July 25 -- today's saints and blesseds

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Catholic : One Thread

Jmj

On July 25, we members of the Catholic Church family honor, in a special way, the following friends of God -- "saints" and "blesseds" whose souls are now in heaven:

St. James the Greater of Galilee (Israelite, son of Zebedee and Salome, brother of St. John, fisherman, apostle of Jesus, martyred by the sword [first Apostle martyred] c. 44)

Bl. Anthony Lucci of Agnone [Antonio] (Italian, Franciscan friar, bishop, died 18 days before his 70th birthday in 1752 [beatified 1989])
St. Christopher of Canaan (Palestinian, carried people across a stream, martyred c. 251)
St. Cucuphas of Scillis (North African, nobleman, martyred in Spain in 304)
St. Ebrulf of Bayeux (French, hermit, abbot, d. 600)
Sts. Felix and Florentius of Rome (Italian, soldiers, martyred in 235)
St. Glodesind of Metz (French, abbess, c. 608)
Bl. John Soreth of Caen [Jean] (French, Carmelite prior general, died at about age 51 [cholera] in 1471 [beatified 1865]) [commemorated by some on the 30th]
St. Magnericus of Trier (German, bishop, d. 596)
Bl. Maria Teresa of the Child Jesus Kowalska of Warsaw [baptized Mieczyslawa] (Polish, Poor Clare Capuchin sister, martyred by Nazis at Dzialdowo [Poland] at about age 39 in 1941 [beatified 1999])
Bl. Mary of Mt. Carmel Sallés Barangueras of Vich [Maria de Monte Carmelo] [baptized Carmen] (Spanish, virgin, founded Sisters of the Immaculate Conception for the Instruction of Children, died at about age 63 in 1911 [beatified 1998])
St. Nissen (Irish, disciple of St. Patrick, abbot, 6th century)
St. Paul of Gaza (Palestinian, martyred in 308)
Bl. Peter Corradini of Mogliano [Pietro] (Italian, Franciscan priest, died at about age 48 in 1490 [beatified 1760]) [commemorated by some on the 30th]
Sts. Thea of Gaza and Valentina of Caesarea (Palestinian, tortured, early martyrs by burning)

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. Additional 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), July 24, 2004

Answers

[Note: I am copying the following several (indented) messages from the old, obsolete "saints" thread for this day of the year, so that the old thread can later be deleted. JFG]


Summary: St. Christopher was a member of the north African tribe of the Marmaritae. He was captured by Roman forces during the emperor Diocletian's campaign against the Marmaritae in late 301/early 302 and was transported for service in a Roman garrison in or near Antioch in Syria. He was baptised by the refugee bishop Peter of Alexandria and was martyred on 9 July 308. Bishop Peter arranged for the transport of his remains back to Marmarica in 311. He is really identifiable with the Egyptian martyr known as St. Menas. In so far as the author of the lost, original acts of St. Christopher seems both to have been based at Antioch and to have wanted to encourage missionary activity, he is probably identifiable if not as bishop Theophilus the Indian himself, present at Antioch c.351-54, then as one of his circle.

-- Enrique Ortiz -- July 25, 2002.

Enrique, the true story of St. Christopher seems to be shrouded in uncertainty. In my work on these miniature profiles of saints, I have come across many cases like this, in which there are two or three "competing" biographies of first-millennium people. You have presented one "life" of St. Christopher, while, as you may have noticed, I referred to him as a Palestinian who died earlier (from another tradition). I think that this uncertainty contributed to the Church's decision to remove his name (and that of certain other saints) from the universal calendar in the late 1960s, while allowing local and private, personal devotion to continue.
JFG

-- July 25, 2002.

Kathy,

This might be your St. Christopher here. I have seen a picture of this Saint carring a little child across a stream. This is just my guess though.

David

PS: This post is in reference to your question on another thread about your son's medal.

-- David -- August 14, 2002.


Thanks David ... sounds like he is the one. I found only one St. Christopher when I looked up the Saints on the web.

-- Kathy -- August 16, 2002.


-- J. F. Gecik ("jfgecik@hotmail.com), July 24, 2004.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