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Martyrs
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The Holy Innocents - December 28th
Born: c. 2-3 BC, at Bethlehem, Judea
Martyred: c. 3 BC at Bethlehem, Judea
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Reason: Martyred en masse by Herod the Great ostensibly to ensure murdering the rumored new "King of Israel" born in Bethlehem, as prophesied in the Old Testament, and witnessed by the Magi; All boys age 2 and under were slaughtered, becoming the first known Christian martyrs.
Patron: Pro-Life movement, foundlings, babies,
children's choirs
Alphabetical by First Name
St Agatha - February 5th
Born: AD 231 at Catania, Sicily
Martyred: AD 251 at Catania, Sicily
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Reason: Noblewoman and virgin tortured during the reign of Decius; Rejected advances of Roman prefect Quintianus over and over again; During persecution of Christians in Sicily, he denounced her to the emperor
Patron: Breast cancer patients, bakers, wet nurses, eruptions of Mount Etna
Agatha's Death
Brought before Decius, she continued to refuse union with Quintianus in order to preserve her vow of virginity. Decius ordered her tortured, including the amputation of her breasts. Sentenced to be burned at the stake, an earthquake led to its delay, and her eventual transfer to a prison. There, she was visited by St. Peter, and received healing. She died in prison.
Quote
"Jesus Christ, Lord of all, you see my heart, you know my desires. Possess all that I am. I am your sheep: make me worthy to overcome the devil."
St Agnes of Rome - January 21st
Born: AD 291 at Rome, Italy
Martyred: Age 13, AD 304 at Rome, Italy
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Reason: Martyrdom; Roman noble and virgin; Accepted death rather than sacrifice her virtue to Prefect Sempronius; Tried to burn her at the stake but it would not light; She was beheaded on the spot
Patron: Chastity, Virgins, Betrothed couples
St Albert of Louvain - November 24th
Born: c. AD 1161 at Louvain, France
Martyred: November 24, 1192 at Reims, France
Canonized: August 9, 1613
Reason: Member of French nobility, received knighthood & joined Crusade after fall of Jerusalem in 1187; Family power struggle erupted when he was made subdeacon over brother; Ambushed and assassinated after being made a cardinal.
Blessed Albertina Berkenbrock - June 15th
Born: April 11, 1919 at Sao Luis, Brazil
Martyred: Age 12, June 15, 1931 at Sao Luis, Brazil
Beatified: October 20, 2007
Reason: Martyrdom; Murdered after refusing rapist in order to protect her Christian virginity; Taught catechism to fellow children her age; Led a life of piety.
Patron: Rape victims
Blessed Alojs Andritzki - February 3rd
Born: July 2, 1914 at Radibor, Germany
Martyred: Age 28, February 3, 1943 at Dachau Concentration Camp
Beatified: June 13, 2011
Reason: Martyrdom; A vocal critic of the Nazi regime from the outset of his priesthood; Arrested and sent to Dachau, where he was executed by lethal injection
Patron: Persecuted Christians, athletes
St Anastasius of Persia - January 22nd
Born: 6th century at Ray (Tehran), Persia (Iran)
Martyred: January 22, AD 628 in the Euphrates Valley
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Reason: Son of Zoarastrian priest, he converted to Christianity, became a monk, and evangelized especially those who were part of Zoastrianism; taking exception to his efforts (and insults), he was arrested and tortured on the condition of renouncing Christianity; He did not, was further tortured, then strangled and beheaded.
St Andrew Dung Lac - January 21st
Born: 1795 at Vietnam
Martyred: December 21, 1839 at Vietnam
Canonized: June 19, 1988
Reason: Martyrdom by beheading during the reign of Minh Mang and persecution of the Church
Patron: Diocese of Orange
.
