Category Archives: Martyr

Apostle, Featured, Martyr, patron saints, Pope, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Peter and St. Paul, Feast Day June 29




The Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul Public Domain Image
The Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul

The Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of St. Paul and St. Peter on June 29.

Both saints were martyred for their faith during the persecution of Nero. St. Peter was crucified upside down by his own request. He did not consider himself worthy to be crucified in the same manner as Our Lord. St. Paul was beheaded. It is possible they were both martyred on the same day.

St. Peter was one of the original Apostles. He was a fisherman before he was called to follow Jesus. He was the brother to the Apostle Andrew. St. Peter was clearly the leader of the apostles. With James and John he witnessed the Transfiguration and the Agony in the Garden. His mother-in-law was cured by Jesus. Originally, Peter’s name was Simon. Jesus asked the apostles, “Who do you say that I am?” Simon said, “You are the Messiah, the son of the living God.” Jesus then said:

“Blessed are you Simon, Son of Jonah, for flesh and blood have not revealed this to you but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

During the crucifixion of Jesus, Peter denied Jesus three times. Jesus also told Peter three times…

“Feed my sheep”.

St. Peter is the patron saint of fishermen.

St. Paul was not one of the original apostles. While persecuting Christians after the death of Jesus, he was thrown to the ground by a bright light. He heard a voice asking him,

“Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

He responded with “Who are you, Lord?” Jesus answered him:

“I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city and you will be told what you are to do.”

Paul was blinded by the light for three days after which scales fell from his eyes. He then joined the apostles, becoming known as “The Apostle of the Gentiles”. He wrote many of the epistles in the Bible. He is the patron saint of writers, the press, and missionaries.

Prayer to St. Peter and St. Paul

Grant, we pray, O Lord our God, that we may be sustained by the intercession of the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, that as through them you gave your Church the foundations of her heavenly office, so through them you may help her to eternal salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ Your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, One God forever and ever. Amen

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Quote of St. Paul
Lord, you know that I love you.
Quote of St. Peter
June is the Month of the Sacred Heart

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Faith, Martyr, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Irenaeus, Feast Day June 28




St. Irenaeus of Lyons Public Domain Image
St. Irenaeus of Lyons

The Feast Day of St. Irenaeus of Lyons is celebrated on June 28.

St. Irenaeus of Lyons is considered a martyr and Church Father. St. Irenaeus was born around 125 in Asia Minor. He was raised in a Christian family, becoming a student of St. Polycarp of Smyrna.

St. Irenaeus was ordained a priest in 177 and became the Bishop of Lyons after the martyrdom of St. Pothinus. He is considered one of the first great Christian theologians. The most well known of his books is titled “Against Heresies”. He defended the holiness of the body and preached to the Gnostics.

St. Irenaeus was martyred in 202 in Lyons, France under the Emperor Septimus Severus.

The Glory of God is man fully alive.
Quote of St. Irenaeus
June is the Month of the Sacred Heart
Martyr, patron saints, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Eurosia, Feast Day June 25




St. Eurosia Public Domain Image
St. Eurosia

The Feast Day of St. Eurosia is celebrated on June 25.  St. Eurosia is considered the patron saint against bad weather.

St. Eurosia was a French martyr. She was born in Bayonne, France into a noble family. Betrothed against her will to a Moore, she escaped through the mountains and hid in a cave. Eurosia was pursued and captured. Her captures dragged her out of the cave by her hair. She was then martyred. Her limbs were amputated and then she was beheaded. At the moment of her death a violent storm came which terrorized her captures.

St. Eurosia’s remains were discovered by a shepherd. Her head remained at the original shrine, but her body was taken to Jaca for burial. Miracles were reported at the original shrine which became a site of pilgrimage.

St. Eurosia was canonized by Pope Leo XIII.

Where the sign of the cross is erected,
the wickedness of the devil is immediately repelled.
Quote of St. Maximus of Turin;                   Feast day June 25
June is the Month of the Sacred Heart

Baptism, Martyr, Saint of the Day, Visionary

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. John the Baptist, Feast Day June 24




St. John the Baptist Public Domain Image
St. John the Baptist

The Nativity of St. John the Baptist is celebrated on June.   The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is celebrated on the Sunday after January 6th.                                                                          

John  the Baptist is the last prophet proclaiming the coming of the Lord. We actually meet John when Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry,

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy.”( Luke1: 39)

John was actually about six months older than his cousin Jesus.

