Saint Philemon of Colossae

     Blessed Salvatore Lilli and Companions

November 23

     Saint Clement I (OM)

     Saint Columban of Ireland (OM)

     Saint Felicitas of Rome and Sons

     Blessed Miguel Agustine Pro (OM)

November 24

     Saint Andrew Dung Lac and Companions (M)

     Saint Chrysogonus of Aquiliea

     Saint Albert of Louvain

     Blessed Maria Anna Sala

November 25

     Saint Catherine of Alexandria (OM)

     Saint Moses of Rome

     Saint Peter of Alexandria

     Blesseds Luigi Beltrame Quattrocchi and Maria Corsini Beltrame Quattrocchi

November 26

     Saint Siricius

     Saint Bellinus of Padua

     Saint Silvester Gozzolini

     Saint Leonard of Port Maurice

November 27

     Saint James Intercisus

     Saint Fergus of Scotland

November 28

     Saint James of the Marches

     Blessed James Thompson

November 29

     Saint Sernin (Saturnius or Saturninus) of Toulouse

     Saint Radbod of Utrecht

     Saint Francis Anthony (Giovanniello) Fasani of Lucera

November 30

     Saint Andrew the Apostle (F)

     Saint Cuthbert Mayne

December 1

     Prophet Nahum

     Saint Eligius (Eloi) of Noyon

     Saints Edmund Campion, Ralph Sherwin, and Alexander Briant

December 2

     Prophet Habakkuk

     Saint Bibiana (Viviana) of Rome

     Saint Chromatius of Aquileia

     Saint Silverius

     Blessed Maria Angela Astorch

December 3

     Saint Francis Xavier (M)

     Prophet Zephaniah

     Saint Cassian of Tangiers

December 4

     Saint John of Damascus (John Damascene) (OM)

     Saint Barbara

     Blesseds Francis Galvez, Jerome de Angelis, and Simon Yempo

December 5

     Saint Crispina of Thagara

     Saint Sabas (Sabbas) of Mar Saba

December 6

     Saint Nicholas of Myra (OM)

     Blessed Peter Paschal

December 7

     Saint Ambrose of Milan (M)

     Saint Athenodorus of Mesopotamia

     Saint John the Silent

     Saint Mary Joseph (Benedetta) Rossello

December 8

     The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (S)

     Saint Eutychian

     Saint Romaric of Remiremont

     Saint Theobald of Marly

     Blessed Aloysius (Alojzy) Liguda

December 9

     Saint Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin (OM)

     Blessed Liborius Wagner

     Saint Peter Fourier

December 10

     Saint Eulalia of Spain

     Saint Gregory III

     Saints Polydore Plasden and Eustace White, and Blesseds Brian Lacey, John Mason, and Sidney Hodgson

December 11

     Saint Damasus I

     Saint Daniel the Stylite

     Blessed Arthur Bell

December 12

     Our Lady of Guadalupe (F)

     Saints Epimachus, Alexander, Ammonaria, Mercuria, and Dionysia of Alexandria

December 13

     Saint Lucy of Syracuse (M)

     Saint Judoc (Josse)

December 14

     Saint John of the Cross (M)

     Saints Nicasius, Eutropia, Florentius, and Jucundus of Rheims

December 15

     Saint Valerian of Abbenza

     Saint Mary Victoria Fornari de Strata

     Saint Mary Crucifixa (Paula) di Rosa

December 16

     Prophet Haggai

     Martyred Women of Africa

     Saint Adelaide of Burgundy

December 17

     Martyrs of Eleutheropolis

     Saint Sturmi of Fulda

     Saint John de Matha of Rome

December 18

     Prophet Malachi

     Saint Flannan of Killaloe

     Saint Winebald of Heidenheim

     Saints Paul Nguyen Van My, Peter Truong Van Duong, and Peter Vu Van Truat

December 19

     Saint Anastasius I

     Saint Urban V

     Saints Francis Xavier Ha Trong Mau, Dominic Bui Van Uy, Thomas Nguyen Van De, Augustine Nguyen Van Moi, and Stephen Nguyen Van Vinh

December 20

     Saint Zephyrinus

     Saint Dominic of Silos

December 21

     Saint Peter Canisius (OM)

     Prophet Micah

     Saint Themistocles of Lycia

December 22

     Saint Chaeremon of Nilopolis and Companions

     Blessed Thomas Holland December 23

     Saint John of Kanti (John Cantius) (OM)