St Apollonia - February 9th
Born: Alexandria, Egypt
Martyred: AD 249 at Alexandria, Egypt
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Reason: Among a group of Egyptian virgins persecuted by Roman authorities prior to the reign of Decius; She was tortured by the violent extraction and shattering of all her teeth; The source of her martyrdom is Dionysius, the Bishop of Alexandria from 247-265 AD;
Trivia: A stained glass window of St. Apollonia can be found in the Madonna Della Strada chapel at the Loyola University Chicago, honoring the now-defunct School of Dentistry
Patron: Dentists, tooth problems
St Blase - February 3rd
Born: ??? at Sebastea, Armenia
Martyred: AD 316
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Reason: Physician and Bishop of Bastea known for miraculous healings; Persecuted and martyred by the governor of Cappadocia at the orders of the Roman emperor; One of the Fourteen Holy Helpers; Known through the medical writings of Aëtius Amidenus, who invokes his aid in treating objects stuck in the throat;
Patron: Animals, builders, throat ailments, veterinarians, stonecutters, carvers
St Catherine of Alexandria - November 25th
Born: AD 287 at Alexandria, Egypt
Martyred: Age 17, AD 305 at Alexandria, Egypt
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Reason: Became Christian after vision of Blessed Virgin Mary; daughter of the governor of Alexandria, she argued passionately for Christianity before Emperor Maxentius; unimpressed, he tried to break her on the wheel but the wheel broke instead; Goaded executioner to behead her instead.
Patron: Unmarried girls, the dying, educators
St Cecilia - November 22nd
Born: Unknown
Martyred: AD 176-180, at Rome, Italy
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Reason: Martyrdom; Married against her will to a pagan Roman nobleman; Sat aside from him at the wedding, singing from her heart; refused to consummate the marriage and warned he needed to be baptized first; He followed her advice; Later, they were both martyred at the hands of the prefect.
Patron: Music, musicians, poets, pipe organs
Blessed Charles de Foucald - December 1st
Born: September 15, 1858 at Strasbourg, France
Martyred: December 1, 1916 at Tamanrasset, French Algeria
Beatified: November 13, 2005; In 2020, Pope Francis confirmed he will be canonized (TBD).
Reason: Martyrdom by assassination; Hermit who lived among ethnic Tuaregs in Saharan French Algeria; Writings led to founding of Little Brothers of Jesus
St Charles Lwanga (and Companions) - June 3rd
Born: January 1, 1860 at Kingdom of Buganda
Martyred: June 3, 1866 at Kingdom of Buganda
Canonized: October 18, 1964
Reason: Martyrdom; chief of the royal pages and later major-domo in the court of King Mwanga II of Buganda; protected boys from sexual advances of king; refused to renounce Christianity on pain of death; executed for his perseverance in faith.
Patron: Torture victims, converts, African youth
St. Charles Lwanga was canonized, but not without his companions -- all the royal pages -- many of whom are nameless -- but dozens died in the same purge for their faith and their refusal to commit sodomy with the King.
Lwanga was set aside for the particular punishment of burning at the stake. As he was being burnt, Lwanga told his executioner, "It is as if you are pouring water on me. Please repent and become a Christian like me."
St Christobál (Christopher) Magallanes - May 21st
Born: December 14, 1908 at Totatiche, Mexico
Martyred: May 25, 1927 at Colotlán, Mexico
Canonized: May 21, 2000
Reason: Assassinated on way to Mass during Cristero War, falsely charged with rebellion; Opened clandestine seminary after government shut down Guadalajara site; Vocally opposed armed rebellion; When ambushed, he gave absolution to his murderers, who would take his life four days later.
Quote: "I die innocent, and ask God that my blood may serve to unite my Mexican brethren."
Patron: Cancer
Blessed Dario Acosto Zurita - July 25th
Born: December 14, 1908 at Veracruz, Mexico
Martyred: July 25, 1931 at Veracruz, Mexico
Beatified: November 20, 2005
Reason: Martyrdom; Known as "the athletic semenarian"; Ordained in April 1931 and murdered by Anti-Catholic, government-allied gunmen only three months later inside cathedral shortly after he baptized a child; Had dedicated his ministry to catechizing children.
