SAINT DEVOTA

St. Devota

Devota of Corsica V

 Born Mariana, Corsica

Died 303

 Mariana, Corsica

Feastday: January 27

Died: 303

Virgin martyr of Corsica, France, who was slain on the rack. Patroness of Corsica and Monaco, her relics are in Monaco on the Riviera di Ponen

 Died c. 303; feast day formerly January 17. Saint Devota was a young Corsican martyred at Macinaggio by being racked to death during Diocletian's persecutions. Her remains

are interred at the Riviera di Ponenta in Monaco. Some identify her with the martyr Julia, described as "Deo devota," whose description was mistakenly made into a proper name

(Delaney, Farmer). In art, Saint Devota is a dead maiden in a boat on the sea with a dove flying ahead of it (Roeder). She is the patron of Monaco and Corsica

Saint Devota (French: Sainte Dévote; died ca. 303 AD) is the patron saint of Corsica and Monaco. She was killed during the persecutions of Diocletian and Maximian. She is sometimes identified with another Corsican saint named Julia, who was described in Latin as Deo devota ("devoted to God").

Tradition holds that she was a Corsican woman born around 283 AD at Mariana. A young virgin, she had decided to devote herself fully to the service of God. By order of the prefect Barbarus, she was imprisoned and tortured for her faith. Her mouth was crushed, and her body was dragged through rocks and brambles. She was martyred at Mariana by being racked or stoned to death.

After her death, the governor of the province ordered for her body to be burnt to prevent its veneration. However, it was saved from the flames by Christians. Her body was placed on a boat bound for Africa. Gratianus (Graziano), the boat's pilot; Benedict (Benenato), a priest; and Apollinaris, his deacon; believed it would receive proper Christian burial there. However, a storm overtook the boat and a dove flew out from the mouth of the saint. The dove guided the boat to present-day Les Gaumates, today part of the Principality of Monaco, where a chapel dedicated to Saint George already stood.

Her mutilated body was discovered by fishermen. In her honor a chapel was built, which stands in Monaco still. Traditionally, flowers are said to bloom before their season on January 27, the saint's feast day.

SAINT EMERIUS

St. Emerius

 Emerius of Bañoles, OSB, Abbot
Feast day: January 27
Died: 8th century


Benedictine abbot of France, also called Emerus. He founded St. Stephen of Banoles Abbey in Catalonia, Spain. His mother, St. Candida, lived in a hermitage near the abbey.

. French by birth, Saint Emerius founded in Spanish Catalonia and ruled the Benedictine abbey of Saint Stephen of Bañoles (near Gerona) as first abbot

SAINT DATIUS

St. Datius

 Datius, Reatrus (Restius), & Comps.
Feast day: January 27
Died: unknown


African martyr with Reatrus and company, also a second Datius, with Julian, Vincent, and twenty-seven companions. They were slain by Arian Vandals.

 Date unknown. Together with the group listed next, these are two groups of African martyrs

SAINT CANDIDA

St. Candida

 Candida of Bañoles, Widow
Feastday: January 27
Died: 798


Mother of St. Memerius and hermitess. A Spaniard, Candida was a recluse near St. Stephen of Banoles, an abbey close to Garona, Spain.Candida of Bañoles,
 Died near Gerona, Spain, c. 798. Mother of Saint Emerius, Saint Candida founded the abbey of Saint Stephen of Bañoles. She died as a recluse near the monastery

SAINT THEODORIC OF ORLEANS

St. Theodoric of Orleans
Theodoric II of Orléans

Feastday: January 27
Died: 1022


Theodoric of Orleans (d. 1022) + Benedictine bishop, also listed as Theodoric II. Originally a monk in the monastery of Saint-Pierre-le-Vif, at Sens, France, he was named bishop of Orleans after a distinguished period as a royal counselor.


He died on his way to Rome

SAINT AVITUS

St. Avitus


Feast day: January 27
Died: unknown


Martyr of Africa, possibly the St. Avitus venerated in the Canary Islands as an apostle and first bishop.Avitus
 The Roman Martyrology mentions Saint Avitus as an African martyr, who is probably to be identified as the one venerated in the Canary Islands as their apostle

SAINT ANGELA MERICI

Virgin; Founder of the Order of Ursulines

St. Angela Merici

Feastday: January 27

Born 21 March 1474

Desenzano del Garda, Province of Brescia, Lombardy, Italy

Died 27 January 1540 (aged 65)

Brescia, Lombardy, Italy

Honored in Roman Catholic Church

Beatified 30 April 1768, Rome by Pope Clement XIII

Canonized 24 May 1807, Rome by Pope Pius VII

Feast day 27 January

Saint Angela De Merici

Angela Merici, or Angela de Merici, (21 March 1474 – 27 January 1540) was an Italian religious leader and saint. She founded the Order of Ursulines in 1535 in Brescia.

Saint, Angela Merici was born at Desenzano del Garda, a small town on the southwestern shore of Lake Garda in Lombardy. She and her older sister, who she dearly loved, Giana Maria , were left orphans when she was about ten years old. Together they came to live with their uncle in the town of Salo. Young Angela was very distressed when her sister suddenly died without receiving the last sacraments. She joined the Third Order of St Francis, and increased her prayers to God so her sister’s soul could rest in peace. Legend says that she was satisfied by a vision of her sister in the company of the saints in Heaven. People admired Saint Angela because of her hair, she promised herself to God and did not want to be admired so she dyed her hair in soot and water.

Angela's uncle died when she was twenty years old and she returned to her previous home in Desenzano. Angela believed that better Christian education was needed for young girls; she then dedicated her time teaching girls in her home, which she had converted into a school. She later allegedly had another vision that revealed to her that she was to found an association of virgins who were to devote their lives to the religious training of young girls. This was a success and she was invited to start another school in the neighboring city, Brescia. She happily accepted this offer.

According to legend, though not substantiated by any extant documentation, in 1524, while traveling to the Holy Land, St Angela Merici became suddenly blind when she was on the island of Crete. Despite this, St Angela continued her journey to the Holy Places and was ostensibly cured of her blindness, while praying before a crucifix, at the same place where she was struck with blindness a few weeks before.In 1525, she came to Rome to gain the Indulgences of the Jubilee year. While doing this task, Pope Clement VII, who had heard of her virtue and success with her school, invited her to remain in Rome. St Angela disliked notoriety, and she soon returned to Brescia.

On 25 November 1535, St Angela Merici chose twelve virgins and started the foundation of the "Company of St Ursula" near the Church of St Afra, in a small house in Brescia. On 18 March 1537, she was elected "Mother and Mistress" (Superior) of the order. Three years later, she died on 27 January 1540. Her body was clothed in the habit of a Franciscan tertiary and interred in the Church of St Afra, Brescia.

Saint Angela Merici was beatified in Rome on 30 April 1768, by Pope Clement XIII. She was later canonized on 24 May 1807, by Pope Pius VII.

She loved working with children, especially young girls. She was a very loving woman who devoted herself to serving God.