     Saint John Stone

     Saint Marie Marguerite d’Youville

December 24

     Saint Irmina of Trier

     Saint Paula Elizabeth (Constanza) Cerioli

December 25

     The Nativity of the Lord (S)

     Saint Anastasia of Sirmium

     Blessed Peter the Venerable

     Blessed Michael Nakashima

     Saburoemon Saint Albert (Adam) Chmielowski

December 26

     Saint Stephen the Deacon and Martyr (F)

     Saint Dionysius

     Saint Zosimus

     Saint Vincentia Maria Lopez Vicuna

December 27

     Saint John the Apostle and Evangelist (F)

     Saints Theodore and Theophanes of Constantinople

December 28

     The Holy Innocents (F)

     Saint Anthony of Lerins

     Saint Caspar (Gaspar) del Bufalo

December 29

     King David of Israel

     Saint Thomas Becket (OM)

     Blessed Jose Aparicio Sanz

December 30

     Saint Felix I

     Saint Anysia of Thessalonica

     Saint Perpetuus of Tours

     Saint Egwin of Evesham

December 31

     Saint Sylvester I (OM)

     Saint Columba of Sens

     Saint John Francis Regis

     Saint Catherine Laboure

Calendar of Marian Dates

April 26

     Our Lady of Good Counsel

June 27

     Our Lady of Perpetual Help

August 21

     Our Lady of Knock

September 19

     Our Lady of La Salette

September 24

     Our Lady of Ransom

October 12

     Our Lady of the Pillar

November 27

     Miraculous Medal of the Blessed Virgin Mary

December 10

     Our Lady of Loreto

PREFACE

It all started with Saint Athanasius.

I was sitting in my apartment, a relatively new convert to Catholicism from atheism, reading a book. I already loved the Mass, and I had decided to start my new life as a Catholic by reading and praying the daily and Sunday Mass readings. But then I found a book about saints. Specifically, I found Butler’s Lives of the Saints: Concise Edition, Revised and Updated. The Reverend Alban Butler’s original Lives of the Saints from the eighteenth century was not one book of saints’ biographies, but four volumes long. The modern version I had found condensed his four books into one and added some biographies of recently canonized saints. For someone who knew absolutely nothing about Catholic saints, reading about one saint per day seemed the perfect addition to my daily prayer life.

So there I was, trying to pray, when the book introduced me to someone I had never heard of before: Saint Athanasius of Alexandria. The first part of his biography seemed unremarkable, but then I read how this bishop from the fourth century was sent into exile for refusing to capitulate about a heretical teaching. More specifically, he was sent into exile not once, but five times. A personal realization brought me to a complete stop at that moment. I realized that if I had been in Athanasius’ position, unlike him, I would have given up. If the emperor considered me a criminal, public leaders ridiculed me, most people shunned me, and the government forced me to live in the wilderness, in constant danger for my life, what could possibly give me the strength to keep going? Why not become a hermit? Write books? Take up gardening? What was it that made Athanasius keep teaching the truth and not give up? How did he manage to persevere when practically everyone wanted him dead?

That’s when I realized that becoming a saint wasn’t the painless, ethereal experience that saints’ statues and glowing hagiographies seemed to imply. While I had sometimes found it hard to relate to Jesus’ world of tax collectors, Jewish holy days, and the geography of the Holy Land, I could often relate to the difficulties described in the biographies of the saints. There’s a reason that practically every Catholic mother has a devotion to Saint Monica. Even if none of your children are fallen-away Catholics or living in an immoral situation, what mom can’t relate with her years of suffering? Did she agonize in private with her friends over whether it was appropriate even to go visit her son Augustine because he was living in sin with his girlfriend and had abandoned the faith, as so many mothers do today? Did she blame herself for not being the perfect Catholic mom when he was small? Like all saints, many of Saint Monica’s daily challenges are not very different from my own, and learning about how she faced them as a Catholic not only gives me hope, but it gives me ideas.

I read my copy of Butler’s Lives of the Saints until the spine broke and I had to buy another copy. By then I had noticed what was for me a serious problem: it’s a concise edition, which means it omits many great saints. So I found other saints’ books and resources and tried to piece together a short reading about a saint each morning from multiple sources. Unfortunately, this was not a very convenient solution every morning when I was only half-awake.

