|
Books available at our aStore
Build a Catholic articles web site and web logs with Yahoo! Web Hosting. Learn how through downloading our free Catholic eBook. Table of contents of our Catholic eBook
Additional articles and information:
|
Daily Feed Saints for the month of Aprilon April 1: Melito, bishop; Walaricus or Valery, abbot; Macarius the Wonder-Worker; Hugh of Grenoble, bishop; Hugh of Bonnevaux, abbot; Gilbert of Caithness, bishop; Catherine of Palma, virgin Pedro Calungsod was a teen-aged native of the Visayas region of the Philippines. He was one of the Boy catechists who went with some Spanish Jesuit missionaries from the Philippines to the Ladrones Islands, later renamed "Marianas" - in the western Pacific in 1668 to evangelize the Chamorros. On 2 April 1672, while helping Fr. Diego Luis de San Vitores, the rector of the Mission, to recover a runaway servant and to do some baptism at the village of Tomhon on the island of Guam, he was killed by two natives for his being a Christian, for catechizing the Chamorros and for helping in the administration of the Sacrament of Baptism. His body was thrown into deep ocean together with that of the rector who was also killed after him. (April 2) Francis de Paola: (died 1507); founded the Order of Minims, a congregation of hermits, "the least in God's household." (April 2) also on April 2: Apphian and Theodosia, martyrs; Mary of Egypt; Nicetus or Nizier of Lyons, bishop; Ebba the Younger, virgin; John Paine, priest and martyr on April 3: Pancras of Taormina, bishop and martyr; Sixtus or Xystus I, pope and martyr; Agape, Chionia and Irene, virgin and martyrs; Burgundofara or Fare, virgin; Nicetas, abbot; Richard Wyche or Richard of Chichester, bishop; Luigi Scrosoppi Isidore (died 635): succeeded his brother St. Leander, as bishop of Seville; presided over the Council of Toledo (633); completed the Mozarabic liturgy; combatted Arianism in Spain; known as the "Schoolmaster of the Middle Ages", especially for his Etymologies. (April 4) also on April 4: Agathopus and Theodulus, martyrs; Tigernach, bishop; Plato, abbot; Benedict the Black on April 5: Vincent Ferrer, priest; Derfel Gadarn; Ethelburga of Lyminge, matron; Gerald of Sauve-Majeure, abbot; Albert of Montecorvino, bishop on April 6: The Martyrs in Persia; Marcellinus, martyr; Celestine I, pope; Eutychius, bishop; Prudentius of Troyes, bishop; William of Eskhill, abbot Jean-Baptiste de la Salle: (died 1719); from Rheims; canon of the diocese of Paris; gave away his fortune to found the (1680) Brothers of the Christian Schools (FSC), today numbering some 7,200 religious; authored the "Conduct of Schools"; patron of teachers. (April 7) also on April 7: Hegesippus Aphraates; George the Younger, bishop; Celsus or Ceallach, bishop; Aybert; Henry Walpole, priest and martyr on April 8: Dionysius of Corinth, bishop; Perpetuus, bishop; Walter of Pontoise, abbot; Julie Billiart, virgin on April 9: Mary of Cleophas, matron; Waldetrudis or Waudru, widow; Hugh of Rouen, bishop; Gaucherius, abbot on April 10: Bademus, abbot; The Martyrs under the Danes; Macarius or Macaire of Ghent; Fulbert, bishop; Paternus of Abdinghof; Michael de Sanctis Stanislaus: (died 1079); as bishop of Cracow he assisted the poor; personally slain by the oppressive and savage king, Boleslaus II; patron of Poland. (April 11) also on April 11: Barsanuphius; Isaac of Spoleto; Godeberta, virgin; Guthlac; Gemma Galgani, virgin on April 12: Julius I, pope; Zeno of Verona, bishop; Sabas the Goth, martyr; Alferius, abbot on April 13: Martin I, pope and martyr; Hermenegild, martyr; Agathonica, Papylus, and Carpus, martyrs; Martius or Mars, abbot on April 14: Tiburtius, Valerius and Maximus, martyrs; Ardalion, martyr; Lambert of Lyons, bishop; Bernard of Tiron, abbot; Caradoc; Benezet; Antony, Eustace and John, martyrs; Lidwina of Schiedam, virgin on April 15: Basilissa and Anastasia, martyrs; Padarn or Patern, bishop; Ruadan of Lothra, abbot; Hunna or Huva, matron on April 16: Optatus and Companions and Encratis, virgin and martyrs; Turibius of Astorga, bishop; Paternus or Pair, bishop; Fructuosus of Braga, bishop; Magnus, martyr; Drogo or Druon; Contardo; Joseph Benedict Labre; Bernadette Soubirous, virgin on April 17: Mappalicus and Companions, martyrs; Innocent of Tortona, bishop; Donnan and Companions, martyrs; Robert of