Saints Crispin and Crispian are believed to be brothers born to a noble family in Rome in the middle of the third century. The brothers, along with Saint Quintinus, worked for the conversion of Gaul by their mission of evangelization, preaching boldly in the streets during the day. They supported themselves by night, working as shoemakers in Soissons.

The three of them exhibited charity and piety to such a great extent that many people were impressed by their example, and they won many converts to the Faith during their ministry. Their generosity and contempt of material things was impressive to the local people.

By the order of Emperor Maximian Herculeus, the three were arrested and tried by Rictus Varus (Rictiovarus), who was apparently governor of Belgic Gaul and an enemy of Christianity. He had the missionaries tortured, but when he was unable to kill them, Rictus Varus committed suicide. Maximian then martyred the trio by beheading them around the year 286. The Roman Martyrology says on October 25th, “At Soissons in Gaul, the holy martyrs Crispin and Crispinian, Roman nobles, whose bodies were afterwards translated to Rome, and buried honourably in the Church of Saint Laurence in pane et perna.”

A beautiful church was built at Soissons in the 6th century in the honor of the saints. Saints Crispin and Crispian are the patron saints of shoemakeres, cobblers, leather workers, lace makers, and weavers.

Lessons

Humble tasks, humble occupations, humble beginnings, humble lives, humble ends…

Regardless of circumstance, if one embraces the virtue of humility, offering sufferings to the Lord for others, these humble experiences can make one holy, and in humility, one magnifies and radiates the highest glory: that of God alone.

Other Saints We Remember Today

The 40 Martyrs of England and Wales (16th Century), Martyrs

Saints Chrysanthus and Daria (4th Century), Martyrs, husband and wife

St. Gaudentius of Brescia (410), Bishop

Several legends are circulated regarding the life, journeys, and death of St. Ursula and her companions.

Ursula was the daughter of a Christian British king. The stories of her life are based primarily on the inscriptions by Clamatius, an early senator, which were carved into a stone document that hangs in the church of St. Ursula in Cologne, Germany. There are also a few small details about her found in ancient liturgical documents. She became popular after her death and her veneration as a saint grew rapidly.

Legend has it that Ursula, born into nobility, was given 10 maidens as companions when she was a young girl. The 11 of them traveled on 11 ships, each accompanied by 1000 companions. They sailed for three years. Ursula had requested a three-year stay of marriage to the son of a pagan king because she wanted to preserve her virginity. At the end of their journey the 11,000 virgins went to Rome, then returned to Cologne; there they became martyrs, tortured and killed by the Huns for their faith.

A possible twist to this legend is the belief that the 11,000 number resulted from a misreading of the term “11M” in the stone inscription. This may have indicated 11 Martyrs — Ursula and her original companions — rather than the Roman numeral “M,” which represents 1000. But ancient manuscripts do refer to the martyrdom of thousands of maidens, and exact history is unclear.

Devotion to the martyrs grew quickly. The Order of Ursulines, founded in 1535 by St. Angela de Merici, took St. Ursula as their namesake. The Order is especially devoted to the education of Catholic girls.

St. Ursula is the patron saint of Catholic education, holy death, students and teachers.

St. Ursula and her companions have been represented in art several times throughout history. Her representation is usually as a maiden shot with arrows, often accompanied by a large number of companions who are suffering martyrdom in various ways.

Lesson

St. Ursula and her companions bravely faced martyrdom in the face of the wrath of pagans. They defended the Faith, and died courageously.

We may not be required to offer our very blood for the Faith, but we all need courage as we face daily persecution when we stand up for the truths the Church teaches — such as defense of human life and living a virtuous life.

May we turn to God in prayer, asking Him to be our Strength in our weakness.

Other Saints We Remember Today

St. Hilarion (371), Abbott

St. Cilinia (Celine) (458), mother of St. Remi

Bl. James of Strepar (1409), Bishop

Edward was born in 1003 in Oxford, England, the son of King Ethelred II, who was later unseated by a Danish invasion. Edward was to be sent to Denmark to be killed, but fled to Normandy instead. His mother later married the invader’s son, Canute, so Edward waited to return to England.

Edward gained a reputation as a just man, worthy of kingship, and the people of England gave him their support. After Canute and Canute’s son died, Edward ascended to the throne of his father on April 3, 1042, Easter Sunday.

Edward’s elder brother Alfred had been brutally murdered by Godwin, Earl of Kent. Nevertheless, for reasons of state, Edward married Godwin’s daughter, Edith, in 1044. She turned out to be very different from her father. He and the queen remained celibate in their marriage.

As king, Edward contended with the powerful opposition of Godwin along with other grave difficulties, such as rivalry between Norman and Saxon courtiers. With determination, Edward staved off invaders during his reign, and he helped restore the King of Scotland to his rightful throne. Edward was generous with the royal treasury, especially to the poor and to strangers who begged for mercy. He also remitted unjust taxes.