Patron: Persecuted Christians, catechists, athletes
St Dymphna - May 15th
Born: 7th Century, Ireland
Martyred: Age 15, at Geel, Belgium
Cult of Sanctity: Began c. 1238 at Geel, Belgium; venerated for centuries; abundant miracles
Title: "The Lily of Ireland"
Reason: Heroic virtue by oral tradition; suffered death at hands of insane and recently widowed father, who saw his wife in Dymphna's appearance, and desired her sexually.
But: Her story can't be verified. Nonetheless, her powerful intecession is undeniable.
Patron: Runaways, mental disorder, incest survivors, sexual assualt survivors
"Miracles and cures began to occur in continually increasing numbers. Gradually St. Dymphna’s fame as patroness of victims of nervous diseases and mental disorders was spread from country to country. More and more mentally afflicted persons were brought to the shrine by relatives and friends, many coming in pilgrimages from far-distant places. Novenas were made, and St. Dymphna’s relic was applied to the patients. The remarkable cures reported caused confidence in the saint to grow daily. At first the patients were lodged in a small annex built onto the church. Then gradually it came about that the patients were place in the homes of the families living in Gheel. From this beginning Gheel developed into a town world-famed for its care of the insane and mentally afflicted."
Source: The National Shrine of St. Dyphna
St Edmund Campion - December 1st
Born: January 25, 1540 at London, England
Martyred: December 1, 1581 at Tyburn, England
Canonized: October 25, 1970
Reason: Executed for "high treason" for having underground Catholic ministry during persecution of Church; Originally an Anglican deacon, converted to Catholicism while in mainland Europe, and became a priest; Returned to England to evangelize, writing the book, "10 Reasons", in opposition to Anglicanism.
Patron: United Kingdom
"In condemning us, you condemn all your own ancestors, all our ancient bishops and kings, all that was once the glory of England—the island of saints, and the most devoted child of the See of Peter."
On hearing the death sentence, Campion and the other condemned men broke into the words of the Te Deum.
Source: Edmund Campion: A Biography
SS. Faustinus and Jovinus - February 15th
Born: Brescia, Italy
Martyred: AD 120 at Brescia, Italy
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Reason: Brothers; Executed during the reign of Emperor Hadrian; Jovinus was a preacher; Faustinus (the younger of the two) was a deacon; Their passionate evangelizing earned them a hearing before the Emperor, who had them promptly beheaded; Apocryphal stories abound, but we are only certain they existed, and were martyred by Hadrian.
Trivia: Popular tradition in southern Italy regards St. Faustinus' feast day of February 15 as an "anti-Valentine's Day", and so commemorated by single men and women.
Patron: Brescia, Italy
St George - April 23rd
Born: Cappadocia (Date unknown)
Martyred: April 23, 303 AD at Nicomedia
Canonized: 494 AD
Claim to Fame: Slayer of dragons; Model of chivalry
Title: "Patron of England"
Patron: Soldiers, chivalry
Additional: Also venerated by Muslims; Often portrayed with St. Demetrius - another soldier saint.
Goes Without Saying: Didn't really slay a dragon.
St Isaac Jogues - October 19th
Born: January 10, 1607 at Orléans, France
Martyred: October 18, 1646 at Ossernenon, Canada
Canonized: June 29, 1930
Reason: Martyrdom; French missionary who evangelized the Iroquois, Mohawk, and Huron tribes of North America; Suffered horrific torture at the hands of the Mohawks; Returned to France, called "living martyr" by Urban VIII; Returned to North America to continue mission, only to be killed by an anti-French Mohawk.
Patron: North America
St Jeanne d'Arc (Joan of Arc) -May 30th
Born: c. 1412 Duchy of Bar, France
Martyred: Age 19, May 30, 1431 at Normandy, France
Canonized: May 16, 1920
Title: "The Maid of Orléans"
Reason: Heroine of France during Hundred Years War; received visions of St. Michael, St. Margaret of Antioch, and St. Catherine of Alexandria, urging her to battle on behalf of King Charles VII; captured by French nobles (Burgundian) allied with the British, she was put on trial by a pro-British Bishop, who had her burned at the stake; 20 years later, Pope Callixtus II exonerated her of any wrongdoing and declared her martyrdom.
