Saint of the Day

St. Damien of Moloka’i Feast date: May 10 The Catholic Church remembers St. Damien of Molokai on May 10. The Belgian priest sacrificed his life and health to become a spiritual father to the victims of leprosy quarantined on a Hawaiian island. Joseph de Veuser, who later took the name Damien in religious life, was … Read moreSt. Damien of Moloka’i

St. Pachomius Feast date: May 09 St. Pachomius can justifiabley be called the founder of cenobitic monasticism, monks who live in community. Even though St. Antony the Great was the first to go into the desert to live a life of seclusion pursuing evangelical perfection, he lived a heremitic life, that is, a primarily solitary … Read moreSt. Pachomius

St. Peter