Calendar of Saints

8 May	• yesterday • tomorrow

The May-Book of the Breviary: The Mother of Divine Grace

Apparition of Saint Michael the Archangel

It is recorded that Saint Michael, in a vision, admonished the bishop of Siponto to build a church in his honour on Mount Gargano, now called Monte-de-Sant-Angelo, in the Capitanate, near Manfredonia, in the kingdom of Naples. This history is confirmed by Sigebert in his chronicle, and by the ancient tradition of the churches of that country, and is approved authentic by the judicious critic Mabillon, who visited those places, and examined the records and monuments. This church was erected in the fifth century, and is a place of great devotion.

When the Emperor Otho III had, contrary to his word, put to death, for rebellion, Crescentius, a Roman senator; being touched with remorse, he cast himself at the feet of Saint Romuald, who, in satisfaction for his crime, enjoined him to walk barefoot, on a penitential pilgrimage, to Saint Michael's on Mount Gargano: which penance he performed in 1002, as Saint Peter Damian relates. In France, Aubert, bishop of Avranches, moved, it is said, by certain visions, built, in 708, a church in honour of Saint Michael, on a barren rock which hangs over the sea, between Normandy and Brittany. In the tenth age, this collegiate church was changed into a great Benedictin abbey. In imitation of this was the famous church of Saint Michael refounded in Cornwall, in the reign of William the Conqueror, by William earl of Moreton, on a mountain which the tide encompasses. It is said by Borlace, the learned and accurate antiquarian of Cornwall, that this church of Saint Michael was first built in the fifth century.

The Greeks mention, in their Menaea, a famous apparition of Saint Michael at Chone, the ancient Colossae in Phrygia. Many apparitions of good angels in favour of men are recorded, both in the Old and New Testament. It is mentioned in particular of this special guardian and protector of the church, that, in the persecution of Antichrist, he will powerfully stand up in her defence: At that time shall Michael rise up, the great prince, who standeth for the children of thy people. He is not only the protector of the church, but of every faithful soul. He defeated the devil by humility; we are enlisted in the same warfare. His arms were humility and ardent love of God; the same must be our weapons. We ought to regard this archangel as our leader under God: and, courageously resisting the devil in all his assaults, to cry out: Who can be compared to God?

https://catholicsaints.info/michael-the-archangel/

Blessed Ulrika Fransiska Nisch

Also known as

Fransiska Dettenrieder

Profile

Oldest of eleven children born to Ulrich Nisch, who cleaned stables, and Klothilde Dettenrieder, a servant in a village inn. The couple was so poor that their families and the local authorities refused to allow their marriage; they forced the issue with the birth of Fransiska. The baby was baptized at the age of one day. Only four Fransiska's siblings reached adulthood.

Fransiska spent her early childhood in Oberdorf, Germany, raised by her grandmother and maternal aunt, Gertrud Dettenrieder. When she was returned to her parents at age seven, she had so much trouble fitting in that she eventually returned to Oberdorf to live with her aunt and finish school. Known as a pious child, Fransiska early felt a call to religious life, but beginning in 1894 she worked as a maid in serveral homes to support her family. She made her First Communion on 21 April 1895, and was confirmed later that year. In 1898 she worked at a general store and cheese factory in Sauggart, Germany. Worked at a combination bakery, brewer and tavern in Biberach, Germany in 1899. Servant in the house of a teacher in Rorschach, Switzerland in 1901.

In 1903 she began suffering from a severe form of erysipelas in 1903; in hospital she was treated by the Sisters of Charity of Holy Cross, and was so impressed by them that she followed her call to religious vocation by joining the Sisters on 17 October 1904 at the Hegne monastery in Konstanz, Germany, taking the name Ulrika in honour of her father. She spent her few remaining years working in the kitchens of several houses in her Order amd dealing with a series of deep mystical experiences.