The next time we hear of John the Baptist he comes out of the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.  John  proclaimed:

“I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”(Matthew 3: 11)
Baptism of Jesus Public Domain Image
St. John the Baptist baptizing Jesus Public Domain Image

In Matthew 3: 13,  Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.”

After Jesus had been baptized, the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and a voice from heaven said,

“This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

We learn in Mark 1:14 that it is after the arrest of John the Baptist by King Herod, that Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God and saying, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God has come near, repent, and believe in the good news.”

Why was John arrested? The story is told in Mark 6: 17-29. John was arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married. John had said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”  Herodias harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so because Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. On Herod’s birthday Herodias’ own daughter came in and performed a dance that so delighted Herod and his guests that Herod promised her whatever she requested. She went to her mother asking “What shall I ask for?” Herodias replied, “The head of John the Baptist.”  The girl hurried back to King

St. John the Baptist Public Domain Image
St. John the Baptist
Public Domain Image

Herod saying “I want you to give me at once on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” King Herod was distressed at the request, but because of his oaths in front of guest he did not wish to break his word to her. So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders to bring back John the Baptists’ head. The head, on a silver platter, was given to the girl. In turn the girl gave it to her mother.

When the disciples heard about it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

John the Baptist is most remembered for his call to repentance and baptism. The following is one of his last statements before his death.

Jesus must increase;  I must decrease.

Quote of St. John the Baptist
June is the Month of the Sacred Heart

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Featured, Martyr, patron saints, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Thomas More, Feast Day June 22



St. Thomas More Public Domain Image
St. Thomas More

The Feast Day of St. Thomas More is celebrated on June 22.  St. Thomas More is the patron saint of lawyers.

St. Thomas More was born in London, England in 1478. He wrote the famous book Utopia which was a work of fiction which depicted a pagan and communist island which was ruled by reason. It touched on many controversial issues and established him as a humanist.

St. Thomas More attended St. Anthony’s School in London and served as a page for the archbishop of Canterbury. He continued his studies at Oxford University eventually becoming a lawyer. He was tempted to become a monk and moved near to a Cathusian monastery near London. He participated as much as possible. Torn becoming a monk or working as a civil servant his desire to become a civil servant won. In 1504, he entered Parliament.
Life began to change in 1527 when King Henry tried to use the Bible to prove to Thomas More that his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, who failed to produce a male child, was void. St. Thomas More could not agree with King Henry’s plan to divorce Catherine.

In 1532, Thomas More resigned from the House of Commons because of his health. When More refused to swear to King Henry’s Act of Succession and the Oath of Supremacy he was refusing allegiance to the King.

St. Thomas More was sent to the Tower of London on April 17, 1534 and found guilty of treason. He was beheaded on July 6, 1535. His last words were:

“The king’s good servant, but God’s first.”

St. Thomas More is considered a martyr of the faith.
St. Thomas More was canonized in 1935 by Pope Pius XI.

Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.
Quote of St. Thomas More
June is the Month of the Sacred Heart

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Faith, Martyr, Pope, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Silverius, Feast Day June 20




St. Silverius Public Domain Image
St. Silverius

The Feast Day of St. Silverius is celebrated on June 20.

St. Silverius was the son of Pope Hermisdas who had been married before entering his ministry. St. Silverius was chosen as Pope while he was serving as a sub deacon. He was ordained on June 8, 536.

As Pope, St. Silverius refused to approve the doctrine of monophysitism which believed Christ had one nature not two (human and divine). Because of this ruling Pope Silverius was deposed and replaced by a deacon named Vigilus. St. Silverius was accused of treason and degraded to the rank of monk. After an appeal he was sent to Rome for an inquiry. Silverius however was forced to live on the island of Palmaria off Naples.

St. Silverius died from murder by starvation in the year 539. He was recognized a saint by popular acclamation.