Chaise-Dieu, abbot; Stephen Harding, abbot on April 18: Apolonius the Apologist, martyr; Laserian, Laisren or Molaisse, bishop; Idesbald, abbot; Galdinus, bishop on April 19: Leo IX, pope; Expeditus; Ursmar, abbot and bishop; Geroldus; Alphege, bishop and martyr on April 20: Marcellinus of Embrun, bishop; Marcian or Marian; Caedwalla; Hildegund, virgin; Agnes of Montepulciano, virgin Anselm: (died 803); Benedictine abbot and duke. He was born in Forum Julii, Italy. Heir to a local title but left his titles and power, and in 750 founded a monastery at Tanano, Italy. He went to Monte Casino for seven years, until Desiderius, the new Lombard ruler, fell to the armies of Charlemagne. Anselm stayed in Nonantula near Modena, Italy until his death. (April 21) also on April 21: Simeon Barsabae, bishop; and Companions, martyrs; Anastasius I of Antioch, bishop; Bueno, abbot; Malrubius or Maelrubba, abbot; Conrad of Parzham on April 22: Epipodius and Alexander, martyrs; Leonides, martyr; Agapitus I, pope; Theodore of Sykeon, bishop; Opportuna, virgin and abbess George: (died 300); Martyr and patron saint of England, Portugal, Germany, Aragon, (Spain), Genoa and Venice. He was venerated in England as early as the 8th c. and was the patron of the Crusaders. The cult of St. George is part of the history of Crusades and England. He has been a popular figure for artists, depicted as a young knight in mortal combat with a dragon, a Middle Ages symbol of evil. (April 23) also on April 23: Felix, Fortunatus and Achilleus, martyrs; Ibar, bishop; Gerard of Toul, bishop; Adalbert of Prague, bishop and martyr [was ordained bishop of Prague in 983. During his episcopate he encouraged the evangelization of the Magyar. Having founded the monastery of Brevnov, he was forced into exile by the nobility of Prague. He tirelessly preached the Gospel in Poland, Hungary, Russia and Prussia, where he was martyred at the age of 41] Fidelis: (died 1622); Franciscan Capuchin martyr. A practicing lawyer, he traveled across Europe as a tutor to aristocrats but then started defending the poor. In 1612, he became a Franciscan Capuchin monk. As a missionary, he was so successful that he was taken a spy for the Austrian emperor. He was stabbed to death in a church in Seewis. Canonized by Pope Benedict XIV. (April 24) also on April 24: Mellitus, bishop; Ivo, bishop; Egbert; William Firmatus; Mary Euphrasia Pelletier, virgin on April 25: Mark, evangelist; Anianus, bishop; Heribald, bishop on April 26: Peter of Braga, bishop; Richarius or Riquiet, abbot; Paschasius Radbertus, abbot; Franca of Piacenza, virgin and abbess; Stephen of Perm, bishop on April 27: Anthimus, bishop; Asicus or Tassach, bishop; Maughold or Maccul, bishop; Floribert, bishop; Stephen Pechersky, bishop; Zita, virgin; Turibius of Lima, bishop; Theodore the Sanctified, abbot Peter Mary Chanel: (died 1841); French Marist missionary on the Pacific islands of Wallis and Futuna where he was murdered; destroyed cult of evil spirits; protomartyr and patron of Oceania. (April 28) Louis de Montfort was born to a poor family in 1673 at Montfort-La-Carne in Britanny. Ordained at the age of 27, he was deeply devoted to the Blessed Virgin, as exemplified by his book "The Secret of the Rosary", the first work to describe the method by which the Rosary is prayed even to our day. During his life, he founded both a missionary band of men (Company of Mary) and a religious institute of women devoted to the poor (Congregation of the Daughters of Divine Wisdom) (April 28) also on April 28: Vitalis, martyr Catherine of Siena: (died 1380); O.P. tertiary, mystic and author (The Dialogues); peacemaker within the Church and renewer of religious life; worked toward ending the Avignon papacy under Gregory XI (1377); declared doctor of the Church in 1970; patroness of Italy. (April 29) also on April 29: Peter of Verona; Wilfrid the Younger, bishop; The Abbots of Cluny: Berno, Odo, Mayeul, Odilo, Hugh, Aymard, and Peter the Venerable; Robert of Molesome, abbot; Joseph Cottolengo Pius V: (died 1572); O.P. who implemented the reforms of the Council of Trent; promulgated the Roman Catechism, the Roman Missal, and the Roman Breviary used until Vatican II. (April 30) also on April 30: Maximus, martyr; Eutropius of Saintes, bishop and martyr; James and Marian, martyrs; Forannan, abbot; Gualfardus or Wolfhard |