King Edward was known for his devout faith and love of God. It was reported that he healed people by his touch. The king had churches built, including Westminster Abbey. He died at Westminster on January 5, 1066. As he lay dying, his words were: “I shall not die but shall live. Departing from the land of the dying, I hope to see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.” He was canonized in 1161, and his saintly body is incorrupt in the Abbey of St. Thomas à Becket.

Other Saints We Remember Today

St. Gerald of Aurillac (909), Patron of bachelors and the handicapped

Alexander became the confessor for St. Charles Borromeo and Cardinal Sfondrati (later Pope Gregory XIV). He earned a reputation as a zealous preacher while in Pavia. When he was 33, Alexander was elected general of his congregation.

In 1570 Alexander began 20 years of service to the Church as a bishop of Corsica in Aleria, becoming known as the “Apostle of Corsica.” He made great efforts to reform the Church there, where the faith seemed all but dead and the people were involved in various corruptions. By personally visiting all of the parishes, he helped to rekindle the life of faith of the clergy and parishioners. Where the clergy and people were in a state of ignorance, Bishop Alexander would enlighten them, explaining the decrees of the Council of Trent. (His friend, St. Philip Neri, considered that Sauli’s reforms had transformed the disreputable Corsican diocese into a model for others.)

Pope Gregory XIV appointed him Bishop of Pavia in 1591. It is reported that Bishop Alexander performed miracles of prophecy, healing, and calming of storms both during his life and after his death. He was known to be a learned man with great aptitude for canon law, preaching, and catechesis, leaving a number of catechetical works.

Alexander died on October 11, 1592 in Pavia. He was beatified in 1742 by Pope Benedict XIV and canonized in 1904 by Pope St. Pius X.

Other Saints We Remember Today

Divine Maternity of Our Lady

St. Firminus (543), Bishop

Francis was a young nobleman at the court of the King of Spain. He became the fourth Duke of Gandía when he was only thirty-three and lived a happy, full life with his wife Eleanor and their eight children. Francis was a model Christian gentleman, a man of God. He rejoiced in receiving Holy Communion often.

Sadly, Eleanor died when Francis was only 36 years old. Francis astonished the nobles of Spain by giving his position as duke to his son Charles, to pursue becoming a Jesuit priest. But he remained in the world, as authorized by the pope, to care for his children. He founded the Jesuit College in Gandía, which was made a university by papal bull in 1547. In 1550 Francis went to Rome, where he was received by St. Ignatius Loyola; his entry into the Society was made public. He returned to Spain in 1551, where he was ordained a priest. His first Mass was so well attended that an altar had to be set up outside the church and the Mass lasted several hours. Francis was a man of humility and preferred to cook, sweep, serve food, and kneel at his brothers’ feet, rather than be treated as if he was still a duke. His superior encouraged his humble acts.

St. Ignatius named Francis commissary general of the Spanish provinces in 1554, and he was chosen General of the Society of Jesus in 1565. During his period of preaching throughout Spain, he became acquainted with St. Teresa of Ávila. He was one of the first to recognize her greatness.

The Order made great progress during Francis’ seven-year rule as General of the Jesuits. He’s been called its second founder because he helped establish the rule of the Society, revising it in 1567. Francis helped improve the Roman College (now the Gregorian University), which he had partially endowed at its inception. He encouraged foreign missionary work among the Jesuits. He built Sant’Andrea on the Quirinal, began the famous Gésu church in Rome, established the Polish Jesuit province, built colleges in France, and opened American missions. In 1566, when the plague ravaged Rome, he raised money to help the poor and sent Jesuit priests to hospitals to care for the sick.

Remaining humble, Francis accomplished wonderful works for God’s glory as he preached and advised leaders. Under his guidance, the Jesuits grew to be a great missionary society, assisting the Church far and wide. Through all his successful endeavors, St. Francis Borgia remained joyfully humble. Francis died September 30, 1572, and was canonized in 1671.

Other Saints We Remember Today

St. Ghislain (Gislenus) (680), Abbott

He excelled in his studies and was ordained a priest when he was 25 years old. Pacificus became a professor of philosophy. He taught novices in his order and he gave parish missions.

When Pacificus (whose name means “peace”) was only 39 years old his health began to fail, so he had to spend his final 29 years of life lame, deaf, and blind. He therefore led a contemplative life filled with prayer, and — like St. Joseph of Cupertino — he received ecstacies. Pacificus also became known as a miracle worker.

He died on September 24, 1721, and was beatified 65 years later. Pope Gregory IX canonized him in 1839 and his feast day is September 24.

Other Saints We Remember Today

Our Lady of Ransom (1218)

Several young women were attracted to the holy life of Jutta, and a convent was founded. After Jutta died in 1136, Hildegard succeeded her as the prioress of the new convent. The community moved to the area of Bingen on the Rhine, and established another convent in the mid-12th century.

