Saints for July

JULY Wed 1 – Henry, John and Henry (the younger) Venn, priests, John helped to found the Church Missionary Society was part of the Clapham Sect and worked for the abolition of the slave trade, Henry devoted himself to the work of the CMS as secretary and organiser, they died 1797, 1813 and 1873 - Shenoute, hero of the Coptic Church, a charismatic leader of monks and nuns, died 466 - Thierry (aka Theodoric) a priest, spiritual student of Remigius, he founded the abbey at Mont d’Or in France and was the first abbot. A noted evangelist and healer who miraculously cured King Theodoric of an eye disease, died 533. - Oliver Plunkett, archbishop of Armagh who worked hard to instill discipline among the priests and encourage the faith of the faithful , martyred for supposed treason for ‘promoting the Catholic faith’ in a kangaroo court, he was the last Catholic to die for his faith at Tyburn in London and the first of the Irish to be beatified, of Armagh, died in 1681 Gall of Clermont, had good singing voice, was cantor for the monastery, later he became a bishop who was noted for his patience when injured by others and his forgiving nature, he died 645 Thu 2 - Otto of Bamburg, a Swabian noble and priest. He worked for Emperor Henry IVth and became the ‘pig-in-the-middle’ when Henry broke with , he was loyal to the Emperor in state matters and to the in religious ones. Made Bishop and established monasteries and churches and worked to heal the problems between the church and state. A preacher who evangelised Polish pagans converting 20,000! Patron Saint of Bamberg and invoked against hydrophobia, mad dogs and rabies, died 1139 Fri 3 - Thomas the 'doubting' apostle, mentioned in all four gospels, tradition has it that he went to India and is named as ‘apostle to India’ Patron Saint of builders, masons, stone cutters, architects and theologians, the blind, invoked against blindness and doubt, he died in 1st century Sat 4 - Andrew of Crete, a great preacher and writer of hymns some are still sung in the Byzantine liturgy, died 740 - Pier-Giorgio Frassati, endlessly generous to everyone in need, worked for the poor, a partygoer, practical joker, and fund-raiser, known for always being cheerful, liked climbing mountains, famous in Turin but unappreciated by his family, he died of polio aged 24 in 1925. and – Elizabeth (Isabel) of , (great neice of Elizabeth of Hungary) daughter of a Spanish king she married King , and was noted for her care of those in need, her generosity and piety, she founded hospitals, schools, convents and hostels. She had a quarrelsome family and was noted as a peacemaker even stopping a war by reconciling the warring leaders, Patron Saint of brides, charities, difficult marriages, falsely accused people, peace, victims of adultery jealousy and unfaithfulness, and widows, she is invoked against jealousy, and in time of war, she died in 1336. Sun 5 - Grace and Probus of Cornwall, a married couple, there is no other information but during the renovation of a church named after them a male and female skull were found near the site of the altar and are believed to be the of the couple, Patron Saint of Probus in Cornwall. No date of death and – Gwen who was married to St Fragan and mother of Winwallus, Jacut and Guithern! She was forced to flee from Britain when the Imperial Roman troops pulled out and life became hard and chancy as pagans reclaimed their land, she travelled and helped to spread the faith in , died Mon 6 - scholar and Chancellor to Henry Vlll, he agreed with Henry’s efforts to reform the clergy but disagreed over Henry’s disputes with the Pope about his request to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, Thomas was imprisoned and while there he refused to take the oath that declared King Henry the protector and supreme head of the Church in – (the Oath on the Act of Succession) and - (Bishop of Rochester),a close friend and ally of Thomas More, a brilliant academic he reformed the life of the University of Cambridge (using the wealth and influence of Henry Vll’s mother – Lady Margaret Beaufort) both Thomas and John were Reformation victims when they opposed Henry’s relationships and actions, and were martyred in 1535 and - a twelve year old who was murdered when she resisted rape, Patron Saint of teenage girls, her