'Bold text'==Sanctuary== In life, Saint Angela Merici often prayed at the tombs of the Brescian martyrs at the Church of St Afra in Brescia. She lived in small rooms that were part of what was then known as the "Monastery of the Lateran Canons." According to her wishes, after her death, she was interred in the Church of St Afra to be near the martyrs remains. There her body remained until the complete destruction of this church and corresponding area due to Allied bombing during the Second World War, on 2 March 1945. This structure and corresponding buildings were afterwards rebuilt and became known as the "Merician Centre."

SAINT EYSTEIN ERLANDSSON

Eystein Erlandsson
Feast day: January 26

 (also known as Austin, Augustine)
 Born in Norway; died at Nidaros (Trondheim), Norway, on January 26, 1188. Saint Eystein, born of a noble family, was educated at Saint-Victor, Paris. When he returned to

Norway, he served as chaplain to King Inge of Norway and, in 1157, was appointed second archbishop of Nidaros (Trondheim). At that time the metropolitan see had been in existence for only five years. In 1152, the Norwegian Church had been reorganized into 10 sees (including Iceland, Greenland, the Orkneys, and the Shetlands) under the archbishopric of Nidaros by an English legate of the Holy See, Cardinal Nicholas Breakspeare, who later became Pope Adrian IV. Eystein's appointment violated the regulations

for canonical appointments established by Breakspeare, but he proved to be the man chosen by God for the work. Upon his appointment as bishop, Eystein went on a pilgrimage to Rome to be consecrated by Pope Alexander III, who gave him the pallium and made him a papal legate a latere. He returned from Rome late in 1161. Eystein labored to strengthen the ties between the Norwegian Church and Rome, implement the Gregorian Reform, and to free the

Church in Norway from interference by the nobles. He brought to the Norwegian Church the practices and customs of the churches of Europe at that time, though celibacy for the clergy was largely unobserved in his country. Perhaps this is the reason he established communities of Augustinian canons regular to set an example for the parochial clergy.

 He crowned the eight-year-old child Magnus as king of Norway at Bergen in 1164, and was closely associated with the boy's father, Jarl Erling Skakke, who approved Eystein's code of laws. Most of Eystein's activities as they have come down to us are matters of the general history of Norway and were directed towards the free action of the spiritual

power among a unified people. This set him on a collision course with Magnus's rival for the throne, Sverre. Eystein was forced to flee to England in 1181 when Sverre claimed the throne on the grounds that he was the illegitimate son of King Sigurd and the rightful heir; from England Eystein excommunicated Sverre.

 In England he stayed at the abbey of Saint Edmundsbury (a.k.a., Bury St. Edmunds), and it was probably there that he wrote his account of Saint Olaf, The passion and miracles of the Blessed Olaf, of which a manuscript was discovered in England. He helped them to obtain from Henry II the free election of Abbot Samson. It is probable, too, that he visited the shrine of Saint Thomas of Canterbury, to whose memory he was very devoted, which later became common in the Norwegian Church. (Eystein may have met Saint

Thomas during the Englishman's exile and saw in him another who struggled to free the Church from secular control.) Eystein returned to Norway in 1183 and was aboard a ship in Bergen Harbor when Sverre's fleet defeated Magnus, causing the king to flee to Denmark. The following year

Magnus was killed in battle, Sverre became king, and Eystein made peace with him. Eystein enlarged Christ Church cathedral, where Saint Olaf was buried; some of his improvements remain to this day.

 After his death, his body was enshrined in Nidaros cathedral. Immediately after his death Eystein was considered a saint, but various papal inquiries were unfinished. Eystein

was proclaimed a saint by a Norwegian synod in 1229. Many miracles occurred at his tomb

SAINT ALPHONSUS OF ASTORGA

Alphonsus of Astorga,

Feast day: January 26
 9th century.
When Saint Alphonsus retired from his episcopal office in Astorga, he became a monk at the abbey of Saint Stephen de Ribas de Sil in Spanish Galicia

BLESSED MICHAL KOZAL

Bl. Michal Kozal


Feast day: January 26
1893 - 1943
Beatified By: Pope John Paul II


Blessed Michal (Michael) Kozal is one of the many children of Poland, who witnessed with their strong faith, the identity of Catholics, thousands dying in the notorious concentration camps and extermination Germans. Pope John Paul II beatified him in Warsaw on June 14, 1987, during one of his first pilgrimages to their common homeland of Poland.

Michael Kozal was born September 25, 1893 in the small village of Nowy Folwark, parish of Krotoszyn, nell’archidiocesi Poznan in Poland. His parents were called John Kozal and Marianna Placzek, grew up and was educated in a large family, which was poor but very religious. Having demonstrated exemplary elementary school and an innate fondness for everything that was sacred, on the advice of teachers on April 27, 1905, he was entered in the gymnasium Krotoszyn, which he attended for nine years as always first class.

During the school he knew the clandestine Catholic organization “Thomas Zen Association,” which opposed the policy of germanization in schools and which in recent years ginnasiali became president.

Aft
er Graduating in 1914, Michael Kozal enrolled in the seminar Leonium Poznan and his studies were affected by the outbreak of the First World War ended so ended in Gniezno, then he was ordained a priets in the cathedral on February 23, 1918.

In the intervening years he had various pastoral assignments in some towns, whose names are so difficult for us to speak and read, being appreciated for his zeal and dedication, while completing his theological studies with excellent results. Edmondo Dalbor the cardinal archbishop of Gniezno, September 29, 1922 ,appointed him prefect of the Catholic school of humanities female Bydgoszcz in 1927 and named him the spiritual father of the Major Seminary of Gniezno. The priest and his spiritual guide, was so successful that on September 25, 1929 he was appointed rector of the seminary, despite the fact that among all the teachers, he was the only one who did not have an academic degree.

So he spent a decade, marked by his prudent and exemplary leadership to the students. Pope Pius XII on June 12, 1939 appointed him auxiliary bishop of Wloclawek with the title of bishop holds Lappa, he was consecrated in the Cathedral of the city on August 13, 1939.

A few days later on September 1, the Nazi troops invaded Poland and burst into the Second World War, the horrors and devastation of which were brought to the whole world. Bishop Kozal became a point of reference and comfort to the frightened people of Wloclawek and, despite repeated invitations of the Polish authorities to move away from the city, he strongly wanted to remain with his people and administer the diocese after September 6, the Bishop Mgr. Radonski.

His pastoral service throughout lasted just 22 months; the Germans came into the city September 14, and began a systematic dismantling of the Church, the Catholic publications were suppressed, buildings belonging to churches and religious institutions were seized, the clergy arrested. Faced with the terror unleashed by the Nazis, the bishop Kozal protested vigorously but in vain with the authorities of occupation, the abuse made to the Church. This resulted in an order to report to the Gestapo, among other things that were asked were sermons in German, but he agreed and not providing for his next stop, was preparing a case to the indispensable.

In fact, November 7, 1939, he was arrested along with other priests and imprisoned in the jail of the city, which was also served for solitary confinement and torture. On January 16, 1940 he was transferred with other seminarians and priests at the Salesian a Lad under house arrest, from where he could secretly have contact with the diocese and reorganize the seminary. From his window, he could see the passage of the crowds of the deportees, so there were no illusions about his fate, he even decided to offer his life to God for the salvation of the Church and of his beloved Poland.