Hildegard’s talents were many! Her musical plays were performed in her convents, and her beautiful choral compositions were sung in church. Musicologists and historians of science and religion initiated revival of interest in this extraordinary woman of the middle ages; her music has a lovely ethereal quality, which is highly appreciated to this day. Hildegard believed in natural remedies, and produced writings about natural history and medicinal uses of plants, trees, and stones.

Hildegard was accustomed to seeing visions, and recorded them at the request of her spiritual director. She produced major works of theology. She wanted her visions to be formally approved by the Catholic Church, though she herself never doubted the divine origins to her luminous visions. She sought the recommendation of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, who brought the writings to the attention of Pope Eugenius III (1145-53); he, with the archbishop of Mainz, approved them and exhorted Hildegard to finish her writings.

Like St. Catherine of Siena, Hildegard advised bishops, popes, and kings. She was considered to have great knowledge of the faith and the natural life. In a turbulent age, Hildegard used her talents in the quest for obtaining true justice and peace. She corresponded with four popes, two emperors, King Henry II of England, and famous clergy. Her works include commentaries on the Gospels, the Athanasian Creed, and the Rule of St. Benedict as well as Lives of the Saints and a medical work on the human body. Hildegard is regarded as one of the greatest figures of the 12th century — the first of the great German mystics, a poet, a physician, a musician, and a visionary. Hildegard died on September 17, 1179. Miracles were reported at her death, and the people honored her a saint. Beatified but not formally canonized, her name was inserted in the Roman Martyrology in the fifteenth century. Her feast day is September 17.

Other Saints We Remember Today

St. Thomas of Villanova (1555), Bishop, Religious, Patron of Valencia

St. Maurice and Companions (285), Martyrs

Other than the above, little is known about these early martyrs. Protus and Hyacinth were buried in the same crypt in the Catacomb of Saint Hermes, the cemetery of Saint Basilla. Hyacinth’s burial stone read that he was buried September 11, 257. Protus’ remains had long before been transferred to the Church of San Salvatore when his brother’s were found.

In 1845 Father Marchi discovered the still undisturbed grave of St. Hyacinth in the crypt. It was a small square niche in which lay the ashes and pieces of burned bone wrapped in the remains of costly stuffs (Marchi, "Monumenti primitivi: I, Architettura della Roma sotterranea cristina" , Rome, 1844, 238 sqq., 264 sqq.) His relics were transferred to the Chapel of the Propaganda.

In life and in death, they belong to God. Though hidden for centuries from the eyes of the world, they are alive, worshiping and interceding, as saints in Heaven.

Other Saints We Remember Today

St. Adelphus (5th Century), Bishop

St. Paphnutius (356), Bishop

Thomas was arrested and exiled to Macao because of his publicly-practiced faith. Desiring to continue his missionary work in his homeland, he returned to Japan in disguise. Suffering some moments of doubt, however, he gave in to temptations to leave the way of life he held so dear. For one day he did walk away from the order, but returned, zealously resuming his holy missionary work and life of prayer.

The Japanese authorities soon caught up with him and recaptured him. They imprisoned Thomas and sentenced him to death for his bold proclamation of the faith. In 1627 Thomas Tsugi became a martyr as he was burned to death in Nagasaki, Japan — along with several companions — for the faith. He was heard to proclaim as he died, “Praise the Lord of all nations!”

Other Saints We Remember Today

St. Regina (286), Virgin, Martyr, Patroness of Poverty

St. Cloud (560), Priest, Hermit

Born around 1195 in or near Garrigue in the diocese of Nimes in southern France, Bertrand lived a holy life, praying and practicing virtue constantly even as a young person. Ordained a secular (diocesan) priest at a very early age, he joined the missionaries under the direction of the Cistercian Fathers, delegated by the Holy See, to bring the Albigenses back to the ways of civilized life and to the Church. The Albigenses were notorious for having no respect for authority or life, and for desecrating churches and convents.

Saint Dominic and Blessed Bertrand met as missionaries and became very close friends, praying and fasting together, offering sufferings for the good of others. They traveled together frequently, united in missionary spirit and companionship. Bertrand witnessed and testified to the holiness of St. Dominic, and to miracles attributed to him.

Bertrand was only about twenty-one when he accepted the habit of the Order of St. Dominic in 1216 at Toulouse. He was a founding member of the order, and his advice and prayers helped to establish the Order of Preachers, the Dominicans, also known as the Friars Preacher. He was appointed by St. Dominic as the third prior of the order, in the Church of St. Romanus, when St. Dominic traveled to the Vatican to receive final approbation of the order.

Bertrand practiced an austere life, and many miracles were attributed to his intercession, during his life and after he died. He died while giving a series of sermons in 1230 at the convent of the Cistercian Sisters of Notre Dame of the Woods (“du Bosquet”). September 6 is his feast day.

Other Saints We Remember Today

St. Eleutherius (585), Religious