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This Day, the First Day of August
This Day, the Second Day of August
Saint Eusebius, the first bishop of Vercelli in Liguria, who strengthened the Church throughout the whole subalpine region, and on account of his confession of the Nicene faith was exiled by the emperor Constantius to Scythopolis, then to Cappadocia and to the Thebaid, from which he returned to his see after eight years, and worked diligently for the restoration of the faith against the Arians.
Saint Peter Julian Eymard, priest, who, first a diocesan priest, then a member of the Society of Mary, became a distinguished promoter of the mystery of the Eucharist, and founded new Congregations: one of clerics, the other of handmaids—for fostering and spreading devotion toward the Most Blessed Sacrament, and died in the very village of La Mure near Grenoble in France, where he had been born.
3. In Africa, the commemoration of Saint Rutilius, martyr, who, although he had frequently fled persecution from place to place and at times had even redeemed himself from danger with money, was unexpectedly arrested and brought before the governor, tortured with many torments, and finally handed over to the flames, and was crowned with a glorious martyrdom.
4. At Rome in the cemetery of Callistus, Saint Stephen I, pope, who, lest the baptismal union of Christians with Christ—which must be effected only once—be obscured, prohibited heretics who were seeking full communion with the Church from being baptized again.
5. In the countryside of Burgos in Spain, Saint Centolla, martyr.
6. At Padua in Venetia, Saint Maximus, bishop, who is believed to have succeeded Saint Prosdocimus.
7. At Marseille in Provence in France, Saint Serenus, bishop, who gave hospitality to Saint Augustine and his companions, sent by Pope Saint Gregory the Great to evangelize the English, and, journeying to Rome, rested piously in the region of Vercelli.
8. At Chartres in Neustria, Saint Betharius, bishop.
9. At Palencia in Castile, Spain, the passing of Saint Peter, bishop of Osma, who, first a monk, then archdeacon of the Church of Toledo, was finally elevated to the see of Osma, newly freed from Moorish domination, which he restored with pastoral zeal.
10. At Caleruega, likewise in Castile, the commemoration of blessed Joan, mother of Saint Dominic, who, full of faith, bestowed great mercy on the wretched and afflicted.
11. At Barbastro, likewise in Spain, the blesseds Philip of Jesus Munárriz Azcona, John Díaz Nosti, and Leontius Pérez Ramos, priests and martyrs, who, Missionaries of the Sons of the Immaculate Heart of the blessed Virgin Mary, while persecution raged against the Church, were shot by militiamen at the cemetery gate out of hatred for the religious life.
12. In the same place, blessed Zephyrinus Giménez Malla, martyr, who, being of Gypsy origin, labored to promote peace and harmony among his people and their neighbors, until in the same persecution, when he defended a certain priest being dragged through the streets by militiamen, he was thrown into prison and finally led to the cemetery, and, holding a Rosary in his hands, was shot and completed his earthly pilgrimage.
13. In the village of Hijar near Teruel in Spain, blessed Francis Calvo Burillo, priest of the Order of Preachers and martyr, who, while persecution against the faith was raging, suffered martyrdom.
14. At Madrid, likewise in Spain, blessed Francis Tomás Serer, priest of the Third Order of the Capuchin Franciscans of the blessed Virgin of Sorrows and martyr, who in the same persecution deserved to shed his blood for Christ.
This Day, the Third Day of August
1. At Naples in Campania, Saint Asprenatus, the first bishop of the city.
2. At Autun in France of Lyon, Saint Euphronius, bishop, who rebuilt the basilica of Saint Symphorian the martyr and adorned the tomb of Saint Martin of Tours with greater splendor.
3. On Mount Massicus in Campania, Saint Martin, who, leading a solitary life, remained for many years enclosed in a very narrow cave.
4. At Anagni in Latium, Saint Peter, bishop, who was first distinguished for his monastic observance, and later for his pastoral vigilance, and he completed the rebuilding of the cathedral church.
5. At Lucera in Apulia, blessed Augustine Kazotic, bishop, of the Order of Preachers, who first presided over the Church of Zagreb, then, on account of the hostility of the king of Dalmatia, sought the see of Lucera, where he gave his utmost care to the poor and the needy.
6. At Lucentum in Spain, blessed Salvador Ferrandis Seguí, priest and martyr, who, while a persecution against the faith was raging, by shedding his blood for Christ attained the glorious palm [of martyrdom].
7. In the village of Samalús near Barcelona, likewise in Spain, the blessed martyrs Alfonso López López, priest, and Michael Remón Salvador, religious, of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual, who in the same persecution were crowned on account of their witness to Christ.
8. At Barcelona likewise in Spain, blessed Francis Bandrés Sánchez, priest of the Salesian Society and martyr, who, at the time of the same persecution, confirmed his fidelity to the Lord with his own blood.
This Day, the Fourth Day of August
Memorial of Saint John Mary Vianney, priest, who for more than forty years ministered in a wondrous manner to the parish entrusted to him in the village of Ars near Belley in France by his active preaching, prayer, and example of penance. Daily catechizing children and adults, reconciling penitents, and shining with a burning charity drawn as from a fountain from the Holy Eucharist, he advanced so greatly that he spread his counsel far and wide and wisely led very many to God.
2. Commemoration of Saint Aristarchus of Thessalonica, who was a disciple of Saint Paul the Apostle, a faithful companion on his journeys, and finally a fellow prisoner at Rome.
3. At Rome on the Via Tiburtina, the holy martyrs Justin and Crescentius.
4. At Tarsus in Bithynia, Saint Eleutherius, martyr.
5. In Persia, Saint Ira, martyr, under King Shapur II.
6. At Tours in Neustria, the commemoration of Saint Euphronius, bishop, who was present at several councils, restored many churches in the city, founded parishes in the countryside, and diligently promoted the veneration of the Holy Cross.
7. In the forests of Panaria near Catanzaro in Calabria, Saint Onuphrius, hermit, distinguished by fasting and the austerity of his life.
8. At Split in Dalmatia, Saint Raynerius, bishop and martyr, who, formerly a monk, suffered many things for the defense of the rights of the Church first in the See of Cagli, and then, having been stoned in the See of Split, died.
9. At Bologna in Emilia, blessed Cecilia, virgin, who received the habit of a nun from Saint Dominic and was the most faithful witness of his countenance and spirit.
10. At London in England, blessed William Horne, martyr, who, a monk of the Charterhouse of that city, never swerving from regular observance, suffered long imprisonment under King Henry VIII and at last, subjected to the torments of the gallows at Tyburn, passed to the right hand of Christ.
11. At Mariannhill in the province of Quebec in Canada, blessed Frédéric Janssoone, priest of the Order of Friars Minor, who greatly promoted pilgrimages to the Holy Land for the advancement of the faith.
12. At Madrid in Spain, blessed Gonzalo Gonzalo, religious of the Order of Saint John of God and martyr, who, during a fierce persecution of the faith, confirmed his confession of Christ with his own blood.
13. At Barcelona likewise in Spain, the blessed martyrs Joseph Batalla Parramón, priest, Joseph Rabasa Bentanachs, and Giles Gil Rodicio, religious of the Salesian Society, who, through the struggle of faith, in the same persecution attained eternal life.
14. In the internment camp of Dachau near Munich in Bavaria, Germany, blessed Henry Krzysztofik, priest and martyr, who, during wartime deported from Poland to a foreign prison for his Christian confession, completed his martyrdom through sufferings.
This Day, the Fifth Day of August
Dedication
of the Basilica of Saint Mary, built in Rome on the Esquiline Hill, which
Pope Sixtus III offered to the people of God in memory
of the Council of Ephesus, in which Mary the Virgin was
hailed as the Mother of God. 2. At Châlons in Belgic France, . Saint Memmius, who is venerated as the first bishop of that city.
3. At Teano in Campania, Saint Paris, bishop, who is believed to have held that see first.
4. At Lyon in France, Saint Cassian, bishop.
5. At Nazianzus in Cappadocia, Saint Nonna, who was the wife of Saint Gregory the Elder, bishop, and the mother of Saints Gregory the Theologian, Caesarius, and Gorgonia.
6. At Ascoli in Picenum of Italy, Saint Emygdius, who is venerated as the first bishop of that city and as a martyr.
7. At Viviers on the Rhône in France, Saint Venantius, bishop.
8. At Trémouille in the region of Saintes in France, Saint Viator, hermit.
9. At a place called Maserfield, later named Oswestry after him, in the territory of Shropshire in England, Saint Oswald, martyr, who, renowned in the art of war as king of Northumbria, but more so as a friend of peace, zealously spread the Christian faith in the region, and was slain in battle against pagans out of hatred for Christ.
10. On Mount Granaro in Picenum of Italy, blessed Francis Zanfredini, commonly known as Cecchi of Pesaro, of the Third Order of Saint Francis, who, after distributing all his goods to the poor, lived for nearly fifty years in the hermitage he had rebuilt as a model of penance, prayer, and good works.
11. Near Septempeda, likewise in Picenum, Saint Margaret, widow.
12. In the strait of the sea before Rochefort on the coast of France, blessed Peter Michael Noël, priest of Rouen and martyr, who, during the French upheaval, was held in inhumane captivity on a prison ship because of his priesthood and was consumed by a severe contagion.
This Day, the Sixth Day of August
Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, on which Christ Jesus, the Only-Begotten beloved of the eternal Father, in the presence of the holy Apostles Peter, James, and John, manifested his glory, with the Law and the Prophets bearing witness, in order to signify that the glorious restoration of our nature, through grace, was to be joined to him in the humility of our servile form, and that the image of God, in which man was created. though corrupted in Adam, was to be proclaimed as restored in Christ to the ends of the earth.
2. At Rome on the Appian Way in the cemetery of Callistus, the passion of Saint Sixtus II, pope, and his companions, whose memorial is celebrated tomorrow.
3. At Alcalá in Carthaginian Spain, the holy brothers Justus and Pastor, martyrs, who, while still boys, of their own accord ran to martyrdom, leaving behind their school tablets, and soon, having been ordered by the governor to be apprehended and beaten with rods, both, as they encouraged each other with mutual exhortations, were beheaded by the executioner for Christ.
4. At Rome, near Saint Peter’s, the burial of Saint Hormisdas, pope, who, as a standard-bearer of peace, brought it about that the Acacian schism was resolved in the East and that in the West the rights of the Church were reverently preserved by the new peoples.
5. At Savona in Liguria, blessed Octavian, bishop and brother of Pope Callistus II, who took care to serve God and his brethren both in the cloister and from the episcopal chair.
6. In the territory of Luxembourg, blessed Schecelinus, hermit, who lived in the forest without shelter or clothing, trusting in God, who gives snow like wool.
7. At Bologna in Emilia, the nativity of Saint Dominic, priest, whose memorial is celebrated two days later.
8. At Montevideo in Uruguay, blessed Mary Frances of Jesus (Anne Mary) Rubatto, virgin, who founded the Institute of the Capuchin Tertiary Sisters in the city of Loano near Savona in Italy, and, having gone to Latin America, devoted all her care to serving the poor.
9. Near the city of Gandia in the region of Valencia in Spain, blessed Charles López Vidal, martyr, who, in a time of persecution against the faith, attained heavenly glory.
10. Near Munich in Bavaria in Germany, blessed Thaddeus Dulny, martyr, who, during the military occupation of Poland, was sent to the Dachau concentration camp because of his faith in Christ and, having endured cruel torments, passed to heavenly glory.
This Day, the Seventh Day of August
Saint Cajetan of Thiene, priest, who devoutly dedicated his charitable labors in Naples of Campania, especially to those afflicted with incurable diseases. He promoted lay confraternities for religious formation and established the Clerks Regular for the reform of the Church, passing on to his disciples the ancient apostolic manner of life to be observed.
3. At Augsburg in Rhaetia, Saint Afra, martyr, who, having been converted to Christ from a sinful life and not yet baptized, is said to have been consigned to the flames for confessing Christ.