Born

18 September 1882 in Oberdorg-Mittelbiberach, Germany as Fransiska Dettenrieder, named for a great-grandmother

Died

8 May 1913 at the Saint Elizabeth hospital in the House of Hegne, Baden-Baden, Germany of tuberculosis

Beatified

• 1 November 1987 by Pope John Paul II
• beatification celebrated at Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome, Italy by Pope John Paul II
• the beatification miracle involved the healing of incurable liver disease of Hildis Burchard Gerhards in Cologne, Germany by the intercession of Blessed Ulrika

https://catholicsaints.info/blessed-ulrika-fransiska-nisch/

Blessed Clara Fey

Also known as

Klara

Profile

Fourth of five children born to Louis and Katherine Fey; her father was a wealthy textile industrialist who died of a stroke in 1820 when Clara was five years old. The girl grew up well off, but became acutely concerned about the plight of the poor in her city. Her family was active in the Church; Clara's brother became a priest, and she was acquainted with Blessed Pauline von Mallinckrodt and Blessed Franziska Schervier. In 1835 she began reading the work of Saint Teresa of Ávila, and was drawn to Carmelite spirituality. In 1837 she and some like-minded friends she set up a school for poor children in Aachen, Germany. In 1841, following the recommendation of her spiritual director, she began studying the work of Saint Francis de Sales. Founded the Sisters of the Poor Child Jesus on 2 February 1844 in Aachen with a Rule based on the teaching of Saint Augustine, and with a mission to educate children in religion and in secular matters in a religious environment; Mother Clara served the rest of her life as their first superior. She received diocesan approval on 28 January 1848 and made her profession in 1850. The Sisters received a papal decree of praise on 11 July 1862 from Pope Pius IX; in 1875, during the anti–Catholic German Kulturkampf, the Sisters moved to Simpelveld, Netherlands, though there are plans to move back to Aachen in the near future; they received full papal approval from Pope Leo XIII on 15 June 1888, and continue their good work today with over 500 sisters in 12 nations of Europe, South America, and Asia.

Born

11 April 1815 in Aachen, North Rhein-Westphalia, Germany

Died

8 May 1894 in Simpelveld, Limburg, Netherlands of natural causes

Beatified

• 5 May 2018 by Pope Francis
• beatification recognition celebrated at the cathedral of Aachen, North Rhein-Westphalia, Germany

Patronage

Sisters of the Poor Child Jesus

Video

YouTube PlayList

https://catholicsaints.info/blessed-clara-fey/

Blessed Marie-Catherine de Saint-Augustin

Also known as

• Catherine Symon of Longprey
• Marie-Catherine Simon de Longpré
• Marie-Catherine Symon de Longprey
• Mary Catherine of Saint Augustine

Profile

Raised primarily by her grandparents, Marie-Catherine was a pious girl noted for her concern for the poor and sick. She became a Augustinian canoness regular sister in the Hospitaller Sisters of the Mercy on 24 October 1644, taking the name Marie-Catherine de Saint-Augustin and serving in the Hôtel-Dieu, the hospital that the Order operated in Bayeux, France.

In 1648 she volunteered to help establish the hospital, Hôtel-Dieu de Québec, to provide medical services to the region around Quebec in New France. While travelling, Sister Marie-Catherine became severely ill; she attributed her cure to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. At the new hospital, while serving as the organization’s treasurer, she was known for caring for the physical and spiritual well-being of her patients. She learned the languages of the area First Peoples in order to better care for them. Novice mistress to the new Augustinians brought to the order by the work of the sisters. She spent her spare time in prayer and penance in support of the hospital mission. For her endless work and devotion, Mother Catherine is honoured as one of the six founders of the Catholic Church in Canada.

Born

3 May 1632 in Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte, Normandy, France

Died

• 8 May 1668 in the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec, Québec City, New France (modern Canada) of natural causes
• relics enshrined at the Centre Catherine-de-Saint-Augustin next to the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec

Beatified

23 April 1989 by Pope John Paul II

https://catholicsaints.info/blessed-marie-catherine-de-saint-augustin/

Blessed Teresa Demjanovich

Also known as

Sister Miriam Teresa

Profile

One of five children born to Alexander and Johanna Demjanovich, emmigrants to the United States from an area of the Austro-Hungarian empire that is in modern Slovakia. Raised in the Byzantine-Ruthenian rite. Valedictorian of her high school class. Teacher at the Saint Aloysius Academy in Jersey City, New Jersey, and then in the city's public high school. Entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth in 1925 and died there two years later. In 1928, Sister Miriam's spiritual conferences, Greater Perfection and paved the way for her Cause as they showed the pilgrimage to God of a woman living in modern America.