Patron: France, martyrs, people ridiculed for piety
Execution
Eyewitnesses described the scene of the execution by burning on 30 May 1431. Tied to a tall pillar at the Vieux-Marché in Rouen, she asked two of the clergy, Fr. Martin Ladvenu and Fr. Isambart de la Pierre, to hold a crucifix before her. An English soldier also constructed a small cross that she put in the front of her dress. After she died, the English raked back the coals to expose her charred body so that no one could claim she had escaped alive. They then burned the body twice more, to reduce it to ashes and prevent any collection of relics, and cast her remains into the Seine River. The executioner, Geoffroy Thérage, later stated that he "greatly feared to be damned for he had burned a holy woman." Source: Wikipedia
St John Fisher - June 22nd
Born: October 19, 1469 at Yorkshire, England
Martyred: Beheaded June 22, 1535 Tower of London
Canonized: May 19, 1935 (with St. Thomas More)
Reason: Heroic fidelity; Defended Catherine of Aragon during Henry VIII's attempt to divorce her; Promised he would rather die than consent to dissolving the king's marriage; Warned Parliament of catastrophic consequence of letting the monarchy encroach on the Church; Later refused to recognize validity of Henry VIII's marriage to Anne Boelyn
Patron: Lawyers, politicians, Diocese of Rochester
Blessed Jozéf Kowalski - June 12th
Born: March 13, 1911 at Siedliska, Poland
Martyred: July 4, 1942 at Auschwitz
Beatified: June 13, 1999
Reason: Salesian priest executed at Auschwitz after being taken prisoner and ministering in secret to fellow inmates, absolving the condemned, and giving mass absolution before at least one mass execution; Ordered to trample on a Rosary while being inspected, he refused and was sent to a penal camp, where he would be beaten and tortured for being a priest; shortly thereafter, he was dragged from his bed, beaten and drowned; Known personally by Pope St. John Paul II prior to the war.
"Do not worry about me; I am in God's hands. I want to assure you that I feel His help at every step. Despite the present situation, I am happy and completely at peace."
-- His final letter to his parents
St Lawrence of Rome - August 10th
Born: December 31, AD 225 at Valencia, Spain
Martyred: August 10, AD 258 at Rome, Italy
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Reason: Deacon martyr; One of seven deacons of Rome martyred by Emperor Valerian; Ordered to produce to the emperor the treasures of the Church, he brought the poor of Rome; famously dies on a hot griddle, joking halfway thru, "turn me over, I'm done on this side."
Patron: Comedians, archivists, firefighters
Blessed Leonella Sgorbati - September 17th
Born: December 9, 1940 at Gazzola, Italy
Martyred: September 17, 2006 at Mogadishu, Somalia
Beatified: May 26, 2018
Reason: Martyred by gunfire outside of a children's hospital at the urging of a hardline Muslim cleric; Finals words, "I forgive, I forgive, I forgive." Sister from the Consolata Missionaries who served in both Kenya and Somalia. Pope Francis confirmed in 2017 that she was killed "in odium fidei".