ceremony in 1950 was attended by her murderer and her mother! died 1902 Tue 7 – Anthony Zaccaria a doctor who also became a priest. He formed a community – ‘The Clerks Regular of St Paul’ who although they were ordained continued their work in the world, he also formed a congregation of women devoted to rescuing and protecting prostitutes, he died 1539. Wed 8 – Kilian, Colman, and Totnan , evangelists to Franconia and East Thuringia where they were martyred, Kilian went with eleven companions to Wurzburg where they resolved to convert the pagans. They told the local duke that his marriage to his brother’s widow (Geilana, a pagan) was unlawful and persuaded him to leave her and she arranged to have all three killed. Geilana and the murderer both went mad! The heads of the saints are preserved in the cathedral at Wurtzburg and are processed around the town on this day each year. All three are Patron Saints of Wurzburg and whitewashers and invoked against gout and rheumatism, died 689 Thu 9 - Veronica Giuliani, for fifty years a Poor Clare nun in Umbria, she was novice mistress for thirty years then led her community for eleven years, she was very practical (put in piped water and enlarged the convent rooms) and kind, she suffered with the stigmata for thirty years, died 1727. Fri 10 – Knud (Canute) King of Denmark, he was ambitious and sought to strengthen the Danish monarchy, he was devoted to the and had designs on the Enmglish throne. He was slain by rebels and the first Danish king to be canonised, Patron Saint of Denmark, died 1086. Sat 11 - Benedict of Nursia, abbot of Monte Cassino, father of western monasticism, he created a ‘Rule’ for his monks that fused prayer and labour into their community life, Patron Saint of Europe, coppersmiths and schoolchildren, invoked against fever and poison, by the dying, and servants who have broken their master’s belongings! died 550 and - Olga/Helena the first Christian queen of Ukraine who was married to Igor 1st duke of Kiev. She ruled Kievan Rus after Igor’s assassination in 945. After her conversion and twelve years later she tried to introduce to the Ukraine but failed, she handed the throne to her son Sviatoslav when he reached adulthood. She was grandmother of St Vladimir and great grandmother of Saints Boris and Gleb, died 969. Sun 12 – Veronica a possibly mythical saint who was thought to have offered Christ a cloth to wipe his face with, on his way to the crucifixion, the features of his face were supposedly left on the cloth (there is a cloth called ‘St Veronica’s veil’ at St Peter’s in Rome, last exhibited in 1933), Patron Saint of washerwomen, died 1st century. Mon 13 - Mildred of Thanet, daughter of the King of Mercia and Saint Ermenburga of Thanet, her sisters were Saints Milburga and Mildgytha, she was educated near Paris then entered the Benedictine convent at Minster on the Isle of Thanet having refused an offer of marriage, (the convent is still in use and is one of the oldest continuously occupied structures in Britain and one of my aunts was a nun there) she (Mildred) became the abbess and worked with St Theodore of Canterbury and had Saint Edburga as one of her novices. Mildred was noted for her generosity to the poor and special attention to social outcasts, a yearly pilgrimage to her relics at Minster still happens. She died c.700 Tue 14 - John Keble, son of a priest and a priest and writer himself, he won praise for his poems and became Professor of Poetry in Oxford, after five years became a parish priest near Winchester continuing his writing and guest-preaching. A sermon he preached in Oxford (on the 14th July in 1833) is considered to be the beginning of the ‘Oxford Movement’, he died 1866 - Camillus de Lellis, founded Servants of the Sick in Rome, caring for plague victims and prisoners, he died 1614 - Humbert of Romans (a town in France), master-general of the Dominicans, died 1277. and – Katherine (Kateri) Tekawitha, a native-born North American saint, given to excessive penances, she worked for the Jesuits who did try to curb her self-abuse! She died 1680 Wed 15 - Swithun, bishop of Winchester, founded new churches in Wessex, compassionate and charitable, the weather connection is because the removal of his remains into the cathedral was delayed by very heavy rainfall and couldn’t take place on