Born

26 March 1901 in Bayonne, New Jersey

Died

8 May 1927 in Convent Station, New Jersey of complications follwing appendicitis

Beatified

• 4 October 2014 by Pope Francis
• beatification celebrated at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Newark, New Jersey, presided by Cardinal Angelo Amato

Readings

Union with God, then, is the spiritual height God calls everyone to achieve - any one, not only religious but any one, who chooses, who wills to seek this pearl of great price, who specializes in the traffic of eternal good, who says 'yes' constantly to God. The imitation of Christ in the lives of saints is always possible and compatible with every state of life. The saints did but one thing - the will of God. But they did it with all their might. We have only to do the same thing; and according to the degree of intensity with which we labor shall our sanctification progress. - Sister Miriam in Greater Perfection

https://catholicsaints.info/blessed-teresa-demjanovich/

Blessed Henri Vergès

Also known as

Enric Vergés

Profile

Educated from age 12 by the Marist Brothers of the Schools, he studied in Espirá de l'Aglí and Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux in France. Enric joined the Marists himself in 1945, and made his perpetual vows on 26 August 1952. Elementary school teacher in Nimes, France in 1947. The combination of work, study and Marist frugality led to health problems, and in 1950 Henri had to spend time in hospital in Osséja, France. Teacher in Le Cheylard, France in 1952. Novice instructor in Aubenas and Bordeaux in France. Sub-master of the novices at Notre-Dame de Lacabane, Corrèze, France from 1958 to 1966. Marist superior in Bourg-de-Péage and Ganges in France. Delegate to the Marist general chapter in 1967. Received a degree in philosophy in Montpellier, France in 1968. After studying Arabic, he was appointed director of the Saint-Bonaventure school in Algiers from 1969 till 1976 when the school was nationalized by the Algerian government. Professor of mathematics at the school of Sour-El-Ghozlane from 1976 to 1988. Director of the library of the Archdiocese of Algiers on Ben Cheneb Street in the casbah from 1988 until his death. Murdered by Muslim fundamentalists. Martyr.

Born

15 July 1930 in Matemale, Pyrénées-Orientales, France

Died

• shot twice in the head on 8 May 1994 in the Archdiocese library in Algiers, Algeria
• buried in Algiers on 12 May 1994

Beatified

8 December 2018 by Pope Francis

https://catholicsaints.info/blessed-henri-verges/

Pope Saint Boniface IV

Profile

Son of a physician named John. Student under Saint Gregory the Great. Benedictine monk at the Saint Sebastian Abbey in Rome, Italy. Served as deacon under Saint Gregory the Great; dispenser of alms and patrimonies. Chosen 67th Pope in 608.

Converted the Roman temple of the old gods, the Pantheon, to a Christian church dedicated to Our Lady and all the Martyrs in 609, the first such conversion of a temple from pagan to Christian use in Rome. Supported the expansion of the faith into England, and met with the first bishop of London. Encouraged reforms among the clergy, and balanced it with improvements in their living and working conditions. Corresponded with Saint Columba. Worked to alleviate the sufferings in Rome due to famine and the disease that follows it. Late in life he converted his own house into a monastery and lived there, dividing his time between his papal work and life as a prayerful monk.