4. At Arezzo in Etruria, Saint Donatus, the second bishop of that see, whose prayer’s power and efficacy are praised by Saint Gregory the Great, Pope.
5. At Châlons in Belgic France, Saint Donatian, bishop.
6. At Rouen likewise in France, Saint Victricius, bishop, who, while still a soldier under the emperor Julian, cast off his belt for Christ and was subjected to many tortures by his tribune and condemned to death; then, having escaped, he was made bishop and brought the indomitable Morini and Nervii peoples also to the faith of Christ.
7. At Besançon in Burgundy, Saint Donatus, bishop, who, drawing from the teachings of Saints Benedict, Columban, and Caesarius, composed a Rule for virgins.
8. At Venice, blessed Jordan Forzatè, abbot, who was the founder of monasteries at Padua and, when he could not by any means avert the ruin of his homeland, lived in religious exile and fell asleep in the Lord, outstanding for his integrity, uprightness of life, and learning.
9. At Messina in Sicily, Saint Albert of the Abbeys, priest of the Carmelite Order, who by his preaching converted many Jews to Christ and provided supplies to a besieged city.
10. At Sassoferrato in Picenum of Italy, blessed Albert, monk of the Camaldolese Order, notable for his austerity and highest observance of the Rule.
11. At Aquila in the Vestini region, blessed Vincent, a religious of the Order of Friars Minor, eminent for humility and the spirit of prophecy.
12. In the city of Gondar in Ethiopia, the blessed Agathangelus of Vendôme (Francis) Nourry and Cassian of Nantes (Gonçalo) Vaz Lopez-Netto, priests of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin and martyrs, who, striving to reconcile Christians separated from the Catholic Church in Syria, Egypt, and Ethiopia, were, by order of the king of Ethiopia, hanged by their own cords from trees and stoned.
13. At Lancaster in England, the blessed martyrs Martin of Saint Felix (John) Woodcock of the Order of Friars Minor, Edward Bamber, and Thomas Whitaker, priests, who, because they had entered the dominions of King Charles the First as priests, suffered the punishment of hanging.
14. At York likewise in England, blessed Nicholas Postgate, priest and martyr, who, under King Charles the Second, because he had been secretly serving among the poor for about fifty years as a priest, was hanged.
15. In the town of Górka Duchowna near Poznań in Poland, blessed Edmund Bojanowski, who, with all care, worked to educate the poor and rural people according to the precepts of the Gospel, and founded the Congregation of the Servants of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God.
16. At Colima in Mexico, Saint Michael de la Mora, priest and martyr, who, during the raging persecution against the Church, was crowned with martyrdom because he was a priest.
This Day, the Eighth Day of August
Memorial of Saint Dominic, priest, who, a canon of Osma, was a humble servant of preaching in the regions troubled by the Albigensian heresy. He lived in the voluntary poverty of abjection, always speaking with God or about God. Desiring a new method of spreading the faith, he founded the Order of Preachers, that the apostolic form of life might be renewed in the Church, charging his brothers to serve others by prayer, study, and the ministry of the word. His death occurred at Bologna on the sixth day of August.
2. On the Appian Way, fifteen miles from the city of Rome, the holy martyrs Secundus, Carpophorus, Victorinus, and Severianus.
3. At Rome on the Ostian Way, at the seventh milestone, the holy martyrs Cyriacus, Largus, Crescentianus, Memmia, Juliana, and Smaragdus.
4. At Tarsus in Cilicia, the passion of Saint Marinus, an old man from Anazarbus, who was beheaded under the emperor Diocletian and the governor Lysias, and whose body, by order of the prefect, was thrown to be devoured by wild beasts.
5. At Milan in Liguria, Saint Eusebius, bishop, who labored for the orthodox faith and restored the cathedral church destroyed by the Huns.
6. At Vienne in France of Lyon, Saint Severus, priest.
7. At Bordeaux in Aquitaine, Saint Mummolus, abbot of Fleury.
8. At Cyzicus in the Hellespont, Saint Emilian, bishop, who suffered many things under the emperor Leo for the veneration of sacred images, and finally died in exile.
9. In the monastery of Göttweig in Austria, Saint Altmann, bishop of Passau, who founded many houses for clerics under the Rule of Saint Augustine, restored discipline among the clergy, and, for defending the liberty of the Church, was expelled from his see by the emperor Henry IV and died in exile there.
10. At Gallese near Viterbo in Tuscany, Saint Famian, hermit, who, born at Cologne of Agrippina, distributed his wealth to the poor, and, after holy pilgrimages, died in this place in the Cistercian habit.
11. At London in England, blessed John Felton, martyr, who publicly posted the sentence of excommunication issued by Pope Saint Pius V against Queen Elizabeth I, and therefore was cruelly dismembered at Saint Paul's, gloriously completing his martyrdom while invoking the name of the Savior.
12. Likewise at York in England, blessed John Fingley, priest and martyr, condemned to death under the same queen for the priesthood and hanged. Along with him is also commemorated blessed Robert Bickendike, martyr, who, at the same time but on an uncertain day and year, suffered the same torments because he had reconciled himself with the Catholic Church.
13. In the village of Xixiaodun near Xinhexian in Hebei province of China, Saint Paul Ke Tingzhu, martyr, who, a leader of the Christian village, was torn apart limb by limb in the persecution by the adherents of the “Yihetuan” movement, and stood out as an example of constancy to the others.
14. At Zamora in Spain, blessed Bonifacia Rodríguez Castro, virgin, who, concerned for the Christian and social advancement of women through prayer and labor, founded the Congregation of the Servants of Saint Joseph, inspired by the example of the Most Holy Family of Nazareth.
15. At Sydney in Australia, blessed Mary of the Cross (Mary Helen) MacKillop, virgin, who founded the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart, and governed it amid many hardships and injuries.
16. At Poggio a Caiano in Etruria, blessed Mary Margaret (Mary Anne Rose) Caiani, virgin, who founded the Institute of Franciscan Sisters Minim of the Sacred Heart, for the education of youth and the help of the sick.
17. In the place called El Saler near Valencia in Spain, blessed Anthony Silvestre Moya, priest and martyr, who, during the persecution against the faith, for his constant witness to Christ, triumphantly reached the heavenly kingdom.
18. At Valencia likewise in Spain, blessed Mary of the Child Jesus Baldillou y Bullit and companions 2, two virgin martyrs of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary of the Pious Schools, who, in the same persecution, gloriously went to meet Christ the Bridegroom by the violence of the enemies of the Church.
19. At the place called Gusen in Germany, blessed Vladimir Laskowski, priest and martyr, who, during wartime, was thrown into a detention camp because of his faith, and, terribly tortured, attained the glory of martyrdom.
This Day, the Ninth Day of August
Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), virgin of the Order of Discalced Carmelites and martyr, who, born and raised in the Jewish religion, after having taught philosophy for several years amid great tribulations, embraced a new life in Christ through baptism, and, pursuing the path of holiness under the veil, was driven into captivity and exile under a wicked regime hostile to the dignity of mankind and of the faith. In the extermination camp of Oswiecim, or Auschwitz, near Krakow in Poland, she was killed by poison gas.
2. At Rome, in the cemetery of Saint Lawrence on the Via Tiburtina, Saint Romanus, martyr.
3. In the monastery of Aghagower in Ireland, Saint Nathí, bishop and abbot.
4. Likewise at Kilmore in Ireland, Saint Fedlimin, bishop.
5. At Constantinople, the commemoration of holy martyrs who, when they defended the ancient image of the Savior that had been placed on the Bronze Gate and was ordered to be torn down by the emperor Leo the Isaurian, were said to have been killed.
6. At Palena in Calabria, blessed Falco, hermit.
7. At Florence in Etruria, blessed John of Salerno, priest of the Order of Preachers, who founded the convent of Santa Maria Novella and acted fearlessly against the Patarene heretics.
8. On Mount La Verna also in Etruria, blessed John of Fermo, priest of the Order of Friars Minor, who lived in solitude, taming his body by remarkable abstinence and penance.
9. At London in England, blessed Richard Bere, priest and martyr, who, by order of King Henry VIII, because of his fidelity to the Roman Pontiff and his defense of Christian marriage, with his Carthusian brothers, worn down by the filth of prison and hunger, died.
10. On a filthy prison ship anchored off the coast near Rochefort in France, blessed Claude Richard, priest of the Order of Saint Benedict and martyr, who, during the French turmoil, having been expelled from the monastery of Mèze because of his priesthood and thrown onto the slave ship, died himself after contracting disease while tending to sick fellow captives.
11. At Salamanca in Spain, blessed Cándida María of Jesus (Juana Josefa) Cipitria, virgin, who founded the Congregation of the Daughters of Jesus to offer assistance in the Christian formation of children.
12. Also at Barbastro in Spain, blessed Florentino Asensio Barroso, bishop and martyr, who, amid a raging persecution against the Church, testified with his own blood to the faith he had never ceased to preach to the people entrusted to him, being pierced with bullets by the militia.
13. Likewise at Barcelona in Spain, the blessed martyrs Rubén of Jesus López Aguilar and six companions 3, religious of the Order of Saint John of God, who, in the same persecution, were killed out of hatred for the religious life and passed over to the Lord.
14. In the town of Azanuy in the region of Huesca, also in Spain, the blessed martyrs Faustino Oteiza, priest, and Florentino Felipe, religious of the Order of Clerics Regular of the Pious Schools, who in the same persecution fell for Christ.
15. In the place Argès near Toledo, also in Spain, blessed Guillermo Plaza Hernández, priest of the Society of Diocesan Laborer Priests and martyr, who on the same day in the same struggle gave up his spirit.
16. In the town of Carcaixent in the region of Valencia, also in Spain, blessed Germán (José María) Garrigues Hernández, priest of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin and martyr, who, while the persecution against the faith raged, overcame bodily torment by a precious death.
This Day, the Tenth Day of August
Feast of Saint Lawrence, deacon and martyr, who, desiring even to share in the martyrdom of Pope Sixtus, as Saint Leo the Great reports, when ordered to hand over the treasures of the Church, mocked the tyrant by presenting the poor, upon whose sustenance and clothing he had expended the Church’s resources. After three days, for the sake of Christ’s faith, he overcame the flames, and even the instruments of his torment became trophies of his triumph. His body was buried at Rome in the cemetery on the Verano estate, which was later named after him.
2. The commemoration of holy martyrs, who, at Alexandria in Egypt, during the persecution of the emperor Valerian, under the prefect Aemilianus, were long afflicted with various cruel and refined tortures and obtained the crown of martyrdom by different forms of death.
3. At Dunblane in Scotland, Saint Blane, bishop.
4. At Alcamo in Sicily, blessed Archangel of Calataphim near Piacenza, priest of the Order of Friars Minor, notable for the austerity of his life and devotion to solitude.
5. In the city of Iki in Japan, blessed Augustine Ota, religious of the Society of Jesus and martyr, who was beheaded for Christ.
6. In the sea strait off the coast of Rochefort in France, the blessed martyrs Claude Joseph Jouffret de Bonnefont of the Society of Saint Sulpice, Francis François of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, and Lazarus Tiersot of the Carthusian Order, priests, who, during the turmoil of the French Revolution, were confined to a filthy prison ship and fulfilled their martyrdom because of their priesthood.
7. In the place called El Saler near Valencia in Spain, blessed Joseph Toledo Pellicer, priest and martyr, who, conformed to Christ the High Priest whom he venerated, imitated Him by the triumph of martyrdom.
8. At Valencia also in Spain, blessed John Martorell Soria, priest of the Salesian Society and martyr, who suffered martyrdom in the same persecution. Along with him is commemorated the blessed martyr Peter Mesonero Rodríguez, religious of the same Society, who was crowned for his witness to Christ on an unknown day in the village of Vedat de Torrent in the region of Valencia.