While other clerics were deported to several concentration camps, Msgr. Michael Kozal Lad was left with seven priests and a deacon, but despite the efforts of the Holy See to save them, on April 3, 1941they, too, were deported to the concentration camp of Inowroclaw, where the bishop reported injuries to the legs and all left ear, for the torture inflicted on them by the Nazis. On April 25 of 1941, they were transferred to the notorious camp Dachau, Bishop Kozal was assigned the number 24544, the torture suffered daily, especially Catholic priests, it said an epidemic of typhus, which hit a huge number of deported.

Mgr. Kozal fu colpito dalla malattia in forma grave e il 25 gennaio 1943 fu trasferito insieme a suo cugino padre Ceslao Kozal, nella baracca dei malati denominata ‘Revier’; il giorno seguente venne visitato dai medici e il loro capo gli fece un’iniezione nel braccio Right after a few minutes and Msgr. Kozal died.

The testimony of his cousin was crucial, because he heard from the group of doctors, the phrase: “Now is the easiest way to eternity.” It is not known what poison has been injected, and his body on 30 January 1943 was incinerated in the crematorium at Dachau. In the cathedral of Wloclawek was as stone monument was erected in 1954, commemorating the martyrdom of Bishop Michael Kozal and 220 other priests of the diocese, who died in Dachau. The day of the liturgical celebration of Blessed Michael Kozal is January 26.

SAINT ROBERT OF NEWMISTER

St. Robert of Newmister


Feast day: January 26
1100 - 1159


Cistercian abbot. Born in Yorkshire, England, he entered the Benedictines at Whitby and soon joined the monks at Fountains Abbey who were adopting the harder rule which was gaining prominence at the time. This community embraced the Cistercian rule, and the monastery became one of the spearhead communities for the Cistercians in England. In 1137, Robert helped to found Newminster Abbey, in Northumberland, serving as its first abbot.


Saint Robert was born in the district of Craven, near Skipton in North Yorkshire, probably in the village of Gargrave. He studied at the University of Paris, where he is said to have composed a commentary - since lost - on the Psalms. He became a parish priest, returning to serve in his hometown of Gargrave, where he was made rector. He later became a Benedictine at Whitby, joining a band of monks from Saint Mary's Abbey in York. They established a monastery in winter of 1132 in a valley near Skeldale, on land given them by Archbishop Thurston. The first two years were difficult, and the monks struggled in extreme poverty. Initially they lived in a makeshift structure on the banks of the River Skell. But despite the hardships, the monks were known for their holiness, austerity, and dedication to the strict Benedictine way of life. Eventually, their fame brought a new novice, Hugh, Dean of York, who relinquished all his wealth to the community, and allowed for the building of more suitable facilities. Because of the many natural springs in the area, the monastery was called Fountains Abbey. St Robert was described as a devout, prayerful, and gentle man. While he is known for being merciful in his judgment of others, and a warm and considerate campanion, he was also very zealous toward his own vows of poverty.

Cistercian and abbot

St Robert received his abbot's permission to join the founders of the Cistercian monastery of Fountains. About 1138 he headed the first colony sent out from Fountains and established the Abbey of Newminster near the castle of Ralph de Merlay, at Morpeth in Northumberland. During his abbacy three colonies of monks were sent out to found new monasteries. The monasteries were established at Pipewell (1143), Roche (1147), and Sawley (1148).

Location of Relics and Miracles associated with Saint Robert

Saint Robert's relics are located in the church at Newminster, and miracles have been reported at his tomb. In one instance, a monk is said to have fallen unhurt from a ladder while working on one of the buildings. His tomb has become a center for pilgrimage. St Robert was a close spiritual friend of the hermit Saint Godric. On the night Robert died, St Godric is said to have seen a vision of Robert's soul, like a ball of fire, being lifted by angels on a pathway of light toward the gates of heaven. As they approached, Godric heard a voice saying, "Enter now my friends."

St Robert is often depicted in church art as an abbot holding a church. His feast day is celebrated on June 7, the day of his death.

SAINT CONAN

St. Conan


Feast day: January 26
Died: 648


A bishop of Ireland, possibly from Scotland. It is believed that Conan taught St. Fiacre before going to the Isle of Man, where he served as a missionary and was consecrated bishop.


Bishop of the Isle of Man, died January, 684; an Irish missionary, also known as Mochonna. He is not to be confounded with St. Conindrius, who is said to have been a disciple of St. Patrick, and to have lived to be a very advanced age (17 November, 560). The Bollandists place St. Conan amongst the early bishops of Man, and Colgan gives an account of his life and labours. Unfortunately the history of the Isle of Man in the fifth and sixth centuries is very obscure, and it is difficult to get at definite facts, yet St. Conan, or Mochonna, who is also described as "Bishop of Inis-Patrick" left a distinct impress of his zeal for souls in Manxland. Some authorities give the date of his death as 26 January, but Colgan, quoting from the ancient Irish martyrologies, gives 13 January, on which day St. Conan's feast is observed.

SAINT TITUS

St. Titus



Feast day: January 26
Died: 96


A disciple and companion of St. Paul to whom the great saint addressed one of his letters. Paul referred to Titus as "my true child in our common faith". Not mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, he was noted in Galatians where Paul writes of journeying to Jerusalem with Barnabas, accompanied by Titus. He was then dispatched to Corinth, Greece, where he successfully reconciled the Christian community there with Paul, its founder. Titus was later left on the island of Crete to help organize the Church, although he soon went to Dalmatia, Croatia. According to Eusebius of Caesarea in the Ecclesiastical Histor y, he served as the first bishop of Crete. He was buried in Cortyna (Gortyna), Crete; his head was later translated to Venice during the invasion of Crete by the Saracens in 832 and was enshrined in St. Mark’s, Venice, Italy.


 1st century; feast days formerly January 4 (according to the Roman Martyrology) and February 6 (from the time of Pius IX until the revision of the Roman Calendar in 1970); the Greeks and Syrians keep his feast on August 25. Titus was a Gentile (Acts 18:7), probably born in Gortyna, Crete. He was converted by Saint Paul and became one of Paul's favorite disciples and his secretary. Saint Paul refers to him as "my true child after a common faith" (Titus 1:4). He acted as Saint Paul's secretary and travelled with him to the Council of Jerusalem, where Paul refused to allow him to be circumcised.

 Paul sent Titus to Corinth to settle dissension, and again later to collect alms for the poor Christians of Jerusalem. Saint Paul ordained him the first bishop of Crete. Paul's letter to Titus certainly leaves that impression. He met Paul in Epirus and later Paul sent a letter to him from Macedonia giving directions on spiritual matters and the proper performance of a good bishop. After travelling to Dalmatia he returned to Crete, where he probably died an old man.

 The untrustworthy Acts of Titus, supposedly written by Zenas the lawyer (Titus 3:13), say that Titus was a royal descendent born on Crete, and he went to Judea at age 20 after receiving a divine command; other equally unreliable sources say he was born at Iconium or Corinth.

 Titus was presumably buried at Gortnya (Crete). His head was brought to Venice after the invasion of the Saracens in 823, and it is venerated in Saint Mark's (Attwater, Attwater2, Benedictines, Butler, Coulson, Delaney, Farmer, White).