Since I was working as a technical writer at this point, I eventually started writing my own collection of saints—that is, I not only added information about new saints, but I rewrote the saints’ biographies so that they would help me pray. While we can read individual biographies to learn about saints in depth, we also need collections of saints to help us talk to God about our own seemingly insurmountable struggles.

The Church recognizes saints, in part, to honor them for their lives, devotion, and personal sacrifices. But the Church also recognizes saints to encourage us to become one. May the lives of the saints be for you, as they are for me, a daily reminder that God desires us all to be holy.

INTRODUCTION

There are many great books about the saints available today. However, this book is designed to be prayed with, rather than simply read. Why?

The saints are most helpful spiritually when we can imagine ourselves in their situations. There are many resources that list only the most basic information about the saint. There are also resources that provide information about a saint’s entire life, personality, experiences, and theology. It is difficult for the former to inspire us to deep personal sacrifice, and the latter would be impossible to read before breakfast. The biographies in this book aim for the golden mean between those two extremes.

The language used to describe saints’ lives also matters. Some older biographies use phrases that sound awkward to modern ears, and some modern biographies have been modernized to the point of fluffiness. Once again, this book attempts to find the mean between the two. There are many passages in which I believe Butler’s Lives of the Saints describes the situation or person pricelessly, so those passages are included.

Another area of confusion involves the calendar itself. When the Second Vatican Council introduced changes to the liturgical calendar, these changes primarily affected our liturgical commemoration of the saints in two ways: (1) some saints’ dates were changed, and (2) some saints’ days were removed from the liturgical calendar entirely. Regardless of your position on the spectrum of attitudes toward the changes resulting from Vatican II, it’s clear that a laudable goal of this reform was to ensure that each Mass is focused on Jesus Christ and the Gospel readings, rather than falling into an overemphasis of individual saints. However, the list of saints recognized by the Church and the saints in the liturgical calendar are two different things: the former can be used in many contexts outside Mass, and the latter is designed as an aid to worship God during the liturgy. Thousands of men and women have lived lives of such holiness that other Catholics should remember them, call upon their intercession, and try to live like them, any day of the year, any time of the day. That’s one of the reasons that the Church has developed a list of saints in the first place and the reason for this book. On the other hand, it makes sense to remember certain specific saints annually during the liturgy because of their important contributions to the Body of Christ. The fact that certain saints are no longer on the liturgical calendar does not mean that we should forget them.

The main body of this book is a daily collection of saints and blesseds arranged by date, as given in the Church’s latest official list of saints, the 2004 Martyrologium Romanum.¹ Those who have been proclaimed saints and blesseds by a pope since 2004 are also included.

The date listed for every saint in this book either follows the Martyrologium Romanum of 2004 or, when no such date is available, the date of death of that saint (his birthday into Heaven) or the date traditionally associated with that saint. Note that if you consult an older collection of saints that follows a previous version of the Martyrologium Romanum—the first version was created in 1583, and there have been many revisions since—the date given for a particular saint may differ.

Another important consideration in developing this book of saints involved the decision about which of the thousands of saints in the Church’s calendar to include and (sadly) which to omit.

Our Blessed Mother, the greatest of all the saints, is celebrated by the Church somewhere in the world almost every day of the year, sometimes because of an important event in her earthly life, sometimes because of a Church-approved apparition, or sometimes because of a Church teaching or a local devotion. The main calendar in this book contains the solemnities, feasts, and memorials of the Blessed Virgin Mary that are listed in the Martyrologium Romanum of 2004; the supplemental calendar lists some of the other important dates for our Blessed Mother.

Sadly, our culture today would like to believe that every pope of the Catholic Church was power-hungry, weak, and unfaithful to his vow of chastity. To counter that false belief, all the men who have served the Church as pope and who are acknowledged by the Church for their holiness have been included in this collection.

Another group of holy men and women we commonly overlook come from our elder brothers, the Jewish people. The Church has commemorated great figures from the Old Testament in the Martyrologium Romanum for hundreds of years. Remembering the great Jewish prophets—who predicted the coming of the Messiah—during December, for example, is spiritually helpful.

Direct quotations are also useful. For some individuals who lived during the time period of the Old and New Testaments, relevant Scripture quotes are included in this collection. Some saints, particularly the Doctors of the Church, are noted for their outstanding ability to explain our faith; short quotes from these saints or memorable prayers are included because their actual words can sometimes help us understand their holiness even better than their biographies.

