May Saints

The Feast of St. Joseph the Worker

St. Joseph has two feast days on the liturgical calendar, March 19: Joseph, the Husband of Mary, and today, May 1: Joseph, the Worker. We can see from Scripture that Joseph was compassionate and obedient to the will of God. He loved Mary and Jesus and wanted to protect and provide for them.

"Saint Joseph is a man of great spirit. He is great in faith, not because he speaks his own words, but above all because he listens to the words of the Living God. He listens in silence. And his heart ceaselessly perseveres in the readiness to accept the Truth contained in the word of the Living God.” ~ Pope John Paul II

St. Joseph, please pray for us! 

The Feast of St. Athanasius

​​​​​​​On May 2, we honor St. Athanasius of Alexandria, the fourth-century bishop known as “the father of orthodoxy”. He's remembered for his confident defense of the doctrine of Christ's divinity.

At a young age, St. Athanasius was discipled by St. Anthony and his monastic community in the Egyptian desert. From the First Ecumenical Council of Nicea to his appointment as Bishop of Alexandria and beyond, Athanasius fought to uphold the divinity of Christ against multiple opponents. He was driven into exile multiple times, troops were sent to attack his clergy and congregations, and his life was threatened repeatedly. Athanasius continued to defend Christ's divinity, and after his death, he was vindicated by the Second Ecumenical Council.

St. Athanasius, thank you for your courage and for your commitment to the truth of Christ's divinity. Please, pray for us! 

The Feast of Sts. Philip and James

On this day, we celebrate Sts. Philip and James. Philip was born in Bethsaida in Galilee and was one of the 12 Apostles that Jesus called. Immediately, Philip began to share the news of Christ, telling his friend Nathaniel that Jesus was the one whom Moses and the other prophets had foretold.

St. James the Less is called “Less” because he was younger than the other Apostle by the same name, St. James the Great, son of Zebedee. James the Less, the son of Alphaeus of Cleophas, is the author of the first Catholic Epistle. He held a distinguished position in the early Christian community of Jerusalem. St. Paul tells us he was a witness of the Resurrection of Christ and also a "pillar" of the Church.

Sts. Philip and James, please pray for us! 

The Feast of St. Damien de Veuster

​​​​​​​On May 10, we remember St. Damien de Veuster. This Belgian priest gave his life to become a spiritual father to the victims of leprosy quarantined on the Hawaiian island of Molokai.

In good health, St. Damien chose to immerse himself into the fatally contagious leper colony in order to care for the neglected lepers on Molokai. He fed the hungry, sheltered the homeless and cared for the suffering until he eventually contracted leprosy himself. He lost his speech, eyesight, feeling and mobility to the disease. He gave his life to love and serve the lepers of Molokai.

St. Damien, thank you for your incredible bravery and compassion. Please, pray for us!

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The Feast of Saints Nereus and Achilleus of Terracina, and also Saint Pancras of Rome

According to an inscription by Pope Damascus found on a marble slab, Sts. Nereus and Achilleus were Roman soldiers who persecuted Christians before their miraculous conversion. It is not clear what caused the sudden change of belief, but they resigned their commission and were later martyred for their faith.

Like Sts. Nereus and Achilleus, St. Pancras also converted to Christianity and was martyred during the persecution under Diocletian at the age of 14.

St. Pancras was formerly venerated together with Sts. Nereus and Achilleus. However, he has been venerated separately since 1969, still on May 12.

Sts. Nereus, Achilleus and St. Pancras, pray for us! 

The Feast of Our Lady of Fátima

In the midst of World War I, an apparition of "a woman all in white, more brilliant than the sun" appeared to three children in the village of Fátima saying, “I come from Heaven.” She asked them to pray, to devote themselves to the Holy Trinity and to “say the Rosary every day, to bring peace to the world and an end to the war.”

In the last of the apparitions the woman revealed her name saying, “I am the Lady of the Rosary.” She appeared six times to Lucia and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta.

Our Lady of Fátima, pray for us! 

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The Feast of St. Matthias

​​​​​​​St. Matthias, whose name means “gift of God”, was chosen to replace Judas as one of the Twelve Apostles.

In the Acts of the Apostles, we read that he was also one of the 72 disciples that Jesus sent out to preach the good news. Matthias was “a witness to Christ’s Resurrection,” according to St. Peter.

St. Matthias, pray for us! 

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The Feast of St. Isidore the Farmer

​​​​​​​St. Isidore was born in Madrid to poor parents around the year 1070 and named after St. Isidore of Seville, Isidore is known for his great generosity to the poor and his kindness to animals. He was a hard worker who worked many miracles in his lifetime.

Angels were seen working in his stead while St. Isidore attended Mass in the mornings, and angels were seen working alongside him, helping him accomplish much more than other workers.

St. Isidore, thank you for modeling a life of both prayer and hard work. Please, pray for us!