9. In the Dachau concentration camp near Munich in Bavaria, Germany, the blessed martyrs Francis Drzewiecki of the Congregation of the Little Work of Divine Providence and Edward Grzymala, priests of Polish origin, who, with their homeland ravaged by war, were cast by persecutors into foreign captivity and, by the torment of death in deadly gas, passed to Christ.
This Day, the Eleventh Day of August
Memorial of Saint Clare, virgin, who, as the first plant of the Poor Ladies of the Order of Minors, followed Saint Francis, living at Assisi in Umbria a harsh life, but one rich in works of charity and piety; indeed, she was an outstanding lover of poverty, from which she was never allowed to be separated, not even in extreme need and illness.
2. At Comana in Pontus, Saint Alexander, surnamed the Charcoal-Maker, bishop, who, having attained from philosophy a lofty knowledge of Christian humility, and having been raised by Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus to the seat of that Church, became illustrious not only by preaching but also by a martyrdom completed in fire.
3. At Rome, in the cemetery “ad duas lauros” on the Labican Way at the third milestone, Saint Tiburtius, martyr, whose praises Pope Saint Damasus celebrated.
4. In the same place, the commemoration of Saint Susanna, under whose name, celebrated among the martyrs in the ancient feasts, a basilica of the Title of Gaius near the Baths of Diocletian was dedicated to God in the sixth century.
5. At Assisi in Umbria, Saint Rufinus, who is considered the first bishop and martyr of that city.
6. At Benevento in Campania, Saint Cassian, bishop.
7. At Évreux in France, Saint Taurinus, who is venerated as the first bishop of that city.
8. In Ireland, Saint Attracta, abbess, who is said to have received the veil of virgins from Saint Patrick.
9. In the province of Valeria, Saint Equitius, abbot, who, as Pope Saint Gregory the Great writes, became, by the grace of his holiness, the father of many monasteries and, wherever he went, opened the fountain of the Sacred Scriptures.
10. At Cambrai in Austrasia, Saint Gaugericus, bishop, renowned for piety and charity toward the poor, who was ordained a deacon by Magneric of Trier and, being elected to the See of Cambrai, exercised the episcopate for thirty-nine years.
11. At Arles in Provence, Saint Rusticula, abbess, who governed the nuns in holiness for nearly sixty years.
12. At Gloucester in England, the blessed martyrs John Sandys and Stephen Rowsham, priests, and William Lampley, layman, who, under Queen Elizabeth I, on different, unrecorded days, endured the same sufferings for Christ.
13. At anchorage outside the port of Rochefort in France, blessed John George (James) Rhem, priest of the Order of Preachers and martyr, who, during the persecution, cast into squalid captivity, inspired his fellow prisoners, cruelly afflicted, with hope, until he himself succumbed to an incurable disease for Christ.
14. In the village of Agullent in the region of Valencia, Spain, blessed Raphael Alonso Gutiérrez, martyr, who, a family man, during the persecution against the faith, poured out his blood for Christ. With him is also commemorated blessed martyr Charles Díaz Gandía, who on this day in the same region received eternal life through the contest of faith.
15. In the village of Prat de Compte near Tarragona, likewise in Spain, blessed Michael Domingo Cendra, religious of the Salesian Society and martyr, who in the same persecution merited to obtain the glorious palm of martyrdom.
16. At the borders of Tibet, blessed Maurice Tornay, priest and martyr, who, a regular canon of the Congregation of Saints Nicholas and Bernard of Mont-Joux, zealously preached the Gospel in China and Tibet, and was killed by enemies of the Christian name.
This Day, the Twelfth Day of August Saint Joan Frances de Chantal, religious, who, from a Christian marriage, had six children, whom she devoutly raised; afterward, when her husband died, under the guidance of Saint Francis de Sales, she cheerfully pursued the path of perfection and performed works of charity, especially toward the poor and the sick. She founded the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary and wisely directed it. Her passing occurred at Moulins, on the bank of the Allier, near Nevers in France, on the thirteenth day of December.
2. At Catania in Sicily, Saint Euplius, martyr, who, in the persecution of the Emperor Diocletian, is said to have been cast into prison by the governor Calvisianus while holding in his hand the books of the Gospels; and when interrogated again, replied that he held the Gospels in his heart, and was beaten to death with clubs.
3. At Nicomedia, the holy martyrs Anicetus and Photius.
4. At Killala in Ireland, Saint Muredach, bishop.
5. Likewise in Ireland, in the cell called by her name, Saint Lelia, virgin.
6. At Brescia in Lombardy, Saint Herculanus, bishop.
7. On the island of Lérins in Provence, the holy martyrs Porcarius, abbot, and many monks, who are said to have been slain by the Saracens.
8. At Ruthin in northern Wales, blessed Charles Meehan, priest of the Order of Friars Minor and martyr, who, of Irish origin, while traveling through that region on his return to his homeland, was arrested and sentenced to death because he had sought the dominions of King Charles II, and obtained the palm of martyrdom by rope and iron.
9. At Rome, blessed Innocent XI, pope, who wisely governed the Church, though afflicted by bitter sufferings and troubles.
10. On a prison ship anchored before Rochefort in France, blessed Peter Jarrige de la Morelie de Puyredon, priest, who, during the persecution raging against the Church, exposed for a long time to the harsh force of the sun, died for Christ.
11. In the city of Nam Dinh in Tonkin, the holy martyrs James Ðỗ Mai Năm, priest, Anthony Nguyễn Dích, farmer, and Michael Nguyễn Huy Mỹ, physician, who for Christ, under Emperor Minh Mạng, were beheaded after severe torments.
12. In the town of Hornachuelos near Córdoba in Spain, blessed Victoria Díez y Bustos de Molina, virgin and martyr, who fulfilled the office of teacher in the Teresian Institute and, when an assault was made against the Church, professing the Christian faith and encouraging others to martyrdom, herself merited to suffer martyrdom.
13. In the valley of Mauri near Madrid, also in Spain, blessed Flavius (Atilanus) Argüeso González, religious of the Order of Saint John of God and martyr, who in the same persecution died in hatred of the faith.
14. At Barbastro near Huesca in Aragon, Spain, the blessed martyrs Sebastian Calvo Martínez, priest, and five companions,4 religious of the Congregation of the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, who in the same persecution completed a glorious struggle.
15. At Tarragona, likewise in Spain, blessed Anthony Perulles Estivill, priest of the Society of Diocesan Laborer Priests and martyr, who in the time of the same persecution completed the struggle on the road.
16. At Dachau near Munich in Bavaria, Germany, the blessed martyrs Florian Stępniak, of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, and Joseph Straszewski, priests, who, at the time of the invasion of Poland during the war, were detained in camps and died from poison gas.
17. In the place called Planegg near Munich in Bavaria, Germany, blessed Karl Leisner, priest and martyr, who, still a deacon, was arrested because of his public profession of faith and constant ministry to souls; ordained a priest in the concentration camp at Dachau, though later released, died from the afflictions endured in captivity.
This Day, the Thirteenth Day of August
Holy martyrs Pontian, pope, and Hippolytus, priest, who were together deported to Sardinia, and there both, condemned alike and, as it seems, crowned with one and the same laurel wreath, were finally transferred to the City: he [Hippolytus] to the cemetery on the Tiburtine Way, and [Pontian] to the cemetery of Callistus.
2. At Forum Cornelii in Flaminia, Saint Cassian, martyr, who, because he refused to adore idols, was handed over to the boys whom he had formerly taught as a schoolmaster, to be tortured to death with styluses, so that the weaker the hand, the more severe the punishment of martyrdom might be.
3. At Lyon in France, Saint Antiochus, bishop, who, while still a priest, traveled all the way to visit Saint Justus, his bishop, then living in the desert of Egypt.
4. At Poitiers in Aquitaine, Saint Radegund, who, queen of the Franks, while her husband King Clotaire was still living, received the sacred veil and lived under the Rule of Saint Caesarius of Arles in the Monastery of the Holy Cross at Poitiers, which she herself had built.
5. At the castle of Schemar on the banks of the River Hippus in the Caucasus Mountains, the passing of Saint Maximus the Confessor, abbot of Chrysopolis near Constantinople, renowned for his doctrine and zeal for Catholic truth, who, as he fought strenuously against the Monothelites, was, by the heretical emperor Constans, deprived of his right hand and, with two disciples named Anastasius, after harsh imprisonment and many cruelties, was exiled to the region of Lazica, where he gave his spirit to God.
6. At Fritzlar in Hesse, Austrasia, Saint Wigbert, priest and abbot, to whom Saint Boniface entrusted the care of the monastery of that place.
7. At the monastery of Aldenberg in the region of Oldenburg in Germany, blessed Gertrude, abbess of the Order of Premonstratensians, who, while still a little girl, was offered to God in that place by her mother, Saint Elizabeth, queen of Hungary.
8. At Maculick in Ireland, the blessed martyrs Patrick O’Healy, bishop of Mayo, and Connor O’Rourke, priest, both of the Order of Friars Minor, who were condemned to death and executed on the gallows because they had openly revealed their priesthood.
9. At Warwick in England, blessed William Freeman, priest and martyr, who, under Queen Elizabeth I, was condemned to death solely because he was a priest; he began to sing the hymn Te Deum as he mounted the gallows and went to martyrdom with a steadfast spirit.
10. At Rome, Saint John Berchmans, religious of the Society of Jesus, most beloved by all for his sincere piety, unfeigned charity, and continual cheerfulness, who, after a brief illness, joyfully passed to his final day.
11. At Vienna in Austria, blessed Mark of Aviano (Carlo Domenico Cristofori), priest of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, a wise preacher of the word of God, who labored everywhere with great dedication for the poor and the sick, especially stirring the minds of the powerful of the world so that they might prefer faith and peace above all business and advantage.
12. In the sea channel stretching before Rochefort in France, blessed Peter Gabilhaud, priest and martyr, who, during the storms of the French upheaval, was detained on a prison ship because of his priesthood, and died from starvation and illness.
13. In the town of Saugues near Le Puy, also in France, Saint Benildus (Peter) Romançon, of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, who spent his life in the education of youth.
14. At Barbastro near Huesca in Aragon, Spain, the blessed martyrs Secundinus Maria Ortega García, priest, and nineteen companions,5 religious of the Congregation of the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, who, during the persecution raging against the Church, were killed out of hatred for the religious life.
15. In the town of Almazora near Castellón on the coast of Spain, blessed John Agramunt, priest of the Order of Clerics Regular of the Pious Schools and martyr in the same persecution.
16. Near the village of Albocàsser in the district of Castellón in Spain, blessed Modest Garcia Martí, priest of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin and martyr, who, in the persecution against the faith, fulfilled his evangelical mission through martyrdom.
17. At Barcelona also in Spain, blessed Joseph Bonet Nadal, priest of the Salesian Society and martyr, who, in the same time of persecution, completed the contest for the faith.
18. At Berlin in the place called Plötzensee in Germany, blessed Jacob Gapp, priest of the Society of Mary and martyr, who proclaimed with firm spirit that the wicked doctrines of the military regime, hostile to human and Christian dignity, were in no way compatible with Christian teaching. For this reason, subjected to persecution, he went into exile in Gibraltar and Spain, but, captured by agents, was eventually executed by beheading.
This Day, the Fourteenth Day of August
Memorial of Saint Maximilian Mary (Raymund) Kolbe, priest of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual and martyr, who, founder of the Militia of the Immaculate Virgin Mary, having been deported to various places of captivity, at last in the extermination camp of Oswiecim, or Auschwitz, near Kraków in Poland, offered himself to the executioners in place of a fellow prisoner, making his ministry an oblation of charity and a witness of fidelity to God and to mankind.
2. In Illyricum, Saint Ursicinus, martyr.
3. At Apamea in Syria, Saint Marcellus, bishop and martyr, who, after he had destroyed the temple of Jupiter, was killed by enraged pagans.