Because the lives of the saints included in this book cover thousands of years and every continent, some assumptions had to be made about dates and spelling. For many saints—even up to the twentieth century—we’re not always certain what year they were born or even the year that they died. The most widely accepted dates have been included to help the reader mentally situate the person in a particular time frame. Multiple names and spellings are also included where it might be difficult to identify a given saint. Because this book is written in English, English versions of names have been used, except where a saint has been become well known by his native name (e.g., Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati, rather than the anglicized version, Saint Peter George Frassati). Depending on the time period, the names shown in parentheses may be alternate spellings due to language differences or names given at birth, as opposed to names chosen in religious life.

A short statement must be made about miracles: they happen. While some of the miraculous stories included in this book may cause twenty-first-century readers to roll their eyes, we must remember that our Savior performed some amazing miracles Himself, culminating in His Resurrection from the dead. Miracles have accompanied some modern saints’ lives—see, for example, Saint Pio of Pietrelcina—even with TV cameras rolling.

As much as possible, the biographies in this collection are brief so that you can read about a few saints in a day. Supplemental appendices provide additional details.

■ Appendix 1: Calendar of Marian Dates. The main calendar of this book includes all of the Marian dates that are present in the Martyrologium Romanum of 2004. But there are memorials that are widely celebrated that have been omitted from the Martyrologium Romanum and they are included in this section.

■ Appendix 2: Correspondence of the 1962 Roman Missal to the 2004 Martyrologium Romanum. For those who attend the Extraordinary Form (Latin) Mass, a chart is included that lists the saints’ names as given in the Roman Missal of 1962 and the corresponding saints’ names as given in the Martyrologium Romanum.

■ Appendix 3: Frequently Asked Questions. Common questions about terms used by the Church are explained, such as the differences between a saint and a blessed.

■ Appendix 4: Catholic Church Terminology. Definitions are provided for less-familiar Catholic terms (e.g., solemnity).

■ Appendix 5: Heresies or Theological Complexities. Brief explanations are given of heretical teachings and how they endangered the practice of the Catholic faith in individual lives.

■ Appendix 6: Times of Anti-Catholic Persecution. In order to help the reader understand why there are so many groups of martyrs in particular times and places and where it was particularly dangerous to be a Catholic, a chart is provided that lists the centuries, locations, and causes of some major persecutions.

Finally, because this book is intended as a devotional aid, there’s a short intercessory prayer to every saint (or group of saints) each day. Note that God is ultimately the source of all wisdom, strength, grace—everything—but we can ask the saints for help in emulating their virtues, as well as avoiding their mistakes. Feel free to ignore these short prayers and add your own petitions if you prefer. But pray. Praying daily with saints’ lives helps us to want to become like them, because they are images of Jesus Christ.

Daily Calendar of Saints and Blesseds

Introduction to the Daily Calendar of

Saints and Blesseds

As previously mentioned in the main introduction, the following calendar includes only those saints and blesseds found in the Martyrologium Romanum¹ with the addition of those holy men and women who have been named saints and blesseds by a pope since that edition was issued. The Martyrologium Romanum, which is currently available only in Latin, contains anywhere from a half dozen to more than a dozen entries for every day of the year. Since this book is designed to be a devotional aid used on a daily basis, this book lists only a representative sample of those saints, those that will (God willing) be most helpful in encouraging us to follow in their footsteps and also become saints.

Every day in this collection includes entries for at least two saints. Why? Because of the martyrs. Although starting your day with the story of someone’s beheading may sound gruesome, in reality, it grounds you. When I realized that the Church celebrates the death of a martyr (or sometimes large groups of martyrs) almost every single day,² I realized it was a good, humbling lesson for me to remember, every single day, that many people have died for the faith that I so often take for granted. Also, we Catholics have the happy problem that multiple saints with inspirational life stories are occasionally commemorated on the same date. Why overlook Saint Christopher just because he shares July 25 with Saint James the Greater?