July 15th as intended, there were some miraculous cures at the same time, his head was later removed and put in another and later taken to Canterbury! died c. 862 - , master-general of the Franciscans who was involved in the dispute between those who insisted that poverty (as shown by St Francis) was the most important thing, and his own desire that the friars should do some serious study which would need buildings and books! In 1274 he was involved in a meeting at which the Orthodox and Roman churches agreed on re-union but shortly after his death the re- union was rejected by Constantinople! died 1274 - Anne-Marie Javouhey a 'velvet brick'! nicknamed ‘Nanette’, she was a determined founder of schools for poor children in France, and later in Africa and S. America eventually in 32 countries/colonies! died 1851 and - Edith of Tamworth, sister of King Athelstan and married to the Viking king Sihtric of Northumbria, after his death she became a Benedictine nun, then Abbess at Polesworth in Warwickshire, died c. 927 Thu 16 - Osmund, followed William the Conquerer and became chancellor, later became bishop of Salisbury and completed the building of the ‘new’ cathedral at Old Sarum, scholar and good administrator but best loved for his lack of avarice and ambition, helped collect information for the Domesday book, died 1099 Fri 17 – Hedwig of Poland was the first female monarch of Poland. She was daughter of Louis the Great, king of Hungary and Poland, although engaged to William of Austria she actually married Wladyslaw (having first sought divine inspiration as she was devoted to William). The couple worked together and Hedwig has been described as one of the greatest rulers of Poland, Hedwig established hospitals, schools and churches and restored old ones, she promoted the use of Polish in church services especially for singing hymns, and ordered the scriptures translated into Polish. She was merciful and benevolent, Patron Saint of Poland, queens, united Europe, students and mothers, she died in 1399 (aged 25). Sat 18 -Elizabeth Ferard, first Deaconess of the , founded a community of deaconesses who worked in King’s Cross then Notting Hill, died 1883. Sun 19 - Macrina, ruled the roost of a family of saints with charm and grace, both parents (Basil and Emmelia) and her brothers Basil, Gregory and Peter were all canonised, her father died young and she brought up her siblings (including another six who presumably weren’t canonised as they aren’t mentioned). With her mother she founded a small community of nuns, she died 379. Mon 20 - Margaret of Antioch also called Marina, Patron Saint of women, nurses and peasants, invoked in childbirth and against barrenness or loss of milk, probably a fictitious figure, she supposedly suffered tortures including being swallowed by the Devil (in the form of a dragon) and then spat out because the cross she was wearing irritated its throat! The Authorities then tried fire and drowning, eventually succeeding in beheading her in the 3rd or 4th C. - the Prophet, from the Old Testament, the one who was taken up to heaven in a fiery chariot, Patron Saint of Air Forces, civil aeronautics and the Carmelites. - Bartolome de las Casas, a Spaniard who travelled to Haiti then Mexico and championed the native American Indians who were treated very unjustly, he showed great courage and vision and and was a noted theologian, his ideas and teachings still challenge governments and the Church today, called ‘Apostle to the Indies’ died 1566 and - Gregory Lopez, a clean and sensible Spanish living in Mexico, said ‘God works in every soul according to its capacity, necessity and disposition’, studied Scripture and prayed, he died in 1596 Tue 21 – Pergaud was a priest, member of the Canons Regular of the Congregation of France. He was imprisoned on a ship in the harbour of Rochefort and left to die during the anti-Catholic persecutions of the French Revolution. One of the martyrs of the Hulks of Rochefort, died1794 Wed 22 - Mary Magdalen, a faithful follower of Jesus mentioned in the gospels, Patron Saint of repentant sinners and the contemplative life Thu 23 - Bridget of Sweden, wife and mother of eight (including St Catherine of Sweden), founded and became abbess of Vadstena (a Bridgettine) convent, visionary, pilgrim, friend and counsellor to many priests