Saints of the Week: Our Lady, Remi, Hilary, Macrina, Gregory of Nyssa, Kentigern, Nino, Popes, & More
Happy Sunday! Winter can seem dark and dreary, but we should keep the light of Christ alive in our hearts, as the saints we celebrated this week did.
Jan. 13 was the feast of Jesus’s Baptism in the Latin Mass calendar, commemorating the Gospel event that marked both Jesus’s institution of the sacrament of Baptism and a revelation of the Trinity (see Mark 1, Matt. 3). Read my previous article for more details.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor (Jan. 8) is a title under which Mary is honored in connection with a statue brought from France to the US by a grateful Ursuline sister in thanks for an answered prayer. The statue was enshrined in the Ursuline convent in New Orleans, and prayer before it to Our Lady of Prompt Succor saved the convent from fire and later helped Andrew Jackson’s soldiers to a great victory over a superior British force during the War of 1812.
St. Remigius of Rheims or Remi (Jan. 13): “Born to the Gallo-Roman nobility, the son of Emilius, count of Laon, and of Saint Celina; younger brother of Saint Principius of Soissons; uncle of Saint Lupus of Soissons. A speaker noted for his eloquence, he was selected bishop of Rheims (in modern France) at age 22 while still a layman, and served his diocese for 74 years. He evangelized throughout Gaul, working with Saint Vaast. Spiritual teacher of Saint Theodoric. Converted Clovis, king of the Franks, baptising him on 24 December 496; this opened the way to the conversion of all the Franks and the establishment of the Church throughout France. Blind at the time of his death [in 533].”
St. Hilary of Poitiers (Jan. 13/14) was a pagan nobleman, husband, and father who converted after reading the Bible. After becoming bishop of Poitiers, France, in 353, he opposed imperial meddling in Church affairs and was exiled, though he later returned. His writings converted many pagans, gaining him fame, and leading to his being declared a Doctor of the Church in modern times. Hilary also fought the heresy of Arianism.
St. Macrina the Elder (Jan. 14): “Grandmother of Saint Basil the Great, Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Saint Peter of Sebaste, and Saint Macrina the Younger, and apparently raised Basil. Spiritual student of Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus. She and her husband lived in hiding in a forest at Pontus for seven years during the persecutions of Diocletian, nearly starving several times. Widowed.”
St. Gregory of Nyssa (Jan. 10, Byzantine calendar) was a friend and relative of saints, a married professor of rhetoric. He became a hermit, then a bishop, then an archbishop, always fighting Arianism. Cheated by the dishonest and accused of their wrongdoing, he was deposed and exiled, but returned to his see to attend Church councils and fight the heresy of Meletianism. A Father of the Church, he was referred to as the “Father of the Fathers” for his defense of the true faith. He is said to be the first Church leader to condemn slavery.
St. Kentigern (Jan. 13) was a Scottish monk and bishop exiled by pagans. He founded and led a monastery in Wales before returning to evangelize Scotland. The Glasgow coat of arms includes four symbols of Kentigern: the bird (whom he miraculously resurrected), a fish (in which Kentigern found the queen’s ring to clear her of false charges), a bell (given to the saint by the pope), and a tree (he miraculously rekindled a fire with frozen branches).
St. Nino of Georgia (Jan. 14) was not native to but was enslaved in the country of Georgia where she miraculously healed a child. The news spread to the queen, who came too and was also healed through Nino’s prayers. Nino asked the royal family to convert, but the king did not wish to do so until surrounded by wild animals while hunting, at which point he made a deal with God: he’d convert if he survived. Having seen the king ask for clergy to evangelize the country, Nino became a prayerful recluse (d. c. 320). Called the Apostle of Georgia.
St. Theodosius the Cenobiarch (Jan. 11) was a 5th century Cappadocian (modern Turkey) monk who became a hermit, but attracted so many followers he had to found separate churches and divisions for each nationality. Appointed a visitor to all such communities in the Holy Land, he also preached against the heresy of Eutychianism, which led to his exile. A more orthodox emperor recalled him before his death.
Pope St. Hyginus (Jan. 11) was a 2nd century Greek, who, as pontiff, opposed the heresy of Gnosticism. Traditionally listed as a martyr. Also celebrated Jan. 11 was St. Tommaso da Cori, a shepherd who studied philosophy and theology and became a Franciscan priest. Known for his gifts of healing and counsel to give oneself totally to God.
Two other popes were celebrated on Jan. 10. Pope Blessed Gregory X preached Crusade and was elected pontiff in 1271 before he was even ordained a priest. He was a reformer, peacemaker, and supporter of recovering the Holy Land from Muslim control; he called the Council of Lyons that briefly reunited Eastern and Western Christianity. Pope St. Agatho was a married businessman who became a monk and then pontiff in 678. He wrote theology, condemned the Monothelite heresy, personally maintained Vatican accounting records, resolved an English diocesan dispute, and helped reunite Constantinople spiritually with Rome.