Patron: Nurses and missionaries
St Lucy - December 13th
Born: AD 283 at Syracuse, Italy
Martyred: AD 304 at Syracuse, Italy
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Reason: Died during the Diocletian persecution; one of only eight women memorialized in the Liturgy of the Eucharist (I); She was denounced as a Christian by a disappointed suitor, leading to her death; like St. Agnes, she died by the sword when she could not be burned at the stake, but not before her eyes were gouged out; Her cult of veneration reached critical mass in the 6th century
Patron: The blind, throat infections, epidemics
St Margaret Litherow - August 30th
Born: 1556 at Yorkshire, England
Martyred: March 25, 1586 at Yorkshire, England
Canonized: October 25, 1970
Title: "The Pearl of York"
Reason: Martyred by being pressed to death; Converted to Catholicism in 1574; Arrested for not attending the Church of England in 1577; Housed and protected persecuted priests, which became a felony in 1584; The same law required all priests to leave England or be charged with treason; Executed for treason after the priest sanctuary in her home was outed by a boy frightened by authorities
Patron: Catholic Women's League; Latin Mass Society, businesswomen, converts
St Maria Goretti - July 6th
Born: October 16, 1890 at Corinaldo, Italy
Martyred: July 6, 1902 at Nettuno, Italy
Title: "Patron of Chastity and Forgiveness"
Reason: Sacrificed her life for the sake of
purity; Forgave her assailant on her deathbed and
prayed for his conversion.
Path: Fully investigated; Canonized on May 2, 1940
Patron: Victims of rape, crime victims, teenage girls
Additional: Murdered by Alessandro Serenelli;
Serenelli was unrepentant until Maria visited him in
a dream; Eventually released from prison, he begged
forgiveness of Maria's family; Serenelli was present
at Maria's canonization, a changed man.
Prayer to St. Maria Goretti
Oh Saint Maria Goretti who, strengthened by God's grace, did not hesitate even at the age of twelve to shed your blood and sacrifice life itself to defend your virginal purity, look graciously on the unhappy human race which has strayed far from the path of eternal salvation. Teach us all, and especially youth, with what courage and promptitude we should flee for the love of Jesus anything that could offend Him or stain our souls with sin. Obtain for us from our Lord victory in temptation, comfort in the sorrows of life, and the grace which we earnestly beg of thee (here insert intention), and may we one day enjoy with thee the imperishable glory of Heaven. Amen.
Blessed Marianna Biernacka- June 12th
Born: 1888
Martyred: July 13, 1943 at Naumowicze, Belarus
Beatified: June 13, 1999
Reason: Gave up her life in place of her pregnant daughter-in-law after German soldiers singled her out (along with her son) to be shot in retribution for the murder of Nazi soldiers in a nearby village; She made one final request before being shot two weeks later: to hold her Rosary.
St Martina of Rome - January 30th
Born: ???
Martyred: AD 228 at Rome, Italy
Beatified: Pre-Congregation
Reason: Persecuted by Emperor Severus; Called a "noble and beautiful virgin, and of noble extract; Refused to return to paganism and was tortured/beheaded; Her relics were discovered in 1634, and Pope Urban VIII made great veneration by composing specially for her office.
Patron: Nursing mothers, city of Rome
St Maximillian Kolbe - August 4th
Born: January 8, 1894 at Zdunska Wola, Poland
Martyred: August 14, 1941 at Auschwitz-Birkenau
Title: "Martyr of Charity"
Reason: Heroic virtue; Sacrificed his life in place of a family man marked for execution at Auschwitz; Survived starvation for two weeks before being lethally injected with carbolic acid.
Path: Canonized on October 10, 1982
Patron: Families, prisoners, Pro-Life movement
St. Maximillian's vision of the Virgin Mary, Age 12
"That night I asked the Mother of God what was to become of me. Then she came to me holding two crowns, one white, the other red. She asked me if I was willing to accept either of these crowns. The white one meant that I should persevere in purity and the red that I should become a martyr. I said that I would accept them both."
Blessed Miguel Pro - November 23rd
Born: January 13, 1891 at Guadalupe, Mexico
Martyred: November 23, 1927 at Mexico City.
Beatified: September 25, 1988
Reason: Martyrdom by execution without trial; Jesuit priest falsely accused of plotting a bomb attack and political assassination; Targeted by anti-Catholic Mexican president; Shouted "Viva Cristo Rey!" before fired upon (see picture)
Neither suffering nor serious illness, nor the exhausting ministerial activity, frequently carried out in difficult and dangerous circumstances, could stifle the radiating and contagious joy which he brought to his life for Christ and which nothing could take away. Indeed, the deepest root of self-sacrificing surrender for the lowly was his passionate love for Jesus Christ and his ardent desire to be conformed to him, even unto death.