Note that the order of names for each day follows the Martyrologium Romanum. That is, solemnities, feasts, memorials, and optional memorials are listed first (in that order) on a given day, followed by all the saints commemorated that day, generally in chronological order. Also, all solemnities, feasts, memorials, and optional memorials of saints that are noted in the Daily Roman Missal³ are included in this collection, along with a few other saints honored on that date. However, note that this book is a collection of saints, not a liturgical book. For important dates in the liturgical calendar that are not associated with a saint or group of saints, particularly moveable dates such as Easter, please consult the appropriate liturgical book or Church calendar. The memorials and optional memorials from the liturgical calendar published by the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) have been footnoted.⁴ Other nation’s conferences also have additions and changes to their liturgical calendars to emphasize their own native saints.

If you have questions about Church terminology while reading these biographies, see the detailed appendices at the end of this book.

January

January 1

The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, Solemnity

According to Ludwig Ott, "The dogma of Mary’s motherhood of God contains two truths: a) Mary is truly a mother, that is, she contributed everything to the formation of the human nature of Christ, that every other mother contributes to the formation of the fruit of her body; b) Mary is truly the Mother of God, that is, she conceived and bore the Second Person of the Divinity, not indeed according to the Divine Nature, but according to the assumed human nature."¹ And as stated by Saint Louis de Montfort, It was through the most holy Virgin Mary that Jesus came into the world, and it is also through her that He has to reign in the world.²

Saint Odilo of Cluny

Odilo was born in 962 into a noble family in Avergne, France. When he was a child, he was miraculously cured of a serious illness by praying to the Virgin Mary, which deepened his devotion to her. He chose to become a monk at the monastery of Cluny, and he later became the abbot, an office he held for fifty years. In response to the widespread and ongoing violence of the times in Europe, he promoted the Truce of God, a practice that suspended military hostilities for ostensibly religious reasons, allowing trade so that ordinary people could survive and guaranteeing sanctuary to those who sought refuge in churches. During a famine, he sold church property to feed the poor; to commemorate all the faithful departed, he instituted All Souls’ Day. The great reformer bishop Saint Peter Damian personally pressed for the cause of Odilo’s canonization after he died by natural causes in 1049.

Saint Joseph Mary Tommasi

As Butler’s Lives of the Saints explains, By the canonization of Cardinal Joseph Mary Tommasi, the Church may be said to have set the seal upon the principle that neither profound learning nor the critical spirit of accurate scholarship nor independence of judgment, as long as it is kept in check by regard for dogmatic truth, are inconsistent with the highest sanctity.³ Joseph was born in 1649 and came from a devout family in Sicily; four sisters and his mother all eventually entered religious life, and his father wanted to pass on his position to Joseph and enter religious life too. But Joseph didn’t want a worldly life—he wanted to enter the Theatine order. His father agreed to remain in the world instead, and Joseph pursued the priesthood. While Joseph was studying Eastern languages, he had a Jewish teacher whom he eventually brought to the Catholic faith. When he became a priest, God blessed Joseph with an abiding presence of His love, which strengthened him during his frequent bouts of bad health. He lived austerely, though he recommended moderation to those under his direction. Joseph later became confessor to Giovanni Cardinal Albani, and when Albani was chosen to be pope, Joseph told him that it would be a mortal sin to fail to accept. When Albani followed Joseph’s counsel and became Pope Clement XI, he said, What Tommasi did to us, we will do to him,⁴ and made him a cardinal. However, Joseph was able to refuse the honor for a long time, serving the Church with his intellectual gifts instead. Eventually, he was made a cardinal, but he told others, Well! It will only be for a few months.⁵ As he had predicted, he died within a year in 1713.

Blessed Marian Konopinski

Marian was born in 1907 in Kluczewo, Poland. He became a priest as well as the vicar general of the Archdiocese of Poznan and the chaplain of the Congregation of the Holy Archangels. When Germany invaded Poland in 1939, he was arrested, along with many other Polish priests, and sent to the Dachau concentration camp. There he encouraged and helped other prisoners, saying the Rosary daily. In the end, when his health deteriorated, he was used by the Nazis for medical experimentation, which killed him. He died in 1943.

Blessed Mother, be a mother to me.

Saint Odilo, show me how to bring holiness to the problems of the world today.

Saint Joseph, help me hunger to be absorbed in the love of God.

Blessed Marian, help me to look to God’s kingdom, not this one, for encouragement in difficulties.