St. Felix of Nola (Jan. 14) gave his wealth to the poor to become a priest in the 3rd century. Arrested and beaten under Emperor Decius, Felix was freed by an angel to hide with and assist his sick bishop (a spider spun webs over their cave to make it look abandoned). After the persecution, he farmed land to help the poor. St. Devasahayam Pillai (Jan. 14) was a married, high-caste Hindu who worked in the royal treasury in 18th century India. His conversion led to his mixing with lower castes, which drew condemnation from his peers. Arrested, tortured, abused, and exhibited in villages as an example, he simply prayed and spread the faith until his martyrdom (d. 1752). Bl. Petrus Donders (Jan. 14) was a poor Dutch boy who, turned down by several congregations, eventually became a missionary priest to Dutch Guiana. There he baptized over a thousand people and particularly ministered to plantation slaves and then to lepers, in both cases improving conditions through persistent appeals. After joining the Redemptorists, he also evangelized the natives.
Bl. Pauline-Marie Jaricot (Jan. 9) was a French laywoman and friend of St. John Vianney who founded the Society for the Propagation of the Faith in 1822, to provide prayers and donations for missionaries, and the Association of the Living Rosary. She spread her devotion to the Blessed Virgin and St. Philomena to millions.
There were several inspiring saints on Jan. 12. St. Aelred of Rievaulx was the son of a priest in 12th century England. After serving in the court of King David of Scotland, he returned to England to become a Cistercian monk and abbot. He traveled throughout Scotland and England preaching, became a peacemaker for the Picts, and composed prayers, spiritual works, and biographies. St. Marguerite Bourgeous was a 17th century Frenchwoman who came to Canada to teach school, and founded the Congregation of Notre Dame. She provided both academic and vocational training, and opened a mission for the natives, two of whom became sisters in her congregation. She died after offering her life for a sick young sister. Bl. Nicholas Bunkerd Kitbamrung was a Thai priest who served as a missionary in Vietnam. He was later sentenced to jail on false charges of spying during war between France and Indochina, and, after two years of evangelizing other prisoners (baptizing at least 68), Nicholas succumbed to tuberculosis in 1944, becoming Thailand’s first martyr priest.
St. Peter Orseolo (Jan. 10) was a married Doge of Venice, considered one of the city’s greatest rulers, who built “hospitals and orphanages, started reconstruction of the Cathedral of Saint Mark, and began social programs to help widows, orphans, pilgrims, and the abandoned” in the 10th century. He eventually left Venice in secret to become a Benedictine monk and then a hermit.
St. Sava (Jan. 14) was a Serbian prince who became a monk, founded monasteries, and acted as peacemaker between his brothers. He later translated works into Serbian, reformed and educated his country, and became metropolitan of the clergy there. He died while returning from a trip to the Holy Land.
Bl. Józef Pawlowski (Jan. 9): “Priest in the diocese of Kielce, Poland, and rector of its seminary. Arrested by the Gestapo on 10 February 1941 and deported to the Dachau concentration camp as part of the Nazi persecution of Christians. Martyr.” Also on Jan. 9 is St. Adrian of Canterbury, whose family fled ahead of Arab invasion to Italy, where he become a monk, abbot, and then advisor to the pope. He was sent to England as advisor to the Archbishop of Canterbury, and became a missionary and teacher in multiple subjects, making the School of Canterbury a center of learning (d. 710).
St. Apollinaris the Apologist (Jan. 8) was a second century bishop in Phrygia honored by other saints, including Jerome. A prolific writer, his works included a defense of the faith addressed to Emperor Marcus Aurelius and philosophical arguments against the heresies of his day.
St. Paul the Hermit (Jan. 10) was a desert hermit miraculously fed by a raven who died in 342, around the age of 113. St. Vitalis of Gaza (Jan. 11) was a monk whose ministry involved purchasing a prostitute’s services every night so he could preach to her and convince her to change her life; killed in 625 by a pimp because of his success. St. Berno of Cluny (Jan. 13) was a Benedictine abbot who founded and led the famous monastery of Cluny in France (d. 927). St. Ðaminh Pham Trong Kham (Jan. 13) was a married Vietnamese lay Dominican martyred in 1859. St. Bernard of Corleone (Jan. 12) was a shoemaker and exceptionally good swordsman who, after killing a man in a duel, became a Capuchin lay-brother and practiced severe penances. Bl. Godfrey of Cappenberg (Jan. 14) was a wealthy, married 12th century German count who turned his castle into an abbey and became a monk. St. Michael of Klopsk (Jan. 11) was a Russian royal who hid his identity to become a monk and “fool for Christ” (d. 1453).