-- Pope St. John Paul II at Miguel Pro's Beatification.
Blessed Miroslav Bulesic - August 24th
Born: May 13, 1920 at Istarska, Croatia
Martyred: August 24, 1947 at Istarska, Croatia
Beatified: September 28, 2013
Reason: Young priest and outspoken opponent of communism, murdered for his faith; Adept at exciting devotion in his parishioners, he was seen as a threat by the local communist party who wanted to eliminate the Church from society; Warned by the to return to his home, he refused; Taught seminarians they need to be ready to give their life for the faith; Accosted during Mass, defended the Blessed Sacrament saying, "You can pass through here only over my dead body", and was stabbed to
death the next day.
Patron: Pupils, priest, poets, Croatia
St Nicholas Owen - March 22nd
Born: c. 1562, Oxford, England
Martyred: March 2, 1606 at Tower of London
Canonized: October 25, 1970
Reason: Chief builder of priest holes throughout London, where clerics were hidden from persecution by the British Crown; Died while being tortured on the rack;
Quote: "I verily think no man can be said to have done more good of all those who laboured in the English vineyard. He was the immediate occasion of saving the lives of many hundreds of persons, both ecclesiastical and secular." -- Father John Gerard
St Oliver Plunkett - July 1st
Born: November 1, 1625 at Loughcrew, Ireland
Martyred: July 1, 1681 at Tyburn (London), England
Canonized: October 12, 1975
Reason: First Irish martyr beatified; Hanged, drawn, and quartered for "treason" and professing Roman Catholicism; founded Jesuit college in 1670 but refused to comply with England's Test Act of 1673; the college was destroyed and he went into hiding; Falsely accused of plotting a French invasion of England; King Charles II refused to pardon him
Patron: Peace and reconciliation in Ireland
St Oscar Romero - March 24th
Born: August 15, 1917 at Ciudad Barrios, El Salvador
Martyred: March 24, 1980 at San Salvador, El Salvador
Canonized: October 14, 2018
Reason: Martyrdom by assassination during Mass; Advocated for the poor and suffering of El Salvador caught in the middle of the civil war; Challenged politicians and soldiers to stop the persecution of the Church in radio broadcasts.
Patron: Christian communicators, El Salvador
St Paul Miki (and Companions) - February 6th
Born: c. 1562 at Settsu County, Japan
Martyred: February 5, 1597 at Nagasaki, Japan
Canonized: June 8, 1862
Reason: Japanese Jesuit priest crucified (along with two other Jesuits and twenty-three additional Catholic clergy) during Japanese persecution; Like Christ, his heart was pierced with a lance; Preached his last sermon while crucified, and forgave his murderers.
Patron: Japan
St Pedro Calungsod - April 2
Born: July 21, 1654 at Molo, Philippines
Martyred: Age 17, April 2, 1672 at Tuman, Guam
Canonized: October 24, 2012
Reason: Teenage martyrdom; Accompanied Spanish Jesuits preaching, baptizing, and catechizing the Chamorro people on the island of Guam; killed by spear after baptizing the child of the village chief.
Additional: Only second Filipino canonized
Patron: Altar servers, Filipino youth, Guam
St Peter Chanel - April 28th
Born: July 12, 1803 at Ain, France
Martyred: April 28, 1841 at Futuna Island
Canonized: July 12, 1954
Reason: Marist priest martyred by King Niuliki of Futuna Island, when he learned Peter wished to baptize his son; He believe his authority and power were endangered by the introduction of Christianity; His assassin converted on his deathbed; Today, Marist priests minister to all of Oceania today.
Patron: Oceania
St Polycarp - February 23rd
Born: AD 65 (unknown location)
Martyred: AD 155 at Smyrna
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Reason: Burned at the stake for refusing to offer incense to the Roman Emperor; Disciple of John the Apostle, who made him Bishop of Smyrna; Visited Pope Anicetus of Rome to iron out differences between East and West practices; Was critical link of orthodoxy with the last living Apostle.