Cast yourself into the furnace of the gentle heart of Jesus.
All your defects and imperfections will be consumed there.
Quote of St. Paul of the Cross; Feast day Oct. 19
June is the Month of the Sacred Heart.

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Benedictine Saints, Featured, Martyr, Saint of the Day, Visionary

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Elizabeth of Schoenna, Feast Day June 18




St. Elizabeth of Schoenna
St. Elizabeth of Schoenna

The Feast Day of St. Elizabeth of Schoenna is celebrated on June 18.

St. Elizabeth was born in 1129 in Bonn, Germany. She was raised in a monastery and at the age of twelve entered a Benedictine Monastery. She made her profession in 1147 and became superioress of the Benedictine Nuns in 1157.

Elizabeth often had visions and ecstasies which occurred on Holy Days and Sundays. She wrote down her visions and after her death in 1165, the material was published by her brother Egbert who was a priest. The church has not examined her work and has not given an opinion.

Although she has never been formally canonized her name has been entered in the Roman martyrology.

To be ignorant of the Scriptures is to be ignorant of Christ.
Quote of St. Jerome; Feast day September 30
June is the Month of the Sacred Heart.
Apostle, Martyr, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Barnabas, Feast Day June 11





The Feast Day of St. Barnabas is celebrated on June 11.

St. Barnabas was Jewish. He was given the name of Joseph at birth. He sold his property and gave the proceeds to the Apostles who named him Barnabas. Barnabas means ‘son of consolation’ or ‘man of encouragement’. The bible tells us he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith. He lived in common with the earliest Christian converts. While he was not one of the original apostles, he is believed to be one of the 72 commissioned by Jesus to preach. He is given the honorary title of Apostle.

St. Barnabas Public Domain Image
St. Barnabas

St. Barnabas was one of the first to welcome St. Paul as a disciple of Jesus. He persuaded the community to accept Paul. Barnabas was sent to Antioch, Syria to investigate a community of non-Jewish believers there and brought Paul there from Tarsus. The followers of The Way were first called Christians at Antioch. Barnabas, his cousin John Mark and the Apostle Paul traveled together on their first missionary journey. They went to Cyprus, Perga, Antioch, and Iconium, and Lystra in Lycaomia. After being stoned they returned to Antioch.

Paul and Barnabas attended the counsel of Jerusalem which was discussing whether Christians needed to be circumcised before baptism.

St. Barnabas preached in Alexandria and Rome before being stoned to death at Salamis in the year 61. He is considered the founder of the Cypriot Church.

Let us be about God’s business and He will look after ours.
Quote of St. Vincent de Paul; Feast day September 27
June is the Month of the Sacred Heart.
Faith, Martyr, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Paul of Constantinople, Feast Day June 7




St. Paul of Constantinople

The feast day of St. Paul of Constantinople is celebrated on June 7.  St. Paul was elected the Bishop of Constantinople to succeed Alexander of Constantinople.  The Arian controversy was causing a great deal of turmoil at this time.  Arianism denied the divinity of Christ and the Trinity.

Emperor Constantus II was an Arian and did not approve of the election of St. Paul.  Because  St. Paul defended the belief that Christ is divine as well as human, he was exiled several times by the emperor.  The first time he was exiled but allowed to return in the year 338.  The second time he returned in the year 340.  The third time he was exiled to Mesopotamia, returning in the year 344.  His last time of exile was in the year 350 when he was exiled to Armenia.  Here, he died a martyr’s death.  He was starved and then strangled.

The man who has the mission of saying great things
(and all of us Christians have this sweet obligation)
is equally obliged to practice them.
Quote of St. Gregory the Great; Feast Day September 3
June is the Month of the Sacred Heart
Faith, Featured, Martyr, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Boniface, Feast Day June 5




Bonifatius_Donareiche
St. Boniface Cutting Down Tree

The Feast Day of St. Boniface is celebrated on June 5.

St. Boniface was born in Wessex, England in 675. After studying in English monasteries he became a missionary traveling to Europe where he converted pagans in what today is Germany and the Netherlands.