 Titus is portrayed in art bareheaded, in a chasuble with a pastoral staff; or with a bright, smiling face (White). According to Roeder, he is pictured as a bishop with a palm, lion of

Saint Mark, and the words Provincia Candiae above him; often there is a radiance beaming from his face (Roeder). Saint Titus is invoked against free-thinkers

SAINT THORDGITH

St. Thordgith

Tortgith  of Barking, ,
 (also known as Theorigitha, Thordgith, Thorctgyd)

Feas tday: January 26
Died: 700


Benedictine nun at the abbey of Barking, England, also called Theoregitha. She served as the novice-mistress in the community under St. Ethelburga.

 Died c. 681-700; feast day sometimes given as January 25. Tortgith, novice-mistress of Barking Abbey under Saint Etheldreda, was the friend of its founder, Saint Ethelburga.

She is described as a miracle of patience under suffering, zeal, and care for the young. She suffered paralysis for six years (669-675) and experienced a vision of Ethelburga just before the abbess's death. Three years later, after losing her power of speech, too, she had another vision and spoke with Ethelburga about her imminent death. Her words

but not those of Ethelburga were recorded by witnesses and sent to the Venerable Bede

SAINT THEOFRID

St. Theofrid
Theofrid of Corbie
 (also known as Theofroy)
Feast day: January 26
Died: 690


Abbot of Corbie, in France, and bishop. Theofrid was a Benedictine trained at Luxcuil Abbey.. Saint Theofrid was a monk of Luxeuil who became abbot of Corbie in 622 and a regionary bishop

SAINT ATHANASIUS

St. Athanasius


Feastday: January 26
Died: unknown


Bishop honored in Sorrento in southern Italy.



Athanasius of Sorrento
. Nothing is known about this saint who is honored at Sorrento in southern Italy. He may be identical to Saint Athanasius of Naples

SAINT ANSURIUS

St. Ansurius

 Ansurius of Orense, OSB B (AC)
 (also known as Aduri, Asurius, Isauri)
Feastday: January 26
Died: 925


Bishop and Benedictine monk, also called Isauri. In 915, Ansurius was elected the bishop of Orense, Spanish Galicia, Spain, and founded the abbey of Ribas de Sil. After seven years, he retired his see and entered Ribas de Sil.

 Died 925. Saint Ansurius was bishop of Orense in Spanish Galicia and helped in the foundation of the Benedictine abbey of Ribas de Sil. He was elected to the see in 915 and

in 922 he resigned and became a monk at the monastery he helped to found. After his death he was venerated there, together with seven other bishops who had followed his

example

SAINT ALBERIC OF CITEAUX

St. Alberic of Cîteaux

Feast day: January 26

Founder of the Cistercian Order

Born Cîteaux

Died 26 January 1108

Alberic of Cîteaux, OSB, Abbot

 (also known as Aubrey)

 Died at Cîteaux (near Dijon), Burgundy, France, on January 26, 110

The Virgin Mary, patroness of the Order, gives St. Alberic the white Cistercian Cuculla

8. A hermit in the forest at Collan near Châtillon- sur-Seine, France, Saint Alberic and fellow hermits built a monastery at Molesmes in 1075. There the abbot, Saint Robert, introduced the Rule of Saint Benedict and Alberic served as prior. The monastery flourished, but new monks were quick to modify the strict rule; Robert left in despair to live as a hermit elsewhere and Alberic was imprisoned. In 1093, he left too with the Englishman Saint Stephen Harding to live as hermits, but the bishop of Langres commanded them to return to their monastery. Alberic returned and was unsuccessful in reforming the monastery. In 1098, twenty-one dissatisfied monks left Molesmes and established a new monastery in the wilderness at Cîteaux on land donated to them by the viscount of Beaune. They were joined by Saint Robert, who became their as abbot, while Alberic served as prior, and Saint Stephen Harding as subprior. Thus the trio became the co-founders of the Cistercians, although their aim was to live the Rule of Saint Benedict rather than to found a new order. (The name 'Cistercian' comes from the Latin name of its cradle, Cistertium

(Cîteaux in Burgundy).)

 Robert returned to Molesmes in 1100 and Alberic was elected abbot. He restored the primitive Benedictine rule and added new austerities to it, thus putting his stamp on the Cistercian observance, though his successor, Stephen Harding, was mainly responsible for the characteristics associated with the order: the extended use of lay brothers, and the almost puritan attitude toward the Benedictine rule and to customary monastic tradition as well as to Romanesque artforms. Nevertheless, during the years of his abbacy the foundations were laid of what was quickly to grow from a single obscure house into an influential religious order, which still exists.

 The old Cistercian martyrology adds: "He had a filial devotion to our Lady, from whom he received the white cowl." It could also be that the white habit was adopted as an economy because unbleached wool was less expensive than dyed wool. Alberic set the example of humble poverty and hard work in God's service; when he died his

successor Stephen told the community, "You have lost a revered father and spiritual guide; I have lost, not only a father and guide, but a friend and fellow soldier of the Lord . .

. who carried us all in his heart with affectionate love"

SAINT TIMOTHY

St. Timothy

Bishop
Born AD 17
Died AD 80 Ephesus
Feastday: January 26

Timothy ( Timótheos, meaning "honouring God"or "honored by God" was a first-century Christian bishop who died around the year 80. The New Testament indicates that Timothy traveled with Saint Paul, who was also his mentor. He is addressed as the recipient of the Epistles to Timothy.


Born at Lystra, Lycaenia, Timothy was the son of a Greek father and Eunice, a converted Jewess. He joined St. Paul when Paul preached at Lystra replacing Barnabas, and became Paul's close friend and confidant. Paul allowed him to be circumcised to placate the Jews, since he was the son of a Jewess, and he then accompanied Paul on his second missionary journey. When Paul was forced to flee Berea because of the enmity of the Jews there, Timothy remained, but after a time was sent to Thessalonica to report on the condition of the Christians there and to encourage them under persecution, a report that led to Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians when he joined Timothy at Corinth. Timothy and Erastus were sent to Macedonia in 58, went to Corinth to remind the Corinthians of Paul's teaching, and then accompanied Paul into Macedonia and Achaia. Timothy was probably with Paul when the Apostle was imprisoned at Caesarea and then Rome, and was himself imprisoned but then freed. According to tradition, he went to Ephesus, became its first bishop, and was stoned to death there when he opposed the pagan festival of Katagogian in honor of Diana. Paul wrote two letters to Timothy, one written about 65 from Macedonia and the second from Rome while he was in prison awaiting execution. His feast day is January 26.