4. At Rome, Saint Eusebius, founder of his titular church on the Esquiline Hill.
5. At Ross in Ireland, Saint Fachtna, bishop and abbot, who established a monastery there, renowned for schools of both sacred and secular learning.
6. At Aldenburg in Flanders, the passing of Saint Arnulf, bishop of Soissons, who, from being a soldier, became a monk, then a bishop, strove for peace and harmony, and died in the monastery he had founded.
7. Near Mount Barocchio in Piceno, Italy, blessed Sanctes of Urbino Brancorsini, lay brother of the Order of Friars Minor.
8. At Otranto in Apulia, nearly eight hundred blessed martyrs, who, when commanded by Ottoman soldiers who had invaded to renounce the faith, were encouraged by blessed Antonio Primaldo, an elderly craftsman in the art of weaving, to persevere in the faith of Christ, and received the crown of martyrdom by beheading.
9. At Nagasaki in Japan, the holy martyrs Dominic Ibáñez de Erquicia, priest of the Order of Preachers, and Francis Shoyemon, novice and catechist in the same Order, who were killed under the supreme ruler Tokugawa Iemitsu out of hatred for the name of Christ.
10. At Coriano in Emilia, blessed Elisabetta Renzi, virgin, who, as foundress of the Pious Teachers of the Sorrowful Virgin, devoted her whole heart to ensuring that poor girls in the schools would be imbued with both human and catechetical instruction.
11. In the village of Picassent in the region of Valencia in Spain, blessed Vincent Rubiols Castelló, priest and martyr, who bore witness to the faith of Christ by his martyrdom in a time of persecution.
12. At a place called El Saler, near Valencia likewise in Spain, blessed Félix Yuste Cava, priest and martyr, to whom the Lord granted an eternal reward for his fearless fidelity.
This Day, the FifteenthDay of August
Solemnity of the Assumption of the blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, when the course of her earthly life was completed, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory. This faith, received from the tradition of the Church, Pope Pius XII solemnly defined.
3. At Nicomedia in Bithynia, the holy martyrs Straton, Philip, and Eutychius.
4. At Milan in Liguria, Saint Simplician, bishop, whom Saint Ambrose designated as his successor and whom Saint Augustine praised with honors.
5. Commemoration of Saint Alypius, bishop of Thagaste in Numidia, who, once a disciple of Saint Augustine and afterward his companion in conversion, was his colleague in pastoral office and a vigorous fellow soldier in battles against heretics, and finally his companion in heavenly glory.
6. At Hildesheim in the Saxony region of Germany, Saint Altfrid, bishop, who built the cathedral church and promoted the founding of monasteries.
7. Near Royal Alba in Pannonia, the birth into heaven of Saint Stephen, king of the Hungarians, whose memory is celebrated on the day following this one.
8. At Krakow in Poland, Saint Hyacinth, priest of the Order of Preachers, who was appointed by Saint Dominic to spread the Order in that nation and, with blessed Ceslaus and the German Henry as companions, preached the Gospel in Bohemia and Silesia.
9. At Savigliano in the Subalpine region, blessed Aimone Taparelli, priest of the Order of Preachers, an untiring defender of truth.
10. At Pallanza near Novara in Italy, blessed Juliana of Busto Arsizio, virgin of the Order of Saint Augustine, notable for unconquered courage of soul, marvelous patience, and constant contemplation of heavenly things.
11. At Rome, Saint Stanislaus Kostka, who, Polish by birth, desiring to enter the Society of Jesus, fled his father’s house and journeyed on foot to Rome, where, admitted into the novitiate by Saint Francis Borgia, he died young, consumed in the performance of the most humble duties, and renowned in holiness.
12. In the town of Wenga near Busira in the Belgian Congo, blessed Isidore Bakanja, martyr, who, having been initiated into the Christian life while young, diligently practiced the faith and bore witness to it so fearlessly while working that, out of hatred for the Christian religion, he was cruelly scourged for a long period by the supervisor of the colony, and a few months later, having forgiven his persecutor, gave up his spirit.
13. In the place of Chalchihuites in the territory of Durango in Mexico, the holy martyrs Aloysius Batis Sáinz, priest; Emmanuel Morales, a father of a family; Salvador Lara Puente; and David Roldán Lara, who were killed in the Mexican persecution out of hatred for the name of Christ.
14. At Barbastro near Huesca in Aragon, Spain, the blessed martyrs Ludovico Masferrer Vilá, priest, and nineteen companions,6 religious of the Congregation of Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, who, during the raging persecution against the Church, gave their lives for Christ and embraced in glory the confreres killed the previous day in the same place.
15. In the village of Almazora near Castellón on the coast of Spain, blessed Joseph Mary Peris Polo, priest of the Association of Diocesan Labor Priests and martyr, who, in the same persecution, gained the palm of martyrdom in the cemetery.
16. Also, at Madrid in Spain, blessed Mary of the Tabernacle of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga (Elvira) Moragas Cantarero, virgin of the Order of Discalced Carmelites and martyr in the same persecution.
17. Likewise at Madrid in Spain, blessed Dominic (Augustine) Hurtado Soler, priest of the Third Order of Saint Francis of the Capuchins of the Sorrowful Virgin and martyr, who was crowned for the testimony of Christ.
18. In the town of Motril near Granada on the coast of Spain, blessed Vincent Soler, priest of the Order of Augustinian Recollects and martyr, who, in the same persecution, was condemned to death along with others prepared for martyrdom by his pious care and was shot through with bullets before the cemetery walls, and triumphed in Christ.
19. In the village of Palma de Gandía in the region of Valencia, also in Spain, blessed Carmel Sastre Sastre, priest and martyr, who, adhering to the footsteps of Christ in the same persecution, through His grace attained the eternal kingdom.
20. In the town of Tàrrega near Barcelona, also in Spain, blessed James Bonet Nadal, priest of the Salesian Society and martyr, who, a faithful disciple, merited to be redeemed in the blood of Christ.
21. At Padua in Italy, blessed Claudio (Riccardo) Granzotto, religious of the Order of Friars Minor, who combined the exercise of religious profession with the art of sculpture, and in a few years attained perfection in the imitation of Christ.
This Day, the Sixteenth Day of August
Saint Stephen, king of the Hungarians, who, regenerated by baptism, having received the crown of the kingdom from Pope Sylvester II, took care to spread the faith of Christ among the Hungarians and organized the Church in his kingdom and endowed it with churches and monasteries, being Alba Regalis just and peaceful in the governance of his subjects, at in Hungary, on the day of the Assumption, his soul migrated to heaven.
2. Commemoration of Saint Arsacius, who, under the emperor Licinius, professed the Christian faith and, leaving the military, led a solitary life at Nicomedia; finally, after predicting the future ruin of the city, he gave his spirit to God in prayer.
3. At Sion in Valais among the Swiss, Saint Theodore, first bishop of that city, who, following the example of Saint Ambrose, defended the Catholic faith against the Arians and honorably venerated the relics of the martyrs of Agaunum.
4. In Brittany, Saint Armagilus, hermit.
5. In the countryside of Le Mans in France, Saint Frambaldus, monk, who lived both a solitary and a cenobitic life.
6. In the forest of Rennes in Brittany, blessed Ralph of La Fustaye, priest, founder of the monastery of Saint Sulpice.
7. At Subiaco in Latium, blessed Laurence, called Loricatus, who, when he had by chance killed a man, resolved to make amends by great austerity and penance, living a solitary life in a mountain cave.
8. In Lombardy, Saint Roch, who, born at Montpellier in Languedoc of France, gained a reputation for holiness through pious pilgrimage and by healing plague victims throughout Italy.
9. At Florence in Etruria, blessed Angelus Augustinus Mazzinghi, priest of the Order of Carmelites.
10. At Kyoto in Japan, blessed John Saint Martha, priest of the Order of Friars Minor and martyr, who, while being led to execution, preached to the people and sang the psalm “Praise the Lord, all you nations.”
11. At Kokura also in Japan, the blessed martyrs Simon Bokusai Kyota, catechist, and Magdalene, his wife, Thomas Gengoro and Mary, likewise spouses, and James, their son, still a child, who, by decree of the prefect of Yetsundo, were crucified together, head downward, for hatred of the Christian name.
12. On a filthy ship anchored at sea near Rochefort in France, blessed John Baptist Menestrel, priest and martyr, who, in the time of the French upheaval, was condemned to naval imprisonment on account of the priesthood and, infected by worm-ridden wounds, completed his martyrdom.
13. In the village of Fanjiazhuang near Wujiao in the province of Hebei in China, Saint Rose Fan Hui, virgin and martyr, who, during the persecution of the “Yihetuan” sect, was pierced with wounds and, still breathing, was cast into a river.
14. At Barcelona in Spain, blessed Petra Saint Joseph (Anne Joseph Perez Florido), virgin, who diligently cared for abandoned elderly people and founded the Congregation of the Sisters Mothers of the Abandoned.
15. At Hemeroscopium in the region of Alicante, also in Spain, blessed Placidus Garcia Gilabert, religious of the Order of Friars Minor and martyr, who accomplished a glorious struggle for Christ.
16. In the town of Benicasim near Castellón, likewise in Spain, blessed Henry Garcia Beltran, deacon of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin and martyr, who by martyrdom became a sharer in Christ’s victory.
17. In the town of Picassent in the province of Valencia, also in Spain, blessed Gabriel (Joseph Mary) Sanchis Mompó, religious of the Third Order of Saint Francis of the Capuchin Sisters of the Sorrowful Virgin, and martyr, who migrated to the Lord by the violence of the Church’s enemies.
This Day, the Seventeenth Day of August
1. At Cyzicus in the Hellespont, Saint Myron, priest and martyr, who, as is said, under Emperor Decius and the governor Antipater, after many torments, was beheaded.
2. At Caesarea in Cappadocia, Saint Mamas, or Mametus, martyr, who, a most humble shepherd, lived as a solitary in the forests of the mountains with the greatest frugality and, professing the faith of Christ, under Emperor Aurelian completed his martyrdom.
3. In Sicily, the heavenly birthday of Saint Eusebius, pope, who, a valiant witness of Christ, was deported to this island by Emperor Maxentius and, exiled from the land of his birth, merited to attain the heavenly kingdom; his body was transferred to Rome and laid to rest in the cemetery of Callistus.
4. In Frisia, Saint Jerome, priest and martyr, who is said to have been killed by pagan Normans.
5. At Thessalonica in Macedonia, the passing of Saint Elias the Younger, monk under the rule of the Eastern Fathers, who, though having suffered many things from the Saracens for the faith, yet with an unconquered spirit led a harsh life of prayer and austerity both in Calabria and in Sicily.
6. At Arcaria near Mylas in Sicily, Saint Nicholas the Hermit, called “Politi,” who led a most austere life in a cave.
7. At Colle Etrusco near Siena in Etruria, blessed Albert, priest, who showed the people an excellent example of virtues.
8. At Montefalco in Umbria, Saint Clare of the Cross, virgin of the Order of the Hermits of Saint Augustine, who governed the Monastery of the Holy Cross, burning with love for the Passion of Christ.
9. At Toledo in Castile in Spain, Saint Beatrice da Silva Meneses, virgin, who, at first a noblewoman in the royal court accompanying Queen Isabella, afterward desiring to lead a more perfect life, withdrew for many years among the nuns of the Order of Saint Dominic, and finally founded a new Order under the title of the Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
10. At Nagasaki in Japan, the holy martyrs James Kyuhei Gorobioye Tomonaga, priest of the Order of Preachers, and Michael Kurobioye, who, for Christ, were condemned to death under the supreme ruler Tokugawa Yemitsu.
11. At Saumur near Angers in France, Saint Jeanne Delanoue, virgin, who, relying entirely on divine Providence, first received into her house orphans, elderly women, the sick, and women who were lost, and then with companions laid the foundations of the Institute of the Sisters of Saint Anne of Providence.