Born

c.550 at Valeria, Abruzzi, Italy

Papal Ascension

25 August 608

Died

• 615 at Rome, Italy of natural causes
• relics moved c.1100
• relics moved in the late 13th century by order of Pope Boniface VIII
• relics re-interred in Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome, Italy on 21 October 1603

https://catholicsaints.info/pope-saint-boniface-iv/

Blessed Paul-Hélène Saint Raymond

Also known as

Madame Encyclopédie

Profile

Eighth of ten children born into a pious family. Paul-Hélène studied engineering at the Sorbonne in Paris, France, but felt a call to religious life, and joined the Little Sisters of the Assumption in 1952, making her final vows in 1960. Family social worker in Creil, France from 1954 until 1957 when she began studying to be a nurse. She worked as a nurse in poor, working class neigbbourhoods in Rouen, France. Assigned to work as a nurse and social worker in Algeria in 1964 where she served for 30 years. She is remembered as intelligent, educated, helpful, generous, prayerful, and honest to the point of sometimes being blunt and tactless. Retiring from medical and social work, she assisted Blessed Henri Vergès at the archdiocese library where she was known for welcoming children and teenagers. Murdered by Muslim fundamentalists who entered the library disguised as police officers. Martyr.

Born

24 January 1927 in Paris, France

Died

• shot in the neck on 8 May 1994 in the Archdiocese library on Ben Cheneb Street in the Kasbah in Algiers, Algeria
• funeral Mass celebrated at the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa

Beatified

8 December 2018 by Pope Francis

https://catholicsaints.info/blessed-paul-helene-saint-raymond/

Our Lady of Luján

Profile

The Virgin is a two feet tall terracotta statue of Our Lady. It was made in Brazil and sent to Argentina in May 1630. Its original appearance seemed inspired by Murillo's Immaculates. In 1887, to preserve and protect it, the image was given a solid silver covering. It is usually clothed with a white robe and sky blue cloak, the colors of the Argentinian flag. Only the dark oval face with big blue eyes and the hands folded in prayer are now visible.

Tradition says that an ox-drawn wagon was taking the statue from Buenos Aires to Santiago del Estero. The animals stopped at the Luján River and refused to cross. Through trial and error the teamsters discovered that it the box with the Virgin was in the wagon, the oxen would not move; if it was removed, then away they went. After testing this several times, the people realized that Our Lady wanted to stay in Luján, and so she is there today.

The image was first taken to the nearby home of Don Rosendo. He built a primitive chapel for it which lasted 40 years. A bigger shrine was completed in 1685. A new sanctuary was built in the 19th century. The image was crowned canonically in 1887. In 1930 Pope Pius XII gave the sanctuary the title of Basilica.

Patronage

• Agentina (proclaimed on 8 September 1930 Pope Pius XI)
• Argentinian military chaplains
• Paraguay
• Uruguay

https://catholicsaints.info/our-lady-of-lujan/

Saint Acacius of Byzantium

Also known as

• Acacius of Constantinople
• Acato of Avila
• Acathius
• Achatius of Byzantium
• Agathius of Byzantium
• Agathus of Byzantium
• Agazio (in Calabria)
• Cuenca (in Spain)

Additional Memorial

• 16 January (translation of relics)
• 17 April (Orthodox calendar)

Profile

Christian centurian in the imperial Roman army stationed in Thrace. Tortured and executed in the persecutions of Diocletian. Several churches in Constantinople dedicated to him, including one dedicated by Constantine the Great. One of the Fourteen Holy Helpers.

Born

Cappadocian

Died

tortured, scourged, and beheaded c.303 in Constantinople

Patronage

• against headaches
• soldiers

Representation

• centurion
• soldier carrying cruets
• soldier carrying a chalice
• soldier carrying a bunch of thorns
• soldier carrying a dead tree bough
• soldier carrying sacred vessels
• soldier in armor with standard and shield
• soldier in golden armour
• soldier with a palm branch of martyrdom
• soldier with a hand full of thorns
• soldier with large cross
• with Saint Theodore Tyro

https://catholicsaints.info/saint-acacius-of-byzantium/

Saint Victor Maurus

Also known as

• Victor the Moor
• Viktor; Vittore; Vittorio

Profile

Soldier in the Roman Praetorian Guard. A Christian from his youth, Victor lived in quiet praise of God. Around 303, the elderly Victor was arrested in Milan, Italy in the persecutions of Maximian. He was tortured for his faith, basted in molten lead, and killed. Martyr. Saint Gregory of Tours wrote of miracles that occurred at Victor's grave.