SAINT ANNANIAS OF DAMASCUS

Ananias of Damascus

Feast day: January 25

 1st century.
 Ananias was the follower of The Way who was commanded by the Lord to seek out Saul. By laying his hands upon the Pharisee, Ananias restored Saul's eyesight and then he baptized him (Acts 9:10-19). Thus, one act of trust in God brought to Christianity one of its greatest missionaries, Paul. According to tradition, Ananias worked as a missionary in Damascus and Eleutheropolis, and ultimately suffered martyrdom

SAINT JOEL OF PULSANO

Joel of Pulsano, OSB, Abbot

Feast day: January 25
 Died 1185. Saint Joel was a disciple of Saint John of Matera, founder of the Benedictine Congregation of Pulsano. Saint Joel was its third general

SAINT PUBLIUS

Publius of Zeugma, Abbot

Feast day: January 25
 Died c. 380.
 Saint Publius, son of a senator, sold his entire estate, including household goods in order to provide for the poor and then became a hermit at Zeugma on the Euphrates in Syria. He later gathered his disciples into a large community, which he housed in two separate buildings, one for Greeks and the other for Syrians. Each celebrated the liturgies and divine office in his native tongue. He led them in severe asceticism and intense devotion. For food they were permitted only herbs, pulse, dry bread, and water, except during the Octave of Easter. Each day he added something new to his exercises of perance and devotion in order to use his time well. He considered the longing of the souls in purgatory to relive in devotion some of the time they frittered away. His cultus is chiefly in Greece

SAINT POPPO

Poppo of Stavelot abbot of Stavelot-Malmedy
Born 977 Deinze, now in Belgium
Died 25 January 1048
Marchiennes now in France)

Feast day: January 25
978 - 1048
Saint Poppo (Deinze, 977 – Marchiennes, 25 January 1048), of noble descent, was a typical noble knight before experiencing a spiritual conversion and, turning to monastic life he became one of the best known abbots of Stavelot. He is the first recorded Flemish pilgrims to the Holy Land. Liturgically he is commerated the 25 January.


Abbot, born 977; died at Marchiennes, 25 January, 1048. He belonged to a noble family of Flanders; his parents were Tizekinus and Adalwif. About the year 1000 he made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with two others of his countrymen. Soon after this he also went on a pilgrimage to Rome. He was about to marry a lady of noble family, when an impressive experience led him to seek another mode of life. As he was journeying late at night a flame burst forth over his head and his lance radiated a brilliant light. He believed this to be an illumination of the Holy Spirit, and soon after, 1005, he entered the monastery of St. Thierry at Reims. About 1008 Abbot Richard of St. Vannes at Verdun, who was a zealous reformer of monasteries in the spirit of the reform of Cluny, took Poppo with him to his monastery. Richard made Poppo prior of St. Vaast d'Arras, in the Diocese of Cambrai, about 1013. Here Poppo proved himself to be the right man for the position, reclaimed the lands of the monastery from the rapacious vassals, and secured the possession of the monastery by deeds. Before 1016 he was appointed to the same position at Vasloges (Beloacum, Beaulieu) in the Diocese of Verdun. In 1020 the Emperor Henry II, who had become acquainted with Poppo in 1016, made him abbot of the royal Abbeys of Stablo (in Lower Lorraine, now Belgium) and Malmedy. Richard was very unwilling to lose him. Poppo also received in 1023 the Abbey of St. Maximin at Trier, and his importance became still greater during the reign of Conrad II. From St. Maximin the Cluniac reform now found its way into the German monasteries. The emperor placed one royal monastery after another under Poppo's control or supervision, as Limburg an der Hardt, Echternach, St. Gislen, Weissenburg, St. Gall, Hersfeld, Waulsort, and Hostières. In the third decade of the century Poppo gave these positions as abbot to his pupils. The bishops and laymen who had founded monasteries placed a series of other monasteries under his care, as St. Laurence at Liège, St. Vincent at Metz, St. Eucharius at Trier, Hohorst, Brauweiler, St. Vaast, Marchiennes, etc. However, the Cluniac reform had at the time no permanent success in Germany, because the monks were accustomed to a more independent and individual way of action and raised opposition. After 1038 the German court no longer supported the reform.

Personally Poppo practised the most severe asceticism. He had no interest in literary affairs, and also lacked the powers of organization and centralization. Neither was he particularly prominent in politics, and in the reign of Henry III he was no longer a person of importance. Death overtook him while he was on a journey on behalf of his efforts at monastic reform. His funeral took place in the presence of a great concourse of people at Stab

SAINT PRAEJECTUS

Statue of Saint Prejectus (Pry) at Saint-Prix, Val-d'Oise.

St. Praejectus


Born Auvergne
Died January 25, 676 Volvic


Feast day: January 25
Died: 676


Praejectus (d. 676) + Martyred bishop of Clermont, also called Prest, Prix, and Projectus. Bom in Auvergne, France, he studied under Bishop Genesius and was himself appointed bishop of Clermont in 666. Known for his zeal and learning, he also promoted monasticism, built churches and hospitals, and was conspicuous in his help for the poor. He was assassinated near Clermont, with St. Amarin, abbot of a monastery in the Vosges, by a group of soldiers who thought he had taken part in the execution of their leader who had been accused of conspiring against King Childeric of Austrasia.



Praejectus of Clermont
 (also known as Prix, Priest, Prest, Preils, Projectus)
 & Amarinus, OSB Abbot M (RM)
 Died at Clermont, on January 25, 676. Saint Praejectus was born in the Auvergne, France. He was ordained a priest and then became bishop of Clermont in Auvergne with the approval of Childeric II in 666. Not only was Praejectus a great administrator and a fosterer of monasticism, he was also a man of wisdom, learning and generosity, and a great preacher. He founded monasteries, hospitals, and churches. Under his guidance, religious fervor became general. He was slain by evil-doers at Volvic in the Vosges together with Saint Amarinus, an abbot of a monastery there (the valley of Saint- Amarian in Alsace is named after the latter). This tragic event was the result of machinations. Hector, ruler of Marseilles, was accused of various outrages and misdemeanors. At the order of Emperor Childeric, he was arrested and executed. Agritius, believing that Hector's fate was the work of Praejectus, planned revenge. Praejectus was stabbed to death with a sword--his brains splattered on the ground.

 A contemporary account was written of his life and achievements and within a short time Praejectus was venerated as a martyr and his cultus spread to English monastic calendars and the sacramentary of Saint Gregory. In France, churches were dedicated to Saint-Prix in almost every province. In 760, his body was enshrined at Flavigny, where most of them remain. Some were given to the Cluniac abbeys of Saint-Prix at Saint-Quentin's and that in Bethune, as well as other places

SAINT PETER THOMAS

St. Peter Thomas
Archbishop of Crete, Latin Patriarch of Constantinople
Born 1305 Périgord
Died 1366 Famagusta

Feastday: January 25
1305 - 1366
aint Peter Thomas entered the Carmelites when he was twenty-one.

He was chosen by the Order as its procurator general to the Papal Court of Pope Clement VI at Avignon.

In 1354 he was being made bishop of Patti and Lipari.

In 1363 he was appointed Archbishop of Crete and 1364 Latin Patriarch of Constantinople.

Carmelite Latinpatriarch and papal legate. Peter was born in Gascony, France and joined the Carmelites while still a young man. In 1342 he was appointed procurator of the order and, from Avignon, he oversaw the organization and government of the Carmelites. As Avignon was then the seat of the popes, he entered into their service, attracting papal attention because of his skills as a preacher and his eloquence. Named to the papal diplomatic service, he held the post of papal legate to Genoa, Milan, and Venice, and was appointed bishop of Patti and Lipari in 1354, bishop of Coron in 1359, archbishop of Candia in 1363, and titular Patriarch of Constantinople in 1364. At the behest of Pope Urban V, he journeyed to Serbia, Hungary, and Constantinople in an effort to organize a crusade against the Turks. He took part in a military operation against Alexandria, Egypt, in 1365 during which he was severely wounded. He died from his injuries at Cyprus a few months later. While never formally canonized, his feast was permitted to the Carmelites in 1608.