12. In the strait of the sea near Rochefort in France, blessed Natalis Hilary Le Conte, martyr, who, a cleric of the cathedral of Bourges and head of music, during a raging persecution, detained on a ship of forced labor out of hatred for the faith, fell ill and died for Christ.
13. At the town of Castelfullit de la Roca near Gerona in Spain, blessed Henry Canadell, priest of the Order of Clerics Regular of the Pious Schools and martyr, killed out of hatred for the Church.
This Day, the Eighteenth Day of August
1. At Palestrina in Latium, the commemoration of Saint Agapitus, martyr.
2. At Utica in Africa, the holy martyrs Massa Candida, who, drawn more frequently like fish into the net by the Apostles, remained faithful to their bishop Quadratus, and together, confessing Christ the Son of God, courageously met death.
3. At Myra in Lycia, Saint Leon, martyr.
4. At Rome on the Via Labicana, Saint Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, who was especially devoted to aiding the poor and piously joined the crowds in attending churches; having made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to investigate the places of Christ’s Nativity, Passion, and Resurrection, she honored the manger and the Lord’s Cross with venerable basilicas.
5. At Metz in Belgic France, Saint Firmin, bishop.
6. At Arles in Provence, Saint Aonius, bishop, who defended his Church from the error of Pelagius and commended to his people as successor Saint Caesarius, whom he had ordained a priest.
7. In Bithynia, the passing of Saint Macarius, abbot of the monastery of Pelecete, who suffered greatly under Emperor Leo the Fifth in defense of sacred images.
8. In the monastery of Cava in Campania, blessed Leonard, abbot, a man of great peace.
9. At Ravenna in Flaminia, blessed Rainald of Concoreggio, bishop, distinguished for his zeal, prudence, and charity.
10. At Mantua in Lombardy, blessed Paula Montaldi, virgin, abbess of the Order of Poor Clares, remarkable for her devotion to the Lord’s Passion, constant prayer, and austerities.
11. On a prison ship anchored at sea near Rochefort in France, blessed Anthony Banassat, priest and martyr, who, a parish priest, during the raging French upheaval, detained out of hatred for the faith, died of hunger, and went to the Lord.
12. At Valle Mauri near Madrid in Spain, blessed Francis Arias Martin, priest and martyr, who, a novice in the Order of Saint John of God, completed his path of perfection in a short time during a time of persecution.
13. At Barbastro near Huesca in Aragon, Spain, blessed James Falgarona Vilanova and Athanasius Vidaurreta Labra, religious of the Congregation of the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and martyrs in the same persecution.
14. At Alcañiz in the region of Dertosa, Spain, blessed Martin Martinez Pascual, priest and martyr, who, enrolled in the Society of Diocesan Worker Priests, received on the same day, in the same persecution, a glorious crown.
15. In the town of Rafelbunyol in the province of Valencia, Spain, blessed Vincent Maria Izquierdo Alcon, priest and martyr, killed out of hatred for the faith.
16. At Santiago in Chile, blessed Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga, priest of the Society of Jesus, who founded a work to provide a true and homelike shelter for the poor, especially homeless children and wanderers.
This Day, the Nineteenth Day of August
Saint John Eudes, priest, who for many years dedicated himself to preaching in parishes, and afterward founded the Congregation of Jesus and Mary for the formation of priests in seminaries, as well as another for religious women of Our Lady of Charity to strengthen penitent women in the Christian life. He also greatly promoted devotion to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, until, at Caen in Normandy, France, he devoutly fell asleep in the Lord.
2. At Fabrateria Vetus in Latium, Saint Magnus, martyr.
3. In the region of Tarragona in Spain, Saint Maginus, martyr.
4. At Gaza in Palestine, Saint Timothy, martyr, who, in the persecution of Emperor Diocletian, under the governor Urban, after overcoming many tortures, was burned to death over a slow fire.
5. In Cilicia, Saint Andrew, tribune, and his fellow soldiers, who, as is told, after divinely obtaining a victory over the Persians, converted to the Christian faith and, accused under this name, were massacred by the army of the governor Seleucus, in the straits of Mount Taurus, under Emperor Maximian.
6. At Rome on the Via Tiburtina, near Saint Lawrence, the burial of Saint Sixtus III, pope, who settled disagreements between the Patriarchates of Antioch and Alexandria, and gave to the people of God in the City the basilica of Saint Mary on the Esquiline Hill.
7. In the district of Sisteron in France, Saint Donatus, priest, who is said to have spent many years in the eremitic life.
8. In the monastery of Bobbio in Liguria, Saint Bertulf, abbot, successor of Saint Attala in that same monastery.
9. At Nuremberg in Franconia, Germany, Saint Sebald, hermit.
10. In Calabria, Saint Bartholomew of Simero, priest and abbot, who, after a hermit’s life, founded a monastery of Greeks.
11. In the monastery of Igny in France, blessed Guerric, abbot, who, a true disciple of Saint Bernard, though unable to give his brethren the example of labor due to bodily weakness, greatly strengthened them by spiritual words, humility, and frequent charity.
12. In the monastery of Cava in Campania, blessed Leo II, abbot.
13. At Brignoles in the Province of France, the passing of Saint Louis, bishop, grandson of Saint Louis, king of France, who preferred to embrace the evangelical poverty perpetually rather than the praises and honors of the world; though still young in age, yet mature in virtue, he was raised to the see of Toulouse, and soon consumed by frail health, devoutly fell asleep [in the Lord].
14. At Piacenza in Emilia, blessed Jordan of Pisa, priest of the Order of Preachers, who presented profound doctrine with great simplicity to the people in the vernacular tongue.
15. At Acquapagana in Piceno, Italy, blessed Angelus, hermit of the Camaldolese Order.
16. At Nagasaki in Japan, the blessed Martyrs Louis Flores, priest of the Order of Preachers, Peter de Zuniga, priest of the Order of Hermits of Saint Augustine, and thirteen companions,7 Japanese sailors, who, cast ashore in port and immediately apprehended, suffered various tortures and together completed one and the same martyrdom for the Christian faith.
17. At Dorchester in England, blessed Hugh Green, priest and martyr, who, having been ordained at Douai, ministered in his homeland for thirty years, until, under King Charles I, cruelly and over a long time torn by the sword, merited to be joined to the Passion of Christ.
18. At Monteagudo in Navarre, Spain, the heavenly birthday of Saint Ezekiel Moreno Diaz, bishop of Pasto in Colombia, of the Order of the Augustinian Recollects, who gave his labor and life to preaching the Gospel both in the Philippine Islands and in South America.
19. In the village of Llosa de Ranes in the province of Valencia, also in Spain, blessed Francis Ibáñez Ibáñez, priest and martyr, who, during the raging persecution against the faith, remained faithful to Christ unto death and completed his life.
20. In the city of Gandia in the same province of Spain, blessed Thomas Sitjar Fortiá, priest of the Society of Jesus and martyr, who in the same persecution poured out his blood for Christ.
21. In the place called El Saler, also in the province of Valencia, blessed Elvira of the Nativity of Our Lord Torrente Paraira and her companions, virgins of the Institute of the Carmelite Sisters of Charity and martyrs, who for Christ their Spouse brought forth the fruit of eternal victory in the struggle of faith.
This Day, the Twentieth Day of August
Memorial of Saint Bernard, abbot and Doctor of the Church, who, having entered the new monastery of Cîteaux with thirty companions, later became founder and first abbot of the monastery of Clairvaux; by his life, teaching, and example, he wisely guided the monks in the way of the commandments of God; he traveled throughout Europe to restore peace and unity, and by his writings and tireless exhortations, he enlightened the whole Church, until he rested in the Lord in the territory of Langres in France.
2. The commemoration of Saint Samuel, prophet, who, called by God as a child, later fulfilled the office of judge in Israel, and, by the command of God, anointed Saul as king over the people; but when Saul was later rejected by the Lord for his unfaithfulness, he also conferred the royal anointing upon David, from whose seed Christ was to be born.
3. At the castle of Chinon in the district of Tours in Aquitaine, Saint Maximus, a disciple of Saint Martin, who first was a monk on the island of Barbe near Lyon, and later founded a monastery on the river Vienne, in which, full of days, he died.
4. At the Monastery of Noirmoutier on the island of Herio also off the coast of Aquitaine, Saint Philibert, abbot, who, having been raised in the court of King Dagobert, became a monk while still a youth, and first founded the monastery of Jumièges, then that of Herio, and governed both.
5. At Córdoba in the region of Andalusia in Spain, the holy martyrs Leovigild and Christopher, monks, who, in the persecution of the Moors, voluntarily professed Christ before the judge, and for this reason received the palm of martyrdom by beheading.
6. At Siena in Etruria, the passing of blessed Bernard Tolomei, abbot, who, founder of the Olivetan Congregation under the Rule of Saint Benedict, was greatly devoted to monastic discipline and, while the plague was raging through Italy, he died among the Sienese monks who were in danger.
7. On a prison ship off Rochefort in France, the blessed Louis Francis Le Brun and Gervase Brunel, priests and martyrs, of whom the former was a monk of the Benedictine Congregation of Saint Maur, and the latter was prior of a Cistercian-Trappist abbey — both were inhumanely detained during the time of the French upheaval and died of disease, thus completing their martyrdom.
8. At Rome, Saint Maria De Mattias, virgin, who founded the Congregation of the Sisters of the Adoration of the Most Precious Blood of Christ.
9. At Rome, the heavenly birthday of Saint Pius X, pope, whose memorial is celebrated tomorrow.
10. At Vallibona in the district of Castellón in Spain, blessed Matías Cardona, priest of the Order of Clerics Regular of the Pious Schools and martyr in the religious persecution.
11. In the city of Xàtiva in the district of Valencia, likewise in Spain, blessed Maria Climent Mateu, virgin and martyr, who, in the same persecution, merited to be conformed to Christ because of her perseverance in the faith.
12. At the detention camp of Dachau near Munich in Bavaria, Germany, blessed Ladislaus Mączkowski, priest and martyr, who, Polish by nationality, during wartime was deported, and before his persecutors defended the dignity of human and Christian faith by torments even unto death.
This Day, the Twenty-first Day of August
Memorial of Saint Pius X, pope,
who, after having served as a parish priest, then as
bishop of Mantua, and finally as Patriarch of Venice,
was elected Roman Pontiff. He took up the task of
governance in order to restore all things in Christ,
which he fulfilled in simplicity of heart, poverty, and
strength. He awakened the Christian life among the
faithful by fostering Eucharistic participation,
reverence for the sacred liturgy, and fidelity to
doctrinal integrity. 2. In Thrace, the holy martyrs Agathonicus, Zoticus, and others, who are said to have undergone martyrdom at Selymbria and in other places.
3. At Rome, in the Verano field, Saint Cyriaca, who left her name to the cemetery on the Via Tiburtina, which she had given to the Church.
4. At Utica in Africa, Saint Quadratus, bishop and martyr, who, with his entire people — clergy and laity — confessed Christ; and, having nourished the flock, he followed it as pastor after four days.
5. At Verona in Venetia, Saint Euprepius, who is held to have been the first bishop of that city.
6. At Forum Traiani in Sardinia, Saint Luxorius, martyr.
7. The commemoration of the holy martyrs Bassa and her three sons—Theognius, Agapius, and Pistius, of whom Bassa is said to have suffered martyrdom on the island of Halona, and the others at Edessa in Greece.
8. At Javols in France, Saint Privatus, bishop and martyr, who, when the Vandals invaded France, was discovered in a crypt where he was occupied with fasting and prayer; and because he would not hand over his sheep or sacrifice to idols, he was beaten with clubs and died.
9. In Auvergne in Aquitaine, Saint Sidonius Apollinaris, who, after serving as Prefect of the City of Rome, was ordained bishop of Clermont. Steeped in both divine and human learning and endowed with Christian vigor, he stood out as a distinguished father and teacher of the Catholic faith, resisting the ferocity of the barbarian tribes.