Born

3rd century in Mauretania, Africa

Died

• beheaded c.303
• buried outside Milan, Italy
• a church was later erected over the grave
• relics translated in 1576 to an Olivetan church dedicated to him in Milan

Patronage

• Asigliano, Italy
• Balangero, Italy
• Borghetto, Italy
• Canale, Italy
• Caselle Torinese, Italy
• Feletto, Italy
• Odolengo, Italy
• Quagliuzzo, Italy
• Rho, Italy
• San Vittore Olona, Italy
• Varese, Italy
• Verbania, Italy

Representation

• man being thrown into a furnace
• man roasted in a bronze bull
• man roasted in an oven
• Moorish soldier trampling on a broken pagan altar
• bull
• fire

https://catholicsaints.info/saint-victor-maurus/

Saint Amatus Ronconi

Also known as

Amato

Profile

Born to a wealthy family, Amatus was orphaned when very young and grew up in the home of his older brother Giacomo. Feeling a call to live according to the gospel, he devoted himself to caring for the poor and helping pilgrims. Franciscan tertiary. Constructed combination chapel and shelters for pilgrims including the Beato Amato Ronconi Nursing Home which still exists. Made four pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Benedictine lay brother.

Born

c.1225 in Saludécio, Rimini, Italy

Died

• 8 May 1292 in Saludécio, Rimini, Italy of natural causes
• interred in the chapel shelters he had built
• relics transferred to the Pieve di San Biagio in May 1330 after the chapel shelters were destroyed by fire

Beatified

• 17 April 1776 by Pope Pius VI (cultus confirmation)
• 9 October 2013 by Pope Francis (decree of heroic virtues)

Canonized

23 November 2014 by Pope Francis

Patronage

Saludécio, Italy

Video

YouTube PlayList

https://catholicsaints.info/saint-amatus-ronconi/

Blessed Aloysius Luis Rabata

Profile

Carmelite priest. Prior of the reformed convent in Randazzo, Italy.

Born

c.1430 at Erice, Sicily

Died

• murdered in 1490 in Trapani, Italy by a head wound
• before he died he forgave his attacker, and refused to say who it was for fear the person would be punished
• buried under the main altar at the church at the Carmelite convent in Trapani
• some relics transferred to Sicily in 1617
• relics transferred to an urn under the altar of the Assumption in the basilica of Santa Maria on 13 August 1913

Beatified

10 December 1841 by Pope Gregory XVI (cultus confirmed)

Representation

Carmelite friar with an arrow in his head and holding a palm of martyrdom

https://catholicsaints.info/blessed-aloysius-luis-rabata/

Blessed Angelo of Massaccio

Also known as

• Angelo of Cupramontana
• Angel...

Profile

Camaldolese monk at the Santa Maria della Serra monastery near Cupramontana, Italy. Prior of his house. Priest. Martyr by Berlotani heretic wood cutters when he chastised them for ignoring the Sabbath.

Born

late 14 century in Massaccio (modern Cupramontana), Italy

Died

• hit with an axe c.1458 near the monastery of Santa Maria della Serra near Cupramontana, Italy
• by 1492 he was interred under the altar in the church at Santa Maria della Serra, now known as the church of Sant Angelo

Beatified

27 September 1842 by Pope Gregory XVI (cultus confirmation)

Patronage

Cupramontana, Italy

https://catholicsaints.info/blessed-angelo-of-massaccio/

Saint Ida of Nivelles

Also known as

• Ida of Metz
• Iduberga; Ita; Itta; Itte

Profile

Daughter of Bishop Arnoald of Metz. Sister of Saint Modoald of Trier and Saint Severa. Married to Saint Pepin of Landen. Mother of Saint Gertrude of Nivelles, Saint Begga of Ardenne, and Grimoald, mayor of the palace. Grandmother of Pepin of Herstal. Friend of Saint Amand of Maastricht. Widowed, she built a Benedictine double monastery at Nivelles, Belgium under the leadership of her daughter, Saint Gertrude; Ida spent the rest of her life there as a nun.