SAINT MAURUS

St. Maurus


Feastday: January 25
Died: 6th century


With Placid, Benedictines, disciples of St. Benedict. Maurus was the son of a Roman noble. At the age of twelve he became St. Benedict’s assistant and possibly succeeded him

as abbot of Subiaco Abbey in 525 . Pope St. Gregory I the Great wrote of Maurus and Placid in his Dialogues. In liturgical art, Maurus is depicted saving Placid from drowning.

Their cult is now restricted to local calendars

SAINT RACHO

St. Racho


Feast day: January 25
Died: 660

Racho of Autun
 (also known as Ragnobert)


First Bishop of Autun, France, under the Franks. He is also listed as Ragnobert. It is believed that St. Leodegarius was his successor

SAINTS JUVENTIUS AND MAXIMUS

St. Juventius & Maximus


Feastday: January 25
Died: 363


Martyred members of the imperial guard in the service of Emperor Julian the Apostate. When they protested the emperor’s edicts on the veneration of relics, they were arrested, scourged, and beheaded at Antioch, Syria. St. John Chrysostom wrote their eulogy.


 Died at Antioch, Syria, January 25, 363. Saint Juventius and Maximinus were footguards in the army of Julian the Apostate, who were martyred because they were overheard decrying the emperor's edicts against the veneration of relics during a campaign against the Persians. Called before Julian, they were stripped of their estates, scourged, and beheaded when they refused to recant and sacrifice to the gods. At risk to their own lives, other Christians stole away the bodies of the martyrs and, after Julian's death in Persia the following June, erected a magnificent tomb for the relics.

SAINT EOCHOD

St. Eochod of Galloway


Feast day: January 25
Died: 597


The Apostle of the Picts of Galloway, Scotland. He was one of the twelve chosen by St. Columba to evangelize northern Britain.One of Saint Columba's twelve companions, Saint Eochod was chosen by Columba to evangelize northern Britain. He is called the Apostle of the Picts of Galloway

SAINT DWYNWEN

St. Dwynwen

Feast day: January 25

A Welsh saint credited with the saying: “Nothing wins hearts like cheerfulness.” A member of the family of Brychan of Brecknock, she is venerated throughout Wales and Cornwall, England

 (also known as Donwen, Donwenna, Dunwen, Dwyn)

 Died c. 460. A Welsh saint of the family of Saint Brychan of Brecknock, Dwynwen coined the maxim, "nothing wins hearts like cheerfulness." She settled in Anglesey, where the places names Llanddwyn and Porthdwyn recall her memory. Her church there was the destination of the sick and especially young men and women because she is the patron of Welsh lovers. Baring-Gould explains the reason for her patronage in The Golden Legend. Maelon wished to marry Dwynwen but she rejected him and prayed to be delivered. She dreamed that she was given a drink that cured her, but the drink turned Maelon to ice. Then she made three requests: that Maelon be defrosted, that all true-hearted lovers should either succeed in their quest or else be cured of their passion, and that she should never wish to be married. Accordingly, she became a nun. 

 In the Middle Ages Llanddwyn was a rich church due to the offerings left at the shrine and holy well by pilgrims. The movement of the fish in the holy well were believed to indicate the destiny of those who consulted it. This superstitious practice and the invocation of Dwynwen to cure sick animals survived the Reformation, probably because of its relative isolation. Churches dedicated to her are to be found in Wales and Cornwall.

SAINT DONATUS

St. Donatus

Saint Donatus of Zadar

Bishop

Born Louth, Ireland

Died 811

Feastday: January 25

Martyr with Sabinus and Agape. Nothing is known of their martyrdom.

Saint Donatus (second half of 8th century Zadar – first half of 9th century) was an Irishman who became a Dalmatian bishop and a diplomat of the city of Zadar.

Donatus is mentioned in Frankish annals from 805 as an ambassador of the Dalmatian cities to Charlemagne in Thionville. Donatus began construction on the cathedral at Zadar: the church of the Holy Trinity (finished in the beginning of the 9th century), which in 15th century changed was renamed the Church of St. Donatus.

The marble sarcophagus in the cathedral preserves the relics of the Sirmian martyr St. Anastasia with an inscription dating from Donatus' time. According to tradition, St. Donatus brought the relics to Zadar from Constantinople, when he was there with the Venetian duke Beato. They had been ordered by Charlemagne to negotiate the border between the Byzantine Empire and Croatian territories that were in dominion of Frankish Empire of Charlemagne.

Church of St. Donatus in Zadar.

Donatus died around 811, and was buried in his church of the Holy Trinity (today the Church of St. Donatus). After 1809, following the French occupation of Zadar, his bones were transferred to the Cathedral of St. Anastasia where they lie to this date.

The Feast of St. Donatus is celebrated on February 25.

SAINT BRETANNION

St. Bretannion
Feast day: January 25
Died: 380
++Bretannion of Tomi

Bishop of Tomi, Romania, on the Black Sea. He was exiled by Emperor Valens for opposing the Arian heresy. The people of Tomi, however, forced the emperor to restore him to his see.When Saint Bretannion bravely defended the divinity of Christ, the Arian Emperor Valens exiled him from his see of Tomi in Scythia on the Black Sea (near the mouth of the Danube). But Bretannion was so beloved by his flock that Valens was compelled by popular discontent to recall Bretannion



Saint Bretannio (Bretanion, Bretannion, Vetranio, Vetranion) was a bishop of Tomi (today Constanţa, Romania) during the fourth century. Of Cappadocian origin, he occupied the see of Tomi from 360.

According to Sozomen, during the campaign against the Goths in this region, the emperor Valens stopped at Tomi and urged the populace to convert to Arianism and reject the Nicene Creed. Bretannio spoke out against this and for this he was exiled. However, due to public outcry over the bishop’s exile, he was allowed to return.

Basil the Great requested of the ruler of Scythia Minor, Junius Soranus (Saran), that he should send him the relics of saints of that region. Basil was sent the relics of Sabbas the Goth in Caesarea, Cappadocia, in 373 or 374 accompanied by a letter, the 'Epistle of the Church of God in Gothia to the Church of God located in Cappadocia and to all the Local Churches of the Holy Universal Church'. The sending of Sabbas' relics and the writing of the actual letter has been attributed to Bretannio. This letter is the oldest known writing to be composed on Romanian soil and was written in Greek.

He may have represented Tomi at the council held in Constantinople in 381, but his name may have been confused with the name of the bishop Gerontius (Terentius) of Tomi, who may have been the actual participant at this council.Baronio, in compiling his martyrology, seems to have arbitarirly assigned him the feast day of January 25.

Bretannio is mentioned by Theodoret as well.

SAINT ARTEMAS

St. Artemas

 Artemas of Pozzuoli

Feastday: January 25
Died: unknown


Martyr of Pozzuoli, Italy. He is traditionally described as a teenage boy in the Roman Empire who was stabbed to death with iron pens by pagan school classmates. This legend is doubtful, but Artemas was martyred at Pozzuoli, near Capua, in the fifth century, perhaps earlier.  Artemas is a presumed martyr celebrated in the Basilica of San Prisco near Capua, where he was named and depicted in mosaics that have since vanished. He is said to have been a boy of Pozzuoli (Puteoli near Capua) who was stabbed to death with iron pens by his pagan schoolmates. It seems, however, that the entire story is a pious fiction.