10. At Alzira in the territory of Valencia in Spain, the commemoration of the holy martyrs Bernard—formerly called Ahmed—a monk of the Cistercian Order, and his sisters Maria (Zayda) and Gratia (Zoraida), whom he had converted from the Mohammedan religion to the faith of Christ.
11. In the city of Hung Yen in Tonkin, Saint Joseph Đình Viên (Em-Dinh-Nien), priest and martyr, under the emperor Minh Mạng.
12. At Tananarive on the island of Madagascar, blessed Victoria Rasoamanarivo, who, after becoming a widow from a violent husband, assisted the Christians with every care when the missionaries had been expelled from the island, and defended the Church before the civil authorities.
13. In the village of Alberic in the region of Valencia in Spain, blessed Salvador Estrugo Solves, priest and martyr, who, during the time of persecution, endured all adversities for the love of Christ even unto the palm [of martyrdom].
14. At El Morrot near Barcelona, also in Spain, blessed Raymond Peiró Victori, priest of the Order of Preachers and martyr, who, in the same persecution, faithfully received the words of Christ and passed through death into glorious life.
15. Near Munich in Bavaria in Germany, blessed Bruno Zembol, martyr, who, taken from Poland under a regime opposed to God and sent to the Dachau detention camp for his faith, gloriously died, broken by torments.
This Day, the Twenty-second Day of August
Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen, who bore the Son of God, the Prince of Peace, whose kingdom shall have no end, and who is hailed by the Christian people as the Queen of Heaven and the Mother of Mercy.
2. At Autun in France of Lyon, Saint Symphorian, martyr, whom, as he was being led to execution, his mother from the city wall reminded, saying: “Son, son Symphorian, keep the living God in mind. Today life is not taken from you, but changed into something better.”
3. At Rome, on the Ostian Way in the cemetery of the same name, Saint Timothy, martyr.
4. At Todi in Umbria, Saint Philip Benizi, priest from Florence, a man of remarkable humility and promoter of the Order of Servants of Mary, who regarded the crucified Christ as his only book.
5. At Bevagna in Umbria, blessed James Bianconi, priest of the Order of Preachers, who there founded a convent and refuted the errors of the Nicolaitans.
6. At Ocre near Fossa in the Abruzzi, blessed Timothy of Monticchio, priest of the Order of Friars Minor, distinguished for the austerity of his life and the fervor of his prayer.
7. At York in England, blessed Thomas Percy, martyr, who, Earl of Northumberland, under Queen Elizabeth the First, for his fidelity to the Roman Church, was beheaded and obtained the palm of martyrdom.
8. In the same place, under the same queen, the blessed William Lacey and Richard Kirkman, priests and martyrs, who, condemned to death for having entered England as priests, were led to the gallows to undergo execution.
9. At Worcester likewise in England, Saint John Wall, priest of the Order of Friars Minor and martyr, who, after fulfilling the duties of pastor in secret for more than twenty years, under King Charles the Second, was hanged and torn by iron because of his priesthood.
10. At Hereford likewise in England, on the same day and year, Saint John Kemble, priest and martyr, who for more than fifty years carried out pastoral care during a time of persecution, until as an octogenarian, because of his priesthood, he was hanged and brought his passion to completion.
11. At Offida in Piceno of Italy, blessed Bernard (Dominic) Peroni, religious of the Order of Capuchin Friars Minor, renowned for the simplicity of his heart, innocence of life, and remarkable charity toward the poor.
12. At sea off Rochefort in France, blessed Elias Leymarie de Laroche, priest and martyr, who, during the upheaval in France, was cast into a filthy ship anchored offshore and cruelly treated there; stricken with illness, he gave up his spirit.
13. In the village of Starunya in the region of Stanislaviv in Ukraine, blessed Simeon Lukac, bishop and martyr, who, under a regime hostile to the faith, ministered clandestinely to the flock of Byzantine-Rite Catholics, and through a faithful death proclaimed the glory and honor of Christ the Lord and God.
This Day, the Twenty-third Day of August
Saint Rose, virgin, who, already as a little girl of exceptional austerity, in Lima in Peru, having assumed the habit of the Sisters of the Third Order Regular of Preachers, was devoted to penance and prayer and burned with zeal for the salvation of sinners and of the Indians, for whom she longed to give her life; she willingly subjected herself to all afflictions, so that she might win them for Christ. Her death occurred on the day following this one.
2. Commemoration of Saint Zacharias, bishop, who is said to have been the fourth to govern the Church of Jerusalem after Saint James, the brother of the Lord.
3. At Rome, in the cemetery Saint Lawrence on the Via Tiburtina, the holy Saints Abundius and Irenaeus, martyrs.
4. At Ostia on the Tiber, the holy martyrs Cyriacus and Archelaus.
5. At Novae in Lower Moesia, Saint Luppus, martyr, who is said to have gained the freedom of Christ by the sword.
6. At Aegeae in Cilicia, the holy martyrs Claudius, Asterius, and Neon, brothers, who, accused of the Christian religion by their stepmother, are said to have been beheaded under the emperor Diocletian and the governor Lysias.
7. At Autun in France of Lyon, Saint Flavian, bishop, who flourished in the time of King Clovis.
8. At Derry in Ireland, Saint Eugene, the first bishop of Ardstraw.
9. In the monastery of Saint Philip near Locri in Lower Calabria, Saint Anthony of Hieracium, hermit.
10. At sea, anchored far off from Rochefort in France, blessed John (Protase) Bourdon, priest of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin and martyr, who, during the French turmoil, enclosed in captivity with many priests, brought comfort to his fellow captives until he was consumed by disease.
11. In the place Tavernes de Valldigna in the region of Valencia in Spain, the blessed martyrs Constantine Carbonell Sempere, priest, Peter Gelabert Amer, and Raymond Grimaldos Monllor, religious of the Society of Jesus, who suffered martyrdom in the persecution against the faith.
12. Near the town of Vallibona, likewise in the region of Valencia in Spain, the blessed martyrs Florentino Pérez Romero, priest, and Urban Gil Sáez, religious, of the Third Order of Saint Francis of the Capuchins of the Sorrowful Virgin, who, at the time of the same persecution, completed the struggle for the faith.
13. In the town of Silla in the same region, blessed John Mary of the Cross (Mariano) García Méndez, priest of the Congregation of Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and martyr, who, in the same religious persecution, preserved the faith of Christ even to death.
14. In the village of Puzol, likewise near Valencia in Spain, the blessed virgins Rosario (Petra María Victoria) Quintana Argos and Serafina (Manuela Justa) Fernández Ibero, of the Third Order Capuchins of the Holy Family and martyrs, who, while the same persecution raged, obtained the grace of martyrdom.
15. In the detention camp of Dachau near Munich in Bavaria in Germany, blessed Francis Dachtera, priest and martyr, who, of Polish nationality, during the war, broken by atrocities committed by doctors with no regard for human dignity, died for Christ.
This Day, the Twenty-fourth Day of August
Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle, who is generally believed to be the same as Nathanael, born at Cana of Galilee, and by Philip was brought to Jesus Christ at the Jordan; afterwards the Lord called him to follow Himself and joined him to the Twelve; after the Lord’s Ascension he is said to have preached the Gospel in India and there to have been crowned with martyrdom.
2. At Claudiopolis in Honorias, Saint Tatian, martyr.
3. At Clichy in the region of Paris, the passing of Saint Audoenus, bishop of Rouen, who, having been referendary to King Dagobert, was ordained to the episcopate and governed his Church happily for forty-three years, founding many churches and supporting monasteries.
4. On Mount Olympus in Bithynia, Saint George Limniotes, monk, who, having rebuked the impious emperor Leo the Third because he broke sacred images and burned the relics of the saints, for this reason, by his order, had his nostrils cut off and his head burned, and thus passed to the Lord as a martyr.
5. At Lima in Peru, the birthday of Saint Rose, whose memory is commemorated on the preceding day.
6. At Angers in France, blessed Andrew Fardeau, priest and martyr, who, in the time of the French upheaval, was beheaded out of hatred for the priesthood.
7. At Naples in Campania, Saint Jeanne-Antide Thouret, virgin, who, having resumed the religious life interrupted during the French turmoil along with some companions, at Besançon joined them to a new Society of Sisters of Charity, dedicated to the Christian and civil instruction of youth and to charity toward abandoned children, the poor, and the sick, until she died worn out by great tribulations.
8. At Marseilles in France, Saint Emilie de Vialar, virgin, who, laboring to spread the Gospel into distant regions, founded the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Apparition and propagated it widely.
9. At Valencia in Spain, Saint Maria Michaela of the blessed Sacrament Desmaisières, virgin, foundress of the Congregation of Handmaids of the blessed Sacrament and of Charity, who, inflamed with fervent zeal and desire to win souls for God, dedicated her life to redeeming girls gone astray and women of ill repute.
10. At Tulcán in Ecuador, blessed María of the Incarnation (María Vincentia) Rosal, virgin, who restored the Bethlehemite Sisters, especially for the defense of the dignity of women and the Christian education of girls.
11. Near Munich in Bavaria in Germany, in the detention camp of Dachau, blessed Maximilian Binkiewicz, priest and martyr, who, during the war, was seized from his homeland of Poland by invading soldiers for the faith of Christ and died under torture and torments.
12. At Dresden in Germany, the blessed martyrs Czesław Jóźwiak, Edward Kaźmierski, Franciszek Kesy, Edward Klinik, and Jarogniew Wojciechowski, who, of Polish origin, during the same period, having been cast into prison, completed their martyrdom by blows of the axe.
This Day, the Twenty-fifth Day of August
Saint Louis the Ninth, whom, as king of France, active faith in defense of Christians both at home and at war, justice in governing, love for the poor, and constancy in adversity made illustrious. Having entered into marriage, he had eleven children, whom he raised most excellently and devoutly. In order to care for the cross, the crown, and the tomb of the Lord, he expended his wealth, strength, and very life, until, stricken by plague, he died in camp near Tunis on the coast of northern Africa. Saint Joseph Calasanz, priest, who, to instruct boys and young men in the love and wisdom of the Gospel, established public schools and founded at Rome the Order of Poor Clerics Regular of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools.
3. At Arles in Provence, Saint Genesius, martyr, who, still a catechumen and serving as a notary, when he refused to act against the Christians, sought safety by fleeing, but having been captured by soldiers, was baptized in his own blood.
4. At Italica near Seville in Baetica of Spain, Saint Gerontius, bishop, who is said to have died in prison.
5. At Agde in Narbonese France, Saint Severus, abbot of the monastery founded by himself in that city.
6. At Constantinople, Saint Mennas, bishop, who, ordained by Saint Agapetus the pope, after a suspension of communion, was reconciled with Pope Vigilius, and dedicated to Divine Wisdom the great church [Hagia Sophia: Holy Wisdom] built by the emperor Justinian.
7. At Attane in the region of Limoges in Aquitaine, Saint Aredius, abbot, who for the monastery he had founded composed a wise rule drawn from the precepts of various monastic institutions.
8. At Utrecht in Gelderland of Austrasia, Saint Gregory, abbot, who, still a youth, continually followed Saint Boniface as he went to convert Hesse and Thuringia; then, by his order, governed as abbot the monastery of Saint Martin and administered the Church of Utrecht.
9. At Montefiascone in Tuscany, the passing of Saint Thomas Cantilupe, bishop of Hereford in England, who, distinguished for learning, showed himself severe with himself but generous and bountiful toward the poor.
10. At Shimabara in Japan, the blessed martyrs Michael Carvalho, of the Society of Jesus, Peter Vazquez, of the Order of Preachers, Louis Sotelo and Louis Sasanda, priests, and Louis Baba, religious of the Order of Friars Minor, who were burned alive for the faith of Christ.
