Jmj

Today, January 1, we members of the Catholic Church family celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. It is also the Church's yearly World Day of Peace.
We also honor, in a special way, the following friends of God -- saints whose souls are now in heaven:

Bl. Adalbero of Liége (French, bishop, d. 1128)
St. Almachius [also known as Telemachus] (hermit, martyred c. 400)
St. Basil of Aix (French, bishop, d. 521)
St. Beoc (Welsh, abbot in Ireland, c. 6th century)
Bl. Bonannus (Italian, Celestine monk, c. 1320)
St. Clarus (French, Benedictine abbot, c. 660)
St. Concordius of Spoleto (Roman, subdeacon, racked and martyred by beheading c. 175)
St. Connat (Irish, abbess, c. 590)
St. Cuan (Irish, abbot, 6th century)
Sts. Elvan and Mydwyn (British, 2nd century)
St. Eugendus (Swiss, abbot, c. 510)
St. Euphrosyne (Egyptian, virgin, martyred in 470)
St. Fanchea of Rossory (Irish, abbess, c. 585)
St. Felix of Bourges (French, bishop, c. 580)
St. Fulgentius of Ruspe [full name: Fabius Claudius Gordianus Fulgentius] (Tunisian, town official, abbot, bishop, theologian, battled Arianism, d. 533)
St. Gregory Nazianzen the Elder (from Asia Minor [Turkish], official, convert at 49, father of three saints, bishop succeeded by his more famous son Gregory at age 98, d. 374)
Bl. Hugolinus of Gualdo (Italian, hermit, Augustinian prior, d. 1260)
St. Joseph Mary Tommasi [Giuseppe Maria] (Sicilian, Theatine priest, pope's confessor, cardinal, liturgical expert in eight languages, d. 1713 [canonized 1986])
St. Justin of Chieti (Italian, bishop, c. 540)
St. Maelrhys of Bardsey (French, lived on Welsh island, 6th century)
St. Magnus (early martyr)
St. Odilo of Cluny ["Archangel of Monks"] (French, Benedictine abbot for 54 years, instituted All Souls' Day [11/02], c. 1049)
St. Peter of Atroa [baptized Theophylact] (from Asia Minor [Turkish], hermit, abbot, d. 837)
Thirty soldiers of Rome (martyred c. 304)
St. William of Dijon (Italian, nobleman, Benedictine abbot in France, d. 1031)
St. Zdislava Berka (Czech, noblewoman, mother of four, first Slavic Dominican tertiary, great benefactor of poor, d. 1252 [canonized 1995])

If you have anything to share about these holy people, please reply now -- biographical episodes, prayers through their intercession, the fact that one is your patron saint -- whatever moves you. If you are interested in one of these saints and want to find out more about him/her, please ask. Information is sometimes available on the Internet.

All you holy men and women, saints of God, pray for us.
God bless you.
John


-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), January 01, 2002

Answers

-- (_@_._), January 01, 2002.

Jmj

On January 1, we members of the Catholic Church family celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. It is also the Church's yearly World Day of Peace.
We also honor, in a special way, the following friends of God -- saints whose souls are now in heaven:

Bl. Adalbero of Liége (French, bishop, d. 1128)
St. Almachius [also known as Telemachus] (hermit, martyred c. 400)
St. Basil of Aix (French, bishop, d. 521)
St. Beoc of Donegal (Welsh, abbot in Ireland, c. 6th century)
Bl. Bonanno of Abruzzi (Italian, Celestine monk, c. 1320)
Bl. Clarus of Vienne (French, Benedictine abbot, c. 660 [beatified 1907])
St. Concordius of Spoleto (Roman, subdeacon, racked and martyred by beheading c. 175)
St. Connat of Kildare (Irish, abbess, c. 590)
St. Cuan (Irish, abbot, 6th century)
Sts. Elvan and Mydwyn (British, 2nd century)
St. Eugendus of Condat (Swiss, abbot, c. 510)
St. Euphrosyne of Alexandria (Egyptian, virgin, martyred in 470)
St. Fanchea of Rossory (Irish, abbess, c. 585)
St. Felix of Bourges (French, bishop, c. 580)
St. Fulgentius of Ruspe [full Latin name: Fabius Claudius Gordianus Fulgentius] (Tunisian, town official, abbot, bishop, theologian, battled Arianism, d. 533)
St. Gregory the Elder of Nazianzos (from Asia Minor [Turkish], official, convert at 49, father of three saints, bishop succeeded by his more famous son Gregory at age 98, d. 374)
Bl. Hugolinus of Gualdo [Hugolino] (Italian, hermit, Augustinian prior, d. 1260)
St. Joseph Mary Tommasi of Alicata [Giuseppe Maria] (Sicilian, Theatine priest, pope's confessor, cardinal, liturgical expert in eight languages, d. 1713 [canonized 1986])
St. Justin of Chieti (Italian, bishop, c. 540)
St. Maelrhys of Bardsey (French, lived on Welsh island, 6th century)
St. Magnus (early martyr)
St. Odilo of Cluny ["Archangel of Monks"] (French, Benedictine abbot for 54 years, instituted All Souls' Day [11/02], c. 1049)
St. Peter of Atroa [baptized Theophylact] (from Asia Minor [Turkish], hermit, abbot, d. 837)
Holy Soldiers of Rome (thirty men, martyred c. 304)
Bl. Sigmund Gorazdowski of Sanok [Zygmunt] (Ukrainian, priest, d. 1920 [beatified 2001])
St. William of Dijon [Guglielmo] (Italian, nobleman, Benedictine abbot in France, d. 1031)
St. Zdislava Berka of Litomerice (Czech, noblewoman, mother of four, first Slavic Dominican tertiary, great benefactor of poor, d. 1252 [canonized 1995])

If you have anything to share about these holy people, please reply now -- biographical episodes, prayers through their intercession, the fact that one is your patron -- whatever moves you. If you are interested in one of these saints or blesseds and want to find out more about him/her, please ask. Information is sometimes available on the Internet.

All you holy men and women, saints of God, pray for us.
God bless you.
John

-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), January 02, 2004.

Late in 2003 and early in 2004, Pope John Paul II beatified sixteen servants of God. The following one was assigned this calendar day for yearly commemoration.

Bl. Valentine Paquay of Tongres [Valentin] (Belgian, Franciscan priest of the Order of Friars Minor, provincial superior, died at age 76 in 1905 [beatified 2003])

-- (jfgecik@spamfreeHotmail.com), May 07, 2004.