Born

592

Died

8 May 652 in Nivelles, Belgium of natural causes

Patronage

• against erysipelas; erysipelas patients
• against toothache; toothache sufferers

https://catholicsaints.info/saint-ida-of-nivelles/

Pope Saint Benedict II

Profile

Son of John. Studied at the schola cantorum, and was early known as a Bible scholar; noted singer, too. Priest, known for his care for the poor. Pope; the delay in his ascension was caused by waiting for imperial confirmation.

Obtained the decree that abolished imperial confirmation of popes. Adopted Constantine's two sons. Fought Monothelitism, and worked with Spanish bishops to restore orthodoxy in their dioceses. Restored many churches in Rome, and endowed deaconries to care for the poor.

Born

at Rome, Italy

Papal Ascension

• elected in 683
• ascended on 26 June 684

Died

• 8 May 685
• buried at Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome, Italy

https://catholicsaints.info/pope-saint-benedict-ii/

Saint Desideratus of Bourges

Also known as

Desire, Dezydery, Desiderato

Profile

His was a pious family; his parents turned their home into a hospital, and his brothers, Deodato and Didier, died as a martyrs. Desideratus was a courtier and advisor to king Clotaire. Fought simony and heresy. He wished to retire to life as a monk, but was chosen to serve as bishop of Bourges, France in 541. Attended the 5th Council of Orleans in 549, and the 2nd Council of Auvergne. Fought against Nestorianism.

Born

Soissons, France

Died

• 8 May 550 of natural causes
• buried in the basilica of Sant'Ursino, Bourges, France, the building of which he began

https://catholicsaints.info/saint-desideratus-of-bourges/

Saint Metrone of Verona

Also known as

Metro, Metron, Metronius

Profile

8th-century penitent who chained himself to a stone in front of the cathedral of Verona, Italy, threw the key into Adige River, and lived there on the street for seven years in penance. The key to his chains was found in the belly of a fish by two fishermen who took the key to the local bishop. The bishop took the return to the key as a sign, freed Metrone from his chains, and welcomed him to active Communion in the Church.

Died

• miracles reported at his grave
• relics enshrined in Verona, Italy

https://catholicsaints.info/saint-metrone-of-verona/

Saint Otger of Utrecht

Also known as

Odger; Odgero; Oteger

Profile

Worked with Saint Wiro of Utrecht to found a monastery at Odilienburg, Netherlands.

Born

England

Died

• c.746 of natural causes
• relics in Odilienberg, France
• relics taken to Roermond, Netherlands in 1361
• relics disappeared during the time of the Protestant Reformation
• relics re-discovered in 1594
• relics re-enshrined in 1881

https://catholicsaints.info/saint-otger-of-utrecht/

Saint Wiro of Utrecht

Also known as

Wirone

Profile

Bishop of Utrecht, Netherlands. One of the Apostles of Frisia. He and his two companions founded a monastery at Odiliënberg, Netherlands.

Born

British Isles (location varies from source to source)

Died

• c.753 of natural causes
• buried in Roermond, Netherlands
• tomb re-discovered in August 1881

https://catholicsaints.info/saint-wiro-of-utrecht/

Blessed Raymond of Toulouse

Profile

Son of the Count de Montfort. Cousin of Blessed George of Lauria. While on pilgrimage to the Marian shrine of Montserrat, Raymond decided to join the Mercedarians, and took the habit at the convent of Santa Eulalia in Barcelona, Spain. Zealous preacher. Created cardinal-priest in 1335 by Pope Benedict XII.

https://catholicsaints.info/blessed-raymond-of-toulouse/

Saint Gibrian

Also known as

Abran, Gybrian, Gobrian, Gibriano

Profile

Brother of Saint Tressan, Saint Helan, Saint Germanus, Saint Abran, Saint Petran, Saint Franca, Saint Promptia, and Saint Possenna. Hermit in Brittany in northern France. Priest. Worked with Saint Remigius.