The Feast of St. John I, Pope

​​​​​​​On May 18, the Church honors the first "Pope John" in its history, Saint John I. He was a martyr for the faith, imprisoned and starved to death by a heretical King in the sixth century.

Born in Tuscany, St. John I was chosen to become the Pope of Rome in 523. At the time, Italy was ruled by the Ostrogothic King Theodoric, who adhered to the Arian heresy. Pope John refused to support Theodoric in his heresy and was imprisoned, where he died of starvation.

St. John I, thank you for your courage and defense of the faith. Please, pray for us!

The Feast of St. Bernardine of Siena

​​​​​​​St. Bernardine was a Franciscan friar and preacher known as “the Apostle of Italy” for his efforts to revive the country's Catholic faith during the 15th century.

Even at a young age, St. Bernardine's love for God manifested into a remarkable concern for the poor. He would often go without food in order to help someone with a greater need. He took charge of the hospital in Scala when the plague all but wiped out the hospital staff. As a priest, he was commissioned to be a missionary in Italy where he preached boldly until his health failed him.

St. Bernardine, thank you for boldly proclaiming God's truth. Please, pray for us!

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The Feast of St. Christopher Magallanes and companions

On this day, the Church honors St. Christopher Magallanes and his companions, martyred for their involvement in the Cristero uprising.

In the 1920s, the government of Mexico instituted and enforced anti-Catholic laws in an attempt to eradicate the Catholic faith, even banning all foreign clergy and the celebration of Mass in some regions of Mexico. The members of the Cristero resistance roared their slogan in protest, “Long live Christ the King and the Virgin of Guadalupe!” Magallanes established a seminary in Totatiche where he and his companions secretly preached and ministered to the faithful.

St. Christopher Magallanes, 21 other priests and three lay companions were martyred between 1915 and 1937, by shooting or hanging for their membership in the Cristero resistance. The last words of Magallanes came from his cell, "I am innocent and I die innocent. I forgive with all my heart those responsible for my death, and I ask God that the shedding of my blood serve the peace of our divided Mexico."

St. Christopher Magallanes and companions, thank you for your bravery and sacrifice for the sake of the Church. Please, pray for us! 

The Feast of St. Rita of Cascia
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On May 22, the Church celebrates St. Rita of Cascia, an Italian nun referred to as “a disciple of the Crucified One” and an “expert in suffering” by Pope John Paul II.

Bestowed the title, Patroness of Impossible Causes, St. Rita is invoked by people in all situations and stations of life. As a wife, a widow, a mother surviving the death of her children and later as a nun, she embraced suffering and wrongdoing by responding with charity and forgiveness.

In her later years, she received a stigmata-like thorn wound in answer to her prayers to be conformed more fully to the passion of the Lord Jesus. She was bedridden for the last four years of her life, consuming almost nothing except for the Eucharist. She died of tuberculosis at the age of 70.

St. Rita, thank you for the example of your great forgiveness and compassion. Please, pray for us! 

The Feast of Sts. Bede the Venerable, Pope Gregory VII and Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi.

St. Bede the Venerable was an English priest, monk and scholar known as “the Venerable Bede” for his commitment to personal holiness and for his intellectual genius. St. Bede, a renowned author and teacher, wrote more than 45 books on theology, the Bible, science, literature and history.

Pope St. Gregory VII worked to reform the Church and protect it from the intrusion of civil rulers during in the 11th century. He remained steadfast in spite of the scandalous corruption among the clergy, a hardened schism between the churches of Rome and Constantinople and constant struggles against civil rulers seeking control.

St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi was a 16th century Italian noblewoman who became a Carmelite nun. She became known for her intense prayer life and devotion to frequent Holy Communion. Described as "the great mystic" by Pope Benedict XVI, she experienced remarkable extraordinary spiritual occurrences.

Sts. Bede, Gregory, and Mary, please pray for us! 

The Feast of St. Philip Neri

"Cast yourself into the arms of God and be very sure that if he wants anything of you, he will fit you for the work and give you strength." ~St. Philip Neri

Please pray for us! 

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The Feast of St. Augustine of Canterbury, an Italian Benedictine monk who became the “Apostle of the English"

Not be confused with the earlier St. Augustine of Hippo, famous author of the “Confessions” and “City of God," this St. Augustine, under the leadership of Pope St. Gregory the Great, founded the famous See of Canterbury. He was known for his efforts to spread the Catholic faith to the country's Anglo-Saxon pagans in the 6th and 7th centuries.

St. Augustine of Canterbury, please pray for us! 

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On the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord, we celebrate the return of Christ to the Father — his physical body leaving the earth behind. 

The Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, marks the end of the Month of Mary. In the first chapter of Luke, we read of Mary's visit with Elizabeth. John the Baptist, in Elizabeth's womb, "leaped for joy" at the greeting of Mary, carrying Jesus in her womb. Elizabeth, filled with the Spirit, offers what can be viewed as the earliest of the Church’s devotion to Mary.

"Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb... Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled." ~ Luke 1:42,45

Blessed Mother, please pray for us!