Bl. Odoric of Pordenone (Jan. 14) was a 14th century missionary and miracle-worker in Persia, China, Java, Ceylon, and Tibet, the first European to reach the Dalai Lama’s capital. The Black Nazarene (Jan. 9) is a blackened, life-size statue of Jesus carrying the cross, honored in the Philippines, where miracles have been reported surrounding it. St. Benedict Biscop (Jan. 12) was a 7th century Northumbrian warrior who became a monk and traveled many times between Britain and Rome. St. Albert of Cashel (Jan. 8) was an eloquent English preacher who evangelized Bavaria with St. Erhard of Regensburg (Jan. 8), a miracle-worker and bishop. St. Fulgentius of Ecija (Jan. 14) was born into a family of saints, and became an archbishop in 7th century Spain. St. Gudule of Brussels (Jan. 8) was a Belgian noblewoman born to a family of saints in the 7th century; when she went to pray at church, the devil would snuff her candle, which miraculously re-ignited.
St. Thorfinn (Jan. 8) was a 13th century Norwegian bishop whose relics were found 50 years after death to give off a sweet odor. St. Glaphyra (Jan. 13) was a Roman slave martyred after running away to protect her chastity c. 324. The 40 Martyred Soldiers at Rome (Jan. 13) were killed in 262 under Gallienus. St. Dermot of Inis Clothrann (Jan. 10) was a 6th century Irish preacher, writer, and abbot who built seven churches. Bl. Veronica of Milan (Jan. 13) was a 15th century Augustinian lay-sister who experienced religious ecstasies, including a message for the pope from Christ.
Bl. Franciszek Rogaczewski (Jan. 11) was a Polish priest and popular confessor tortured and martyred by the Nazis. St. Agrecius of Trier (Jan. 13) was Patriarch of Antioch, advisor to Empress Helena, and then bishop in Gaul (France). Bl. William Carter (Jan. 11) was a married English printer martyred in 1584 for printing Catholic materials. Bl. Alix le Clerc (Jan. 9) was a wealthy and frivolous Frenchwoman who converted to found the Congregation of Our Lady, Canonesses of Saint Augustine to teach poor children in 1598. St. Waningus of Fécamp (Jan. 9) was a 7th century Frankish noble who turned from a worldly life at court to become a monk and abbot. St. Severinus of Noricum (Jan. 8) evangelized in the region of modern Austria and ministered to victims of the Huns’ invasion in the 5th century. St. Agatha Yi (Jan. 9) was a Korean laywoman martyred in 1840.
St. Anthony Mary Pucci (Jan. 12) was a Servite parish priest who cared for the sick and poor and instructed children (d. 1892). Bl. Pierre-Francois Jamet (Jan. 12) was a French priest who survived the French Revolution’s persecutions to become superior of a religious congregation and rector of a university. Bl. Ivetta of Huy (Jan. 13) was a Belgian wife and mother who became anchoress and mystic after being widowed (d. 1228). Bl. Emil Szramek (Jan. 13) was a Polish historian, writer, and priest martyred by the Nazis in Dachau. Bl. Eurosia Fabris (Jan. 8) was a wife and mother whose great love for all in need led her to be known as “Mamma Rosa” (d. 1932).
St. Lawrence Giustiniani (Jan. 8) was a Venetian preacher, archbishop, mystic, writer, and miracle-worker (d. 1455). St. Hildemar of Arrouaise (Jan. 13) was chaplain to William the Conqueror. Bl. Francesco Maria Greco (Jan. 13) was an Italian priest and theology professor who founded the Little Workers of the Sacred Hearts to aid the poor (d. 1931). Bl. Adèle de Batz de Trenquelléon (Jan. 10) was the French foundress of religious societies and the Marianist Sisters in the early 1800s. St. Domitian of Melitene (Jan. 10) was married and then a monk and bishop who was the emperor’s spiritual director (d.c. 602). Bl. Alfonsa Clerici (Jan. 14) was a well-educated Italian sister and teacher (d. 1930).
You can also read about Edward Waterson, Titus Zeman, Pega, Kristian Hosius, and Wulsin of Sherborne (Jan. 8); Julia of Certaldo, Marciana, Kazimierz Grelewski, Honorius of Buzançais, Marcellin of Ancona, Teresa Kim, and Brithwald of Canterbury (Jan. 9); María Dolores Rodríguez Sopeña, Francisca Salesia, William of Bourges, Anna Monteagudo, Marcian of Constantinople, and Thecla of Lentini (Jan. 10); Anna Maria Janer Anglarill, Anastasius of Suppentonia, Salvius of Amiens, Peter Balsam, Eithne and Fedelemia, and Tipasio (Jan. 11); Arcadius of Mauretania, Martin of Leon, and Caesaria of Arles (Jan. 12); Vivenzio of Blera, Francisca Inés Valverde González, Giuse Pham Trong Ta and Luca, Hermylus, and Stratonicus (Jan. 13); and Engelmaro, Datius of Milan, Potitus, and Odo of Novara (Jan. 14).
Have a blessed week!