*  *  *  *  *  *

January 2

Saint Basil the Great, Memorial

Basil was born in 328 into a devout Christian family in the region formerly known as Caesarea, now in modern Turkey. While he was a young man studying at the University of Athens, he met a Christian man named Gregory from the city of Nazianzus (Gregory also became a saint; see below). The two men became great friends. Basil was a natural leader, a brilliant thinker, and deeply devout; Gregory later recounted how Basil’s holy example and strong leadership inspired those around them. Basil eventually left the city to live an ascetic life in solitude, which in time led him to establish a monastery at Pontus. His personal experience, writings, and example shaped monastic life for centuries. He was later consecrated archbishop. He was an excellent administrator, a strong leader, and an orthodox teacher. His eloquent words and powerful writings were very influential in the discussions of theological questions of the day, particularly the widespread Arian heresy. Though he suffered from a long illness at the end of his life, he died unexpectedly in 379; many people mourned. Known to Catholic history as the father of Eastern monasticism and a Father of the Church, the Church also recognized him for his highly influential writings about Church doctrine by naming him a Doctor of the Church.

Just as when a sunbeam falls on bright and transparent bodies, they themselves become brilliant too, and shed forth afresh brightness from themselves, so souls wherein the Spirit dwells, illuminated by the Spirit, themselves become spiritual, and send forth their grace to others.⁶

Saint Gregory of Nazianzus (Gregory Nazianzen), Memorial

Gregory was born in 330 into a devout Christian family in the region of Caesarea (modern Turkey). He studied at the University of Athens and met Saint Basil, but then he recognized God’s call to return home and care for his elderly father, who was the bishop of Nazianzus. While Gregory was later convinced to accept ordination as a bishop, he hated the pomp associated with the position and was too much of a poet to enjoy handling the politics involved, so he resigned. He spent the rest of his life living quietly and bringing many people to the faith through his excellent preaching. Though Gregory didn’t write long commentaries, as did some Fathers of the Church, he did write hundreds of poems, letters, and sermons, and in these short writings, he cleared up controversies so effectively that he became known as Gregory the Theologian. A symbol of orthodoxy during his own lifetime and long considered a Father of the Church, the Church also named him a Doctor of the Church.

Always be revolving, in speech and in your mind, / upon the words of God: for God gave this / to be a prize for labors, a little light for seeing, / something hidden; or else, to be a blessing, / that by the holy God’s great laws you might be pierced; / or, third, that by these cares you might withdraw your mind from earthly things.⁷

Saint Telesphorus

Telesphorus (d. 139) was the eighth pope; he reigned for ten years. His liturgical decisions are still with us today: he attempted to unify the celebration of Easter in all churches to Sundays (as opposed to dates following a lunar calendar), started the tradition of celebrating Midnight Mass on Christmas, and decided that the Gloria should be sung during Mass. Like many early popes living under the intermittent persecution of Christians during the time of the Roman Empire, he died a martyr for the faith.

Saints Basil and Gregory, beg the Lord to give me wisdom.

Saint Telesphorus, teach me to love Christ and His Church.

*  *  *  *  *  *

January 3

The Most Holy Name of Jesus, Optional Memorial

The name of Jesus has power.⁸ So when we invoke our Lord’s name with confidence in that power, He responds. For example, He consoles us in times of trial, He brings healing to our bodies and relationships, and He protects us against the devil. When we call on the name of Jesus, He gives us the graces we need both now and in eternity. The monogram that represents the Most Holy Name of Jesus and which is commonly found on crucifixes—IHS—is an abbreviation of IHESUS and was commonly used in medieval times.⁹

Saint Anterus

Anterus (d. 236) was born in the Calabria region of Italy and became the nineteenth pope. But nineteen days after he became pope, the Roman emperor Maximinus the Thracian ordered his execution. Anterus’ death was one of many during the ensuing violent persecution of all Christians.

Saint Daniel of Padua

Daniel died during the persecution of the early Church by the Roman Empire; some traditions say this occurred in the year 168, while others say it happened in the year 304. In the eleventh century near a church in Padua, Italy, his remains were found under miraculous circumstances, and his relics were enshrined in that city on this date in the year 1064.

Saint Genevieve of Paris

Genevieve was born in 422 near Paris, France. From a very young age, she decided to give her life to God, and she became a nun when she was only fifteen years old. She was known to be a holy woman, and she was able, for example, to read people’s consciences and calm those who were possessed. She predicted invasions and disasters for Paris for some time, and, when those predictions came true, she led the repentant people of her city in prayer. She asked God to protect the city, but she also encouraged the people to be courageous and defend it from attackers. When food