Quote: "It is yet present to my mind with what gravity he everywhere came in and went out; what was the sanctity of his deportment, the majesty of
his countenance; and what were his holy exhort-
ations to the people. I seem to hear him now relate
how he conversed with John and many others who
had seen Jesus Christ, the words he had heard from
their mouths." - St. Irenaeus
St Prisca - January 18th
Born: Unknown
Martyred: Late 1st century, A.D.
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Reason: Of noble origin, was pressured by the Emperor Claudius to make a sacrifice ot the god Apollo; A Catholic, she refused and was sent to prison; She was released, re-arrested, sent to the Colosseum (she survived), was tortured, and then eventually beheaded.
Blessed Rolando Rivi - May 29th
Born: January 7, 1931 at Reggia Emilia, Italy
Martyred: Age 14, April 13, 1945 at Palagano, Italy
Beatified: October 5, 2013
Reason: Seminarian devoted to the Holy Eucharist and enthusiasm to enter priesthood; Falsely accused by local Communist sympathisrs at the end of WW II of being a Nazi spy, due to his outward devotion; His love for the cassock was the identifying quality of those who knew him; Viciously murdered under opprobrium of the priesthood .
St Sebastien - January 20th
Born: AD 256
Martyred: AD 288
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Reason: Martyred during Emperor Diocletian's persecution of Christians in Rome; Ordered him shot with arrows, but he survived (see artwork); Went to Diocletian to implore his conversion, but was clubbed to death at his unexpected appearance; St. Ambrose was the first to invoke his martyrdom, during the following century.
Patron: Athletes, soldiers, the plague-stricken, archers, for a holy death
Blessed Sára Salkaházi - December 27th
Born: May 11, 1889 at Kassa, Slovakia
Martyred: December 27, 1944 at Budapest, Hungary
Beatified: September 17, 2016
Reason: Martyred by Hungarian Nazi party; Saved about 100 Jews from being sent to death camps, sheltered hundreds more in Budapest; Betrayed by a worker in the house, she was shot on the banks of the Danube River.
Personal Motto: "Here I am; send me!"
St Serapion of Algiers - November 14th
Born: 1179 in England
Martyred: November 14, 1240 in Scotland
Canonized: April 14, 1728
Reason: Mercederian priest martyred by pirates while voyaging to Algiers for the ransom of captives; He offered himself as a hostage while the ransom was awaited; The ransom was delayed and he was crucified and dismembered.
Also: Served under Richard the Lion-Hearted during the Crusades.
Patron: Arthritis sufferers
Blessed Stanley Rother - July 28th
Born: March 27, 1935 at Okarche, Oklahoma
Martyred: July 28, 1981 at Santiago, Guatemala
Beatified: September 23, 2017
Reason: Priest murdered in his Gutamalen mission rectory by right wing death squads; One of ten priests murdered that year; Before burial in Oklahoma City, his heart was removed and preserved beneath the altar of his church in Guatemala; Knew he was being watched and threatened - flew home to Oklahoma, but returned to celebrate Easter with his flock
Quote: "This is one of the reasons I have for staying in the face of physical harm. The shepherd cannot run at the first sign of danger."
St Stephen - December 26th
Born: AD 5 (unknown location)
Martyred: AD 33-36, at Jerusalem
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Reason: The first Christian martyr; Among the first Deacons ordained by the Apostles; Stoned to death at the hands of the Pharisees for preaching the Crucified and Risen Christ (see Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 7)
Patron: Deacons, Altar Servers, casket makers, headache sufferers
St Teresa Benedicta (Edith Stein) - August 9th
Born: October 12. 1891 at Breslau, Germany
Martyred: August 9, 1942 at Auschwitz-Birkenau
Canonized: October 11, 1998
Reason: Jewish convert to Catholicism, and subsequent discalced Carmelite died at the hands of the Nazis at Auschwitz; inspired to convert after reading bio of Teresa of Avila; died with her sister upon deportation from Netherlands after Catholic converts were no longer exempted; One of the six patrons of Europe.