SAINT APOLLO

St. Apollo



Feast day: January 25
Died: 395


Egyptian hermit, founder, and miracle worker. Apollo was born in Egypt and spent forty years in the desert region around Thebes. He then founded a community of monks in Hermopol, Egypt, ultimately numbering five hundred, and became their abbot. Apollo was eighty years old when he made this foundation. He was noted for his miracles.



Apollo of Heliopolis, Abbot

. Saint Apollo was an Egyptian hermit for 40 years until his 80th year, when he left the desert to fight Julian the Apostate and became abbot of over 500 monks near Hermopolis (or Heliopolis). Members of his community wore a coarse white habit and received daily communion. Daily Saint Apollo urged his sons to spiritual joy and cheerfulness because they are the fruit of charity and requisite to support the fervor of the soul amid tears of penance. His own unquenchable joy shone on his countenance, yet in his humility he counted himself among the goats, rather than the sheep. As is the case with many other saints, Apollo constantly petitioned God that he might know himself in order to avoid the subtle snares and the illusions of pride. Among the many astonishing miracles recorded about Saint Apollo was his exorcising of the devil, who cried out that he was not able to withstand the saint's humility. He is also said to have kept his monks alive for four months during a famine by miraculously multiplying bread. In 393, Saint Petronius, who later became bishop of Bologna, visited Apollo

SAINT AMARINUS

St. Amarinus


Feast day: January 25
Died: 676


Benedictine martyr, companion of St. Priest, or Praejectus. Amarinus was bishop of Clermont, France. The valley of Saint Amarian in Alsace, France, is named in his honor.

BLESSED CADOC

BL.Cadoc
Feast day: January 24
 (also known as Docus, Cathmael, Cadvael, Codocus)
 Died c. 580. The Benedictines call this saint Cadoc of Llancarvan because, like many others, they confuse him with the more famous Welsh monk named Cadoc This Cadoc was the Scottish saint to whom Cambusland is dedicated (Farmer, Watson).

BLESSED FELIX O' DULLANY

Blessed Felix O'Dullany, OSB Cist.
Feast day: January 24
 Died 1202. Blessed Felix, an Irish Cistercian monk, probably of Jerpoint, Kilkenny, was consecrated bishop of Ossory in 1178 and resided in Aghaoe. He is venerated by the Cistercians as a beatus

BLESSED GUASACHT OF GRANARD

Guasacht of Granard
Feast day: January 24
 4th century. Guasacht was the son of Maelchu (Miluic), the master under whom Saint Patrick worked as a slave in Ireland. Maelchu set fire to his home, locked the doors, and perished in the flames rather than meet Patrick again. Guasacht, however, was converted by Patrick, whom he helped in the evangelization of Ireland, both as a layman and later as bishop of Granard (County Longford). His two sisters, known as the Emers, also became Christians and religious

BLESSED MARCOLINO AMANNI

Blessed Marcolino Amanni,

Feast day: January 24
 (also known as Marcolino of Forlì)
 Born at Forlì in 1317; died January 2, 1397; cultus confirmed in 1750. Marcolino Amanni entered the Dominicans at age 10. He occupies a place unique in Dominican annals because he was almost purely contemplative .

 There is outwardly little to record of Blessed Marcolino, except that for 70 years he kept the Dominican Rule in all its rigor. That is a claim to sanctity that can be made by very few, and is of itself enough to entitle him to canonization. He did accomplish the reform of several convents that had fallen from their primitive fervor, but this he did by his prayers and his example rather than by teaching or preaching.

 It is related that Marcolino was most at home with the lay brothers, or with the neighborhood children who enjoyed talking to him. He seldom went out of his cell, and could not have engaged in any active works; neither did he leave any writings. His work was the unseen labor presided over by the Holy Spirit, the work of contemplation.

 "To give to others the fruits of contemplation," is the Dominican motto and one might be curious to know how Blessed Marcolino accomplished this. In order to understand the need for just such a type of holiness, it is well to remember the state of the Church in the 14th century. Devastated by plague and schism, divided and held up to scorn, preyed upon by all manner of evils, the Church militant was in need, not only of brave and intelligent action, but also of prayer. Consistently through the centuries, God has raised up such saints as could best avert the disasters that threatened the world in their day, and Marcolino was one answer to the need for mystics who would plead ceaselessly for the Church.

 The interior life of Marcolino was not recorded by himself or by others. He lived the mystical life with such intensity that he was nearly always in ecstasy and unconscious of the things around him. Some one of his brothers recorded that he seemed "a stranger on earth, concerned only with the things of heaven." Most of his brethren thought him merely sleepy and inattentive, but actually he was, for long periods, lost in converse with God. Some had heard him talking earnestly to the statue of Our Lady in his cell; some fortunate few had heard Our Lady replying to his questions, with the same simplicity.

 At the death of Marcolino, a beautiful child appeared in the streets, crying out the news to the little town that the saintly friar was dead. As the child disappeared when the message was delivered, he was thought to have been an angel. Many miracles were worked at the tomb of Marcolino. One was the miraculous cure of a woman who had been bedridden for 30 years. Hearing of the death of the blessed, she begged him to cure her so that she could visit his tomb

SAINT SURANUS OF SORA

Suranus of Sora, Abbot
Feast day: January 24
 Died c. 580. Saint Gregory the Great records the story of Saint Suranus (Dialogues IV, 22), who, while abbot of a monastery at Sora (near Caserta), distributed all the goods of the monastery, including the herbs from his garden, to the refugees escaping the Lombards. When the latter arrived and found nothing remaining in the abbey to plunder, they killed Suranus on the spot. His relics were famed for miracles

BLESSED ONUFRY WASYLUK

Bl. Onufry Wasyluk

Feast day: January 24
1853 - 1894
Beatified By: Pope John Paul II


Onufry Wasyluk (1853 - January 24, 1874), was one of the Martyrs of Podlasie in 1874 were slain by troops of Tsar Alexander II of Russia, because they refused to follow the Byzantine liturgy. Pratulin was part of Russia.

The martyrs were beatified on October 6, 1996 by Pope John Paul II. Their feast day is January 24.

SAINT XENIA AND COMPANIONS

Xenia the Merciful & Comps.

Feast day: January 24
 Died 450. Martyred with her two maid servants (Gill).

BLESSED MICHAL WAWRYSZUK

Bl. Michal Wawryszuk


Feast day: January 24
Beatified By: Pope John Paul II

BLESSED IGNACY FRANCZUK

Bl. Ignacy Franczuk

Feast day: January 24
1824 - 1874
Beatified By: 6 October 1996 by Pope John Paul II


Ignacy Franczuk was a layman and father of seven children from Derlo, Poland. Ignacy was a Marytrs of Podlasie. When Blessed Daniel Karmasz was killed, Ignacy picked up the cross Daniel had carried, and encou
raged the others to help defend their church.

BLESSED FILIP GERYLUK

Bl. Filip Geryluk


Feastday: January 24
1830 - 1874
Beatified By: Pope John Paul II


Filip Geryluk was a layman and father from Zaczopki, Poland. One of the Marytrs of Podlasie. Noted for encouraging the others to hold their ground and protect their church.