St. Boniface became the bishop of Mainz in 722. He is remembered for cutting down an oak tree which was associated with the god Thor. Those who witnessed the event expected him to be punished by Thor. When nothing immediately happened many people converted.

The pope wanted St. Boniface to reform the German Church. St. Boniface organized the German Church solving many of the existing problems which included the education and proper ordination of the clergy.

On his final mission, at the age of 80, he and 53 companions were martyred while he was instructing converts for the sacrament of confirmation. The date of his martyrdom was June 5, 754. He is referred to as the Apostle to the Germans.

In her voyage across the ocean of this world,
the Church is like a great ship being pounded by the waves
of life’s different stresses. Our duty is not to abandon ship
but to keep her on her course. Let us stand fast in what is right
and prepare our souls for trial. Let us wait upon God’s strengthening
aid and say to him “O Lord, You have been our refuge in all generations.”
Quote of St. Boniface
June is the Month of the Sacred Heart.
Faith, Martyr, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Charles Lwanga, Feast Day June 3




St. Charles Lwanga Public Domain Image
St. Charles Lwanga

The Feast Day of St. Charles Lwanga is celebrated on June 3.

The Society of Missionaries attracted many converts in Uganda. The converts soon became teachers of the faith also. Uganda was ruled by King Mwanga who was violent and a pedophile. The Christians who lived and taught at King Mwanga’s court tried to protect the pages from the King. The leader of the 200 Christians was Joseph Mkassa. He confronted the King after a Protestant missionary and his companions were killed. Mwanga ordered his execution. Before he was beheaded and burned on Nov. 15, 1885 Joseph forgave Mwanga, but asked for repentance.

St. Charles, who was 18 when he converted, became the new leader of the Christian group. For six months the persecution lessened. Then, however, King Mwanga became angry and killed another student of Christianity with a spear. He ordered the royal compound sealed so no one could escape. Charles baptized four catecheumens (students) that night. The next day the king ordered the 15 boys and men to be executed because they refused to give up being Christians. They were ordered to walk 37 miles to be executed in Namugongo. Three died on the journey. After seven days in prison, they were burned to death. Thirteen Catholics and eleven Protestant’s died.

The Catholic faith was practiced in secret without clergy. After the death of King Mwanga, there were 500 Christians and 1000 catecheumans waiting to receive the sacraments again.

The 22 Catholic Martyrs of Uganda were canonized.

Do not be ashamed to confess the cross, for angels glory in it.
Quote of St. Cyril of Jerusalem;                                                                                                                                          Feast day March 18
June is the Month of the Sacred Heart.
14 Helpers, Faith, Martyr, patron saints, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Erasmus (St. Elmo), Feast Day June 2




Martyrdom of St. Erasmos Public Domain Image
Martyrdom of St. Erasmus

The Feast Day of St. Erasmus (also known as St. Elmo), is celebrated on June 2. He is the patron saint of sailors and against intestinal troubles.

St. Erasmus lived in Italy. He is also known as St. Elmo. He served as the Bishop of Formiae, Campagna, Italy and was martyred during the persecutions of Christians by Diocletan.

Trying to flee the persecutions St. Elmo fled to Mt. Lebanon and lived in solitude for a time. When he was found, he was tortured and imprisoned. Because he refused to deny his faith he was scourged and cast into boiling oil, sulfur and pitch. He was miraculously saved from harm. According to legend and angel led him to freedom.

After escaping prison he converted many with his preaching and miracles. A second time he was captured, imprisoned and tortured. Again, an angel led him to freedom.  During his torture he had hot iron hooks struck into his intestines. He survived these wounds which is why he is invoked for intestinal problems.

St. Elmo is also the patron saint of sailors. A blue light appears at mastheads before and after a storm; the seamen took it as a sign of St. Erasmus’s protection. This became known as St. Elmo’s Fire.

St. Elmo died was martyred in 303. He was tortured and disemboweled.

St. Elmo is considered one of the 14 Helpers. These fourteen saints are considered very effective in their ability to intercede in times of trouble, especially matters of health.

Nothing unites us so intimately
to the Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ
as does the cross.
Quote of St. Margaret Mary;                                  Feast day October 17
June is the Month of the Sacred Heart.