Patron: Loss of parents, Jewish converts
Letter to Pope Pius XI
As a child of the Jewish people who, by the grace of God, for the past eleven years has also been a child of the Catholic Church, I dare to speak to the Father of Christianity about that which oppresses millions of Germans. For weeks we have seen deeds perpetrated in Germany which mock any sense of justice and humanity... For years the [Nazis] have been preaching hatred of the Jews. … But the responsibility must fall, after all, on those who brought them to this point and it also falls on those who keep silent in the face of such happenings.
Blessed Teresa Bracco - August 28th
Born: February 24, 1924 at Santa Giulia, Italy
Martyred: Age 20, August 29 1944 at Santa Giulia, Italy
Beatified: May 24, 1998
Reason: Died in defense of remaining a Christian virgin; Refused the sexual advances of an arresting Nazi soldier; Strangled and shot twice in the heart; lived a modest life of farming with parents; attended Mass frequently; Known for her modest speech and modest dress.
Patron: Rape victims, farmers
St Thomas Becket - December 29th
Born: December 21, 1119 at London, England
Martyred: December 29, 1170 at Kent, England
Canonized: February 21, 1173
Reason: Battled with King Henry II over the rights of the Church being infringed upon by the potentate; He was murdered inside Canterbury Cathedral by devotees of the King; Canonized three years later by Pope Alexander III; King Henry II famously did public penance at Becket's tomb after canonization.
Patron: Seculary clergy, city of London
St Thomas More - July 6th
Born: February 7, 1478, London, England
Martyred: Beheaded July 6, 1535, Tower of London
Canonized: May 19, 1935 (with St. John Fisher)
Reason: Heroic fidelity; Opposed the Reformation; As Chancellor of England, refused to accept Henry VIII's claim to the throne of the Church in England over the pontiff in Rome; refused to co-sign letter to Pope Clement asking him to permit divorce from Catherine of Aragon; refused to attend coronation of Anne Boelyn; Falsely convicted of treason and executed.
Patron: Lawyers, politicians, adopted children
St Valentine - February 14th
Born: c. AD 226 at Terni, Italy
Martyred: c. AD 269 at Rome, Italy
Canonized: February 21, 1173
Reason: Martyred for ministering to persecuted Christians in Rome; Challenged by Roman officials, he won at least one prominent judge to conversion of his entire family; Emperor Claudius II found him interesting but when Valentine attempted to convert him as well, the emperor had him executed; Prior to execution, wrote a note to the judge he had converted, signed, "From your Valentine."
Patron: Engaged couples, happy marriages, beekeepers, epilepsy
St Vincent of Saragossa - January 22nd
Born: 3rd Century at Osca, Spain
Martyred: c. AD 304 at Valencia, Spain
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Reason: The first martyr of Spain; Ordained a deacon and served as spokesperson for Bishop Valerius, who suffered from speech impediment; Spoke out against Diocletian, was arrested, and ordered to burn the Scriptures in his possession; He declined and was tortured to death; Converted his jailer before he expired
Patron: Wine makers, vinegar makers, Lisbon, Valencia.
St Wenceslaus - September 28th
Born: c. AD 911 at Prague, Bohemia
Martyred: September 28, AD 935 at Stara Boleslav,
Bohemia
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Reason: Assassinated by his brother at public feast
of SS. Cosmas and Damian.
Tradition Has It: "Rising every night from his noble
bed, with bare feet and only one chamberlain, he
went around to God’s churches and gave alms
generously to widows, orphans, those in prison and
afflicted by every difficulty, so much so that he was
considered, not a prince, but the father of all the
wretched." - Cosmas of Prague
Also: Honored in the Carol of St. Stephen's Day,
"Good King Wenceslas"