BLESSED DANIEL KARMASZ

Bl. Daniel Karmasz

Feastday: January 24
1826 - 1874
Beatified By: 6 October 1996 by Pope John Paul II


Daniel Karmasz was a layman from Legi, Poland. One of the Marytrs of Podlasie. During the shooting he carried a cross in his hand; it is now in the church in Pratulin.

BLESSED BARTLOMIEJ OSYPIUK

Bl. Bartlomiej Osypiuk


Feast day: January 24
1843 - 1874
Beatified By: 6 October 1996 by Pope John Paul II


Layman and a father of two. Marytred of Podlasie. He was wounded at the scene, transported home where he prayed for his killers before dying.

BLESSED ANICENT HRYCIUK

Bl. Anicet Hryciuk




Feast day: January 24
1855 - 1874
Beatified By: 6 October 1996 by Pope John Paul II


Member of the Podlachian martyrs.

SAINT MESSALINA

St. Messalina




Feast day: January 24
Died: 251


Virgin martyr and disciple of St. Felician, the bishop of Foligno, Italy. She received the veil from St. Felician and visited him in prison. Denounced as a Christian, and for this she was also arrested and clubbed to death when she refused to sacrif
ice to the Roman gods  .Refusing, Messalina was beaten to death.

SAINT FELICIAN OF FOLIGNO

Bishop and martyr
Born 160 Forum Flaminii
Died 250  Foligno




Saint Felician(us) of Foligno (Italian: San Feliciano di Foligno) (ca. AD 160–ca. AD 250) is the patron saint of Foligno.

 he was born in Forum Flaminii (present-day San Giovanni Profiamma), on the Via Flaminia, of a Christian family, around 160 AD. He was the spiritual student of Pope Eleuterus and evangelized in Foligno, Spello, Bevagna, Assisi, Perugia, Norcia, Plestia, Trevi, and Spoleto.
He was later consecrated bishop of Foligno by Pope Victor I around 204 (he was the first bishop to receive the pallium as a symbol of his office).He ordained Valentine of Terni as a priest. His episcopate lasted for more than 50 years; he was one of the first Christian bishops of northern Italy.He was arrested at the age of 94 for refusing to sacrifice to the Roman gods during the persecutions of Decius. He was tortured and scourged, and died outside Foligno while being conveyed to Rome for his execution.

SAINT GUASACHT

St. Guasacht

Guasacht of Granard

Feast day: January 24
Died: 4th century


Bishop of Longford or Granard, Ireland, a convent of St. Patrick. He was the son of Maelchu, the master of St. Patrick when St. Patrick was a slave in Ireland.


 4th century. Guasacht was the son of Maelchu (Miluic), the master under whom Saint Patrick worked as a slave in Ireland. Maelchu set fire to his home, locked the doors, and perished in the flames rather than meet Patrick again. Guasacht, however, was converted by Patrick, whom he helped in the evangelization of Ireland, both as a layman and later as bishop of Granard (County Longford). His two sisters, known as the Emers, also became Christians and religious

SAINT EXUPERANTIUS OF CINGOLI

St. Exuperantius of Cingoli


Feast day: January 24
Died: 5th century


Bishop of Cingoli, Italy, possibly a native African.



Exuperantius of Cingoli (Italian: Es[s]uperanzio) ) is a Roman Catholic saint who died in the 5th century.

He was is recorded as bishop of Cingoli, in the Marche region of Italy in 496/7[1], and could have been from Africa. Nothing else is known about him. His feast day is January 24th.In art, Saint Exuperantius is portrayed as a bishop with a banner and book (Roeder).

SAINTS THYRSUS AND PROJECTUS

St. Thyrsus & Projectus

Feastday: January 24
Died: unknown

Martyrs of an unknown year and location.Their Acts are no longer extant.

BLESSED WILLIAM OF IRELAND

Blessed William of Ireland, SJ M
 (also known as William Iremonger)
 Born in Lincolnshire; died 1679; beatified in 1929. William of Ireland's true name is Iremonger, which belongs to an old Yorkshire family. He was educated at Saint-Omer and received into the Jesuits there in 1655. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn for alleged complicity in the imaginary Popish Plot known as the Oates Plot.





FOLLOWING INFORMATION ABOUT THE SAINT FROM
www.jesuit.org.sg/html/companions/.../January/willliam.ireland.html
born : 1636
 Died : Jan 24, 1679
 Beatified : Dec 15, 1929





William Ireland was born in Lincolnshire, England. He was educated at the English College at Saint-Omer, Flanders and entered the English Jesuit Novitiate at Watten, Flanders at nineteen. He did theology at Liege and was ordained in 1667. For ten years after his ordination he taught at Saint-Omer and was confessor to the Poor Clares at Gravelines.

He returned to England in 1677 and was appointed procurator of the English Province. He was based in London and was traveling under the name “Ironmonger”. His apostolate however lasted slightly over a year because Titus Oates, a renegade Anglican minister who hated the Jesuits, concocted a ridiculous story accusing the English Jesuits of planning to assassinate the king, overthrowing the government and of reinstating the Catholic Church. This fabricated “Popish Plot” roused the fury of the nation and renewed the persecution of the Catholics resulting in the arrest of Frs Ireland, John Fenwick and their lay assistant John Grove at their residence in the dead of the night. They were imprisoned at Newgate where they suffered from three months of incarceration before being brought to trial together with Fr Thomas Whitbread and the Benedictine brother, Thomas Pickering.

At the trial, Oates falsely testified that he was present at a special meeting of Jesuits in April that year when plans were supposedly made to murder the king and that Frs Ireland, Fenwick and Whitbread were present at that meeting. Oates also declared that Fr Ireland was seen at the royal residence in August and that the assassination would have taken place had Bro Pickering’s pistol not failed to fire. Fr Ireland maintained that he was away from London at the time he was falsely alleged to be seen near the royal palace and was able to produce evidence. Instead a young maid, bribed by Oates came forth to say that she had seen the priest in London during that same period. On the basis of this false testimony, Fr Ireland Br Pickering and Mr Grove were found guilty of high treason and ordered to be hang, drawn and quartered.

The execution was postponed for a month because Charles II never believed that the Jesuits were involved in a plot against him, but when Oates produced more disreputable witnesses, the king, fearing the people’s anger, agreed to proceed with the executions.

On Friday, January 24,1679, Fr Ireland and Mr Grove were taken to Tyburn, the place of execution. Br Pickering was given a reprieve , but was later executed on May 9. At the gallows, Fr Ireland professed both their innocence and denied any plot against the king’s life and said: “ I beg God Almighty to shower down a thousand and a thousand blessings upon his Majesty……and all the royal family, and also on the whole kingdom. As for the Catholics that are here, we desire their prayers for a happy passage into a better world, and that God would be merciful to all Christian souls….. and so I beseech all good people to pray for us and with us.” On completing these words, Fr Ireland and Mr Grove recollected themselves in prayer. The cart was drawn from under them and they remained hanging until they were dead. The bodies were then cut down and quartered. Fr Ireland was forty-three years old and had been a Jesuit for twenty-four years. He was the first Jesuit martyr of the infamous Titus Oates plot.