11. On a foul prison ship anchored at sea off the coast of Rochefort in France, blessed Paul John Charles, priest and martyr, who, a Cistercian prior, during the raging French turmoil, was taken by the persecutors from the monastery of Seven Fountains to imprisonment in the naval docks, and died from hunger and disease.
12. At Córdoba in Argentina, blessed María of the Transit of Jesus Sacramentado, virgin, who gave the greatest effort to the Christian education of poor and abandoned children and founded the Missionary Sisters of the Third Order of Saint Francis in Argentina.
13. At Valencia in Spain, blessed Aloysius Urbano Lanaspa, priest of the Order of Preachers and martyr, who carried out a noble struggle for Christ.
This Day, the Twenty-sixth Day of August
1. Commemoration of Saint Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God Most High, who, blessing Abraham, greeted him returning from victory, offering to the Lord a holy sacrifice, an unblemished victim, and in prefiguration of Christ was interpreted as king of peace and righteousness, and, though without genealogy, a priest forever.
2. At Rome, in the cemetery of Basilla on the Old Salarian Way, Saint Maximilian, martyr.
3. At Salona in Dalmatia, Saint Anastasius the fuller, martyr.
4. At Caesarea in Mauretania, Saint Victor, martyr, who, having been sentenced to death by beheading, is said to have been crucified on a Saturday.
5. At Bergamo in Transpadane, Saint Alexander, martyr.
6. At Auxerre in France of Lyon, Saint Eleutherius, bishop.
7. In the strait near Rochefort in France, blessed James Retouret, priest of the Order of Carmelites and martyr, who, during the raging French turmoil, was taken from the convent of Limoges to a filthy transport ship, where, left at night with few garments, he died from the cold.
8. At Poitiers, also in France, Saint Jeanne-Élisabeth Bichier des Âges, virgin, who, during the French turmoil, assisted Saint Andrew-Hubert Fournet in his clandestine ministry, and, when peace was restored to the Church, founded the Congregation of the Daughters of the Cross to instruct the poor and care for the sick.
9. In the city of Bethlehem in the Holy Land, blessed Mary of Jesus Crucified (Mariam Baouardy), virgin of the Order of Discalced Carmelites, who, enriched with an abundance of mystical charisms, led a contemplative life with remarkable charity.
10. At Liria in Spain, Saint Teresa of Jesus Jornet Ibars, virgin, who founded the Institute of the Little Sisters of the Abandoned Elderly to care for the aged.
11. At Valencia also in Spain, blessed Ambrose (Aloysius) Valls Matamales, priest of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin and martyr, who, in time of persecution, merited to enter the great banquet by the shedding of his blood.
12. At Benisa in the region of Alicante also in Spain, blessed Peter (Alexander) Max Ginestar, priest of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin and martyr, who in the same persecution was crowned for Christ.
13. In the city of Esplugues near Barcelona also in Spain, blessed Felix Vivet Trabal, religious of the Salesian Society and martyr, who, during the same persecution, merited to enter the great banquet.
14. In the town of Kharsk near Tomsk in the Siberian province of Russia, blessed Laurencia (Leokadia) Harasymiv, virgin of the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, who, when her homeland was oppressed by persecutors of the faith, was taken to a detention camp, where by a glorious death she crowned the constancy of her faith and the purity of her life.
15. At Rome, blessed Maria Beltrame Quattrocchi, who, as a wife and mother, living her life with her husband in deep and joyful communion of faith and love for neighbor, illumined her family and society with the light of Christ.
This Day, the Twenty-seventh Day of August
Memorial of Saint Monica, who, still a young girl, was given in marriage to Patricius, bore children, among whom was Augustine, for whose conversion she poured forth many tears and offered prayers to God, and, proceeding to Africa, at Ostia on the Tiber, greatly desiring heavenly things, departed from this life.
2. At Capua in Campania, Saint Rufus, martyr.
3. At Tomi in Scythia, the holy martyrs Marcellinus, a tribune, and Mannaea, his wife, and John, their son, and Serapion, a cleric, and Peter, a soldier.
4. At Bergamo in Liguria, Saint Narnus, who is held to be the first bishop of the city.
5. In the Thebaid of Egypt, Saint Phermeus, abbot, concerning whom, being most renowned among the anchorites, several sayings filled with wisdom are reported.
6. At Couserans in Aquitaine, Saint Licerius, bishop, who, Spanish by nation and disciple of Saint Faustus of Riez, protected the city from destruction by the Visigoths through prayer.
7. At Arles in Provence, Saint Caesarius, bishop, who, after living a monastic life on the island of Lérins, reluctantly undertook the episcopate, prepared and collected homilies suited to feasts to be read by priests to catechize the people, and also composed rules both for men and for virgins to regulate monastic life.
8. At Pavia in Lombardy, Saint John, bishop.
9. In the monastery of Petershausen, which he founded, in Swabia, the burial of Saint Gebhard, bishop of Constance.
10. In the monastery of Hautecombe in Savoy, the passing of Saint Guarinus, bishop of Sion, who, a monk of Molesme in the time of Saint Robert, founded this monastery, which he governed holily and incorporated into the Cistercian Order.
11. At Lausanne among the Swiss, Saint Amadeus, bishop, who, a monk of Clairvaux, was appointed abbot of the monastery of Altacumba and, later elected bishop, carefully instructed the young, formed a pious and pure clergy, and celebrated the blessed Virgin Mary in preaching.
12. At Foligno in Umbria, blessed Angelo Conti, priest of the Order of Hermits of Saint Augustine, remarkable for his penances and humility and most patient amid injuries.
13. At Leominster in England, blessed Roger Cadwallador, priest and martyr, who, ordained at Valladolid in Spain and known for his learning, ministered secretly for sixteen years in his homeland, and finally, under King James the First, condemned on account of the priesthood, after severe torture suffered death by hanging.
14. At Nagasaki in Japan, blessed Francis of Saint Mary, priest of the Order of Friars Minor, and fourteen companions, martyrs, who, by order of the prefect of the city, Kawachi Dono, suffered in hatred of the Christian name.
15. In the town of Usk in Wales, Saint David Lewis, priest of the Society of Jesus and martyr, who, ordained priest in Rome, for more than thirty years secretly celebrated the sacraments in his homeland and assisted the poor, until under King Charles the Second, on account of the priesthood, he was hanged.
16. At sea near Rochefort in France, on a rotting ship held at anchor, the blessed martyrs John Baptist de Souzy, priest, and Udalric (John Baptist) Guillaume, Brother of the Christian Schools, who, while a persecution against the Church raged, were inhumanely detained and, afflicted by hunger and severe disease, died for Christ.
17. At Reading in England, blessed Dominic of the Mother of God Barberi, priest of the Congregation of the Passion, who, striving for the restoration of Christian unity, received many into the Catholic Church.
18. In the village of Picassent in the region of Valencia in Spain, blessed Ferdinand González Afiñón, priest and martyr, who, in a time of persecution, merited to pass into eternal blessedness.
19. On the road between the towns of Godella and Bétera in the same region of Spain, blessed Raymond Martí Soriano, priest and martyr, who, during the same persecution against the faith, shed his blood for Christ.
20. At San Sebastián in Spain, blessed Mary of the Column Izquierdo Albero, virgin, who, afflicted for a long time with poverty and severe illnesses, honored God with active love of the poor and afflicted, and founded the Missionary Work of Jesus and Mary for their service.
This Day, the Twenty-eighth Day of August
Memorial of Saint Augustine, bishop and eminent Doctor of the Church, who, after a youth troubled by restless teaching and morals, was converted to the Catholic faith and baptized at Milan by Saint Ambrose. Returning to his homeland, he led an ascetic life with certain friends, dedicated to God and the study of the Scriptures. Soon after, elected bishop of Hippo in Africa, for thirty-four years he became a model for the flock and instructed it with many sermons and writings, by which he also vigorously fought against the errors of his time or learnedly illuminated the true faith.
2. At Rome, in the cemetery of Basilla on the Old Salarian Way, Saint Hermes, martyr, whom, as Pope Saint Damasus relates, Greece sent forth, and the City held as a citizen who suffered for the holy name.
3. At Constance in Swabia, the commemoration of Saint Pelagius, martyr.
4. At Brioude among the Arverni in Aquitaine, Saint Julian, martyr, who, in the time of persecution, having come to those parts at the exhortation of Saint Ferréol, is said to have received the palm of martyrdom there.
5. At Constantinople, Saint Alexander, bishop, whose apostolic prayer, as Saint Gregory Nazianzen writes, overthrew the leader of the Arian impiety.
6. At Carthage, Saint Restitutus, bishop, on whose feast day Saint Augustine delivered a sermon to the people about him.
7. At Sarsina in Flaminia, Saint Vicinius, the first bishop of this city.
8. At Saintes in France, Saint Vivian, bishop.
9. In Egypt, Saint Moses the Ethiopian, who, from being a notorious thief, became a renowned anchorite, converted many of his former followers and led them with him into the monastery.
10. At Seville in the region of Andalusia in Spain, Saint Florentina, virgin, who, highly skilled in ecclesiastical disciplines, was entrusted by her brothers Isidore and Leander with treatises of outstanding doctrine.
11. At London in England, the blessed martyrs William Dean, priest, and seven companions,10 who, under Queen Elizabeth the First, on the same day, but in different parts of the city or in nearby places, completed their martyrdom by hanging for the kingdom of God.
12. Likewise in Lancashire in England, Saint Edmund Arrowsmith, priest of the Society of Jesus and martyr, born in the same region, who, after many years dedicated to pastoral care in his homeland, when he was discovered to be a priest and had led many to the Catholic faith, despite the unwillingness of local Protestants, under King Charles the First was hanged.
13. At San Carlos (Monterey) in California, blessed Junípero (Miguel) Serra, priest of the Order of Friars Minor, who, burdened by many hardships and trials, preached the Gospel of Christ in the language of the local peoples among the still pagan tribes of that region, and vigorously defended the rights of the poor and humble.
14. At anchor off Rochefort in France, blessed Charles Arnauld Hanus, priest and martyr, who, during the French Revolution confined on a transport ship because of his priesthood, worn out by weakness and soon overcome by disease, fulfilled his martyrdom.
15. At Barcelona in Spain, Saint Joaquina de Vedruna, who, as a mother of a family, devoutly raised nine children, and, having become a widow, founded the Institute of the Carmelite Sisters of Charity, enduring every kind of suffering with a calm spirit until, seized by cholera, she died.
16. In the region of Valencia in Spain, the blessed martyrs John Baptist Faubel Cano and Arthur Ros Montalt, who, as fathers of families, in a time of persecution against the Church, received death from men but eternal life from God.
17. Near the village of Vinalesa in the same region of Spain, blessed Aurelius (Joseph) Ample Alcaide, priest of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin and martyr, who in the same persecution bore glorious fruit by his contest for the faith.
18. In the town of Nawojowa Góra in Poland, blessed Alphonsus Mary Mazurek, priest and martyr, who, in time of war, was killed by the invaders of his homeland because of his confession of the Christian faith.
This Day, the Twenty-ninth Day of August
Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist, whom King Herod Antipas held in prison in the fortress of Machaerus and, on his birthday, at the request of the daughter of Herodias, ordered to be beheaded; therefore, the Forerunner of the Lord, like a burning and shining lamp, bore witness to the truth both in death and in life.
2. At Sirmium in Pannonia, Saint Basilia.
3. At Rome, the commemoration of Saint Sabina, whose titular church on the Aventine preserves her venerable name.
4. At Metz in Belgic France, Saint Adelphus, bishop.
5. In the region of Nantes in Brittany Minor, Saint Victor, hermit, who lived enclosed in a small oratory constructed by himself at Campbon.
6. At London in England, the commemoration of Saint Sebbi, who, a most devout king of the East Saxons, after laying down the kingdom, desired to die in the monastic habit which he had long yearned for.