and theologians, Patron Saint of widows, Sweden and Europe, died 1373 and- Valerian, bishop of Cimiez in southern Gaul, had the care of a wild and dissolute flock and tried to encourage them in ways to avoid sin and do good with practical suggestions, died 460? Fri 24 – , converted to Christianity and destroyed all family idols giving the gold & silver to the poor, martyred by her father who tried drowning with a millstone tied to her neck, he cut out her tongue then threw her into a furnace all of which she survived, finally he had her shot full of arrows! Patron saint of archers, mariners and millers, died c 250. Sat 25 - James the Apostle, brother of John and friend of Jesus present during most of the recorded miracles of Jesus, Reading abbey claims to possess the of James’ hand presented as a gift by Empress Matilda!! Patron Saint of Spain, apothecaries, blacksmiths, arthritis sufferers, horse riders, soldiers, vets, pilgrims, labourers, furriers and more, invoked against arthritis and rheumatism, the first apostle to be martyred (by Herod Agrippa) in about 44. and - Christopher, a huge man who supposedly carried the Christ child across a river, Patron Saint of travellers especially motorists and sailors, archers, bachelors, bookbinders, epileptics, gardeners, porters, and many more and invoked against bad dreams, sudden death, toothache and stormy weather martyred at the third attempt in c. 251Suni 26 - Anne and Joachim, parents of the Mary, there are no historical facts about Mary’s parents but various traditions, Anne is Patron Saint of miners, died 1st Century Sun 26 - Titus Brandsma, a theologian in Nijmegen, came from a pious family, (three of his sisters were nuns and a brother became a priest), he wanted to become a Franciscan but health problems prevented that, joined the Carmelites instead. He was a talented linguist and a popular orator, confessor, and journalist. He was spiritual advisor to the Dutch Catholic journalists and his condemnation of the Nazis and his declaration that Catholic publications could not print Nazi propaganda advertisements and still remain Catholic led to his eventual arrest. He was deported to the Dachau concentration camp where he was overworked, underfed and beaten daily, when he could no longer work he was used for medical experiments, martyred 1942 Mon 27 - Brooke Foss Westcott, Bishop of Durham, teacher of the faith, died 1901 - Rudolph Aquaviva, priest and missionary to Goa, India, died 1583 - and - Lillian of Cordoba a lay woman in Moorish controlled 9th C Spain married to St Felix, a covert Christian who was careful not to display enough of her faith to risk the attention of Muslim neighbours, but tales of the persecutions of active Christians shamed her into openly living her faith and she was martyred in 852 Tue 28 – Samson, grew up in South Wales, he was ordained and travelled throughout the Celtic fringe of the south west including the Scillies and Brittany, he was a pioneer in evangelising Cornwall, died 565 Wed 29 - Mary, Martha and Lazarus, friends, and companions of Jesus who provided hospitality and a bed whenever Jesus was near Bethany. Jesus wept at the death of Lazarus and indeed raised him from the dead; Martha recognised Jesus as the Messiah and Jesus commended Mary for her attentiveness to his teaching. They died in 1st Century and - Olaf, a pirate who became (a just but harsh) king of Norway, evangelist, Patron Saint of Norway, died 1030 (only 35) Thu 30 – William Wilberforce, an MP at twenty one, helped to found The Bible Society, social reformer, he worked for years to abolish slavery. died 1833 and - a writer and theologian who became a ‘’ due to his brilliant exposition and skillful defense of Catholic doctrine, he had great language skills and 176 of his sermons have survived. He is invoked against fever and mad dogs, he died 450 in . Fri 31 – Ignatius of Loyola, nobleman and soldier who converted to Catholicism while recovering from a leg wound, devoted his life to prayer and penance and went on to found the Society of Jesus (Jesuits),Patron Saint of retreats and spiritual exercises, soldiers, and many cities, died 1556 and- of Arimathea, all 4 gospels tell us that it was Joseph who recovered the body of Jesus and arranged for its burial, a rich man and a member of the Council, died 1st Century