7. At Paris in Neustria, Saint Mederic, priest and abbot of Autun, who lived in seclusion near the city.
8. At Valencia in Spain, the blessed martyrs John of Perugia, priest, and Peter of Saxoferrato, religious, both of the Order of Friars Minor, who, for the preaching of the faith among the Moors of Valencia, were beheaded by order of the king in the public square and received the palm of martyrdom.
9. Near Kraków in Poland, blessed Bronislava, virgin of the Order of Premonstratensians, who chose to live a humble and hidden life and, after her monastery was destroyed by the Tartars, remained alone with God in a hut.
10. In Lancashire in England, blessed Richard Herst, martyr, who, a family man and farmer, falsely accused of murder, was condemned to death by hanging under King James I for Christ.
11. In the estuary near Rochefort in France, blessed Louis Wulphy Huppy, priest and martyr, who, during the disturbances of the Gallic Revolution, was inhumanely detained on a filthy ship for being a priest and died, emaciated, in exile.
12. At Waterford in Ireland, blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice, who with great fervor and perseverance devoted himself to the education of boys and young men in poor conditions, and, to extend this work, founded the Congregations of the Christian Brothers and the Presentation Brothers.
13. At Rennes in France, blessed Mary of the Cross (Jeanne) Jugan, virgin, who, to beg alms for the poor and for God, founded the Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Poor, and, unjustly expelled from the governance of the Institute, spent the remainder of her life in prayer and humility.
14. At Valencia in Spain, blessed Constantine Fernandez Alvarez, priest of the Order of Preachers and martyr, who, during the persecution, completed the contest for the faith.
15. In the village of Hijar near Teruel also in Spain, blessed Francis Monzon Romeo, priest of the Order of Preachers and martyr, who in the same persecution confirmed his faithfulness to the Lord with his blood.
16. In the internment camp at Dachau near Munich in Bavaria, Germany, blessed Dominic Jędrejewski, priest and martyr, who, while war raged, was taken from Poland into foreign imprisonment and, tortured, died for Christ.
17. At Poznań in Poland, blessed Sancja (Janina) Szymkowiak, virgin of the Congregation of the Daughters of the blessed Virgin Mary of Sorrows, who, during the storms of war, devoted herself earnestly to aiding those imprisoned.
18. In the village of Santa Giulia in the Subalpine region of Italy, blessed Teresa Bracco, virgin and martyr, who, a farm worker during the ravages of the Second World War, valiantly defended her chastity and was killed by blows from soldiers.
This Day, the Thirtieth Day of August
1. At Rome in the cemetery of Commodilla on the Ostian Way, the holy martyrs Felix and Adauctus, who, confessing Christ together for their undefiled faith, as victors hastened together to heaven.
2. Commemoration of sixty holy martyrs, who, at Colonia Sufetana in Byzacene, after the image of Hermes had been destroyed, were burned with the fury of the pagans.
3. At Rome, the commemoration of Saint Pammachius, a senator, outstanding for his zeal in the faith and generosity to the poor, by whose piety toward God the Titulus Crescentianus was established.
4. In the monastery of Rebais in the district of Meaux in Neustria, Saint Aegilius, the first abbot.
5. At Breuil likewise in the district of Meaux, Saint Fiacre, hermit, who, originally from Ireland, led a solitary life.
6. At Thessalonica in Macedonia, Saint Fantinus, called the Younger, a hermit, who was perfected for Christ through fasting, vigils, and labors.
7. At Lucedio in the Subalpine region, Saint Bononius, abbot, who first led a hermit’s life in Egypt, then on Mount Sinai.
8. At Trevi in Latium, Saint Peter, who, though unlearned, cultivated the wisdom of the Gospel in solitude.
9. At London in England, Saint Margaret Ward, martyr, who, a married woman, was condemned to death under Queen Elizabeth the First for having helped a priest, and at Tyburn, hanged from the gallows, willingly endured martyrdom. In the same place, blessed martyrs Richard Leigh, priest, and the laymen Edward Shelley and Richard Martin, Englishmen, John Roche, an Irishman, and Richard Lloyd, a Welshman, completed their passion with her: the first because he was a priest, the others because they had received priests.
10. At Saluzzo in the Subalpine region, blessed John Juvenal Ancina, bishop, who, formerly a physician, was among the first to join the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri.
11. At Caesaraugusta in Spain, blessed María Rafols, virgin, who founded the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of Saint Anne at the hospital of that city, and governed it with a strong spirit amid many hardships.
12. Likewise, at Almería in Spain, the passion of the blessed martyrs Diego Ventaja Milan, bishop of Almería, and Emmanuel Medina Olmos, of Guadix, who, led into prison out of hatred for the name of Christ, bore injuries and insults with patience until they were killed at night.
13. On the road between Puebla Tornesa and Villafamés near Castellón in Spain, blessed Joachim (Joseph) Ferrer Adell, priest of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin and martyr, who attained the promised reward through perseverance unto martyrdom.
14. At Santander likewise in Spain, blessed Vincent Cabanes Badenas, priest of the Third Order of Saint Francis of the Capuchins of the Sorrowful Virgin and martyr, who, during the same persecution against the faith, merited to enter the great banquet.
15. At Venegono near Varese in Italy, the passing of blessed Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster, bishop, who, having been elevated from abbot of Saint Paul Outside the Walls to the see of Milan, fulfilled the office of shepherd with extraordinary wisdom for the good of his people.
This Day, the Thirty-first Day of August
1. At Jerusalem, the commemoration of Saints Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, who received the body of Jesus taken down from the cross, wrapped it in a shroud, and laid it in a tomb. Joseph, a noble member of the council and a disciple of the Lord, was awaiting the kingdom of God; but Nicodemus, of the Pharisees, a leader of the Jews, had come to Jesus by night to inquire about his mission, and in the presence of the chief priests and Pharisees, who wanted to arrest Jesus, he defended his cause.
2. At Athens, Saint Aristides, philosopher, most renowned for his faith and wisdom, who presented books about the Christian religion to the emperor Hadrian.
3. At Trier in Belgic France, Saint Paulinus, bishop and martyr, who in the time of the Arian persecution was a true herald of the truth, and at the Synod of Arles, assembled by the Arian emperor Constantius, could be moved neither by threats nor flattery to condemn Saint Athanasius or to turn away from the orthodox faith. For this reason, he was banished to Phrygia, where, after five years in exile, he fulfilled his martyrdom.
4. At Lindisfarne in Northumbria, Saint Aidan, bishop and abbot, a man of the greatest gentleness, piety, and righteous moderation, who, called from the monastery of Iona by Saint King Oswald, established the episcopal see and a monastery there, that he might devote himself effectively to the evangelization of that kingdom.
5. At Cardona in Catalonia, Saint Raymond Nonnatus, who, among the first companions of Saint Peter Nolasco in the Order of the blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy, is said to have suffered greatly for the name of Christ in the redemption of captives.
6. In the hermitage of Vallucola in Etruria, blessed Andrew of Borgo San Sepolcro, priest of the Order of the Servants of Mary, devoted to austerities and contemplation.
7. At Almería in Spain, the blessed martyrs Edmigius (Isidore) Primo Rodríguez, Amalius (Justus) Zariquiegui Mendoza, and Valerius Bernard (Martianus) Herrero Martínez, who, Brothers of the Christian Schools, were killed in hatred of the faith during the time of persecution.
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1. Their names: blessed Maria Imelda of Jesus the Host (Hedwig Karolina Zak), Maria Raymunda of Jesus and Mary (Anna Kukolowicz), Maria Daniela of Jesus and Mary Immaculate (Eleonora Aniela Jóźwik), Maria Canuta of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane (Josefa Chrobot), Maria Sergia of the Sorrowful Virgin (Julia Rapiej), Maria Guidona of Divine Mercy (Helena Cierpka), Maria Felicitas (Paulina Borowik), Maria Heliodora (Leocadia Matuszewska), Maria Canisia (Eugenia Mackiewicz), Maria Borromea (Veronica Narmontowicz). 2. Their names: Presentatia of the Holy Family (Pascalina Gallen y Martí), Maria Aloysia of Jesus Girón y Romera, Carmela of Saint Philip Neri (Nazaria Gómez y Lezaun), and Clementia of Saint John the Baptist (Antonia Riha y Mestres). 3. Their names: blessed Arthur (Aloysius) Ayala Niño, John Baptist (Joseph) Velázquez Peláez, Eugene (Alphonsus Anthony) Ramírez Salazar, Stephen (Gabriel) Maya Gutiérrez, Melchiades (Raymond) Ramírez Zuluaga, Gaspar (Aloysius Modestus) Páez Perdono. 4. Their names: blessed Peter Cunill Padrós, Joseph Pavón Bueno, Nicasius Sierra Úcar, priests; Wenceslaus Claris Vilaregut, subdeacon; Gregory Chirivás Lacambra, religious. 5. Their names: blessed Antoninus Calvo Calvo, Anthony Mary Dalmau Rosich, John Echarri Vique, Peter García Bernal, Hilary Mary Llorente Martín, Salvador Pigem Serra, lectors; Xavier Louis Bandrés Jiménez, Joseph Brengaret Pujol, Thomas Capdevila Miró, Stephen Casadevall Puig, Eusebius Codina Milla, John Codinachs Tuneu, Raymond Novich Rabionet, Joseph Mary Ormo Sero, Theodore Ruiz de Larrinaga García, John Sánchez Munárriz, Emmanuel Torras Sais, Emmanuel Buil Lalueza, Alphonsus Miquel Garriga, religious. 6. Their names: blessed Joseph Mary Blasco Juan, Alphonsus Sorribes Teixidó, acolytes; Joseph Mary Badía Mateu, Joseph Figueroa Beltrán, Edward Ripoll Diego, Francis Mary Roura Farró, Jesus Augustine Viela Ezcurdia, lectors; Joseph Mary Amorós Hernández, John Baixeras Berenguer, Raphael Briega Morales, Louis Escalé Binefa, Raymond Illa Salvia, Louis Lladó Teixidó, Michael Masip González, Faustin Pérez García, Sebastian Riera Coromina, Joseph Mary Ros Florensa; Francis Castán Messeguer and Emmanuel Martínez Jaraúta, religious. 7. Their names: blessed Joachim Hirayama, Leo Sukeyemon, John Soyemon, Michael Diaz, Anthony Yamada, Mark Takenoshima Shinyemon, Thomas Koyanagi, James Matsuo Denshi, Lawrence Rokuyemon, Paul Sankichi, John Yago, John Nagata Matakichi, Bartholomew Mohioye. 8. Their names: Rosa of Our Lady of Good Counsel Pedret Rull, Mary of Our Lady of Providence Calaf Miracle, Frances of Saint Teresa of Amezua Ibaibarriaga, Mary of the Forsaken of the Most blessed Sacrament Giner Lister, Teresa of the Mother of the Divine Shepherd Chambo Pales, Agatha of Our Lady of Virtues Hernández Amorós, Mary of Sorrows of Saint Francis Xavier Vidal Cervera, and Mary of the Snows of the Most Holy Trinity Crespo López. 9. Their names: blessed Bartholomew Laurel and Anthony of Saint Francis, religious of the Order of Friars Minor; Gaspar Vaz and Mary, spouses; Magdalene Kiyota, widow; Caius Jiyemon, Frances, Francis Kurobioye, Francis Kuhioye, Louis Matsuo Soyemon, Martin Gomez, Thomas Wo Jinyemon, Luke Kiyemon, and Michael Kizayemon. 10. Their names: blessed William Gunter, Robert Morton, Thomas Holford, and James Claxton, priests; Thomas Felton, cleric of the Order of Friars Minor; Henry Webley and Hugh More, laymen.
Omnes
sancti Mártyres, oráte pro nobis.
(“All ye Holy Martyrs, pray for us,”
2004 Roman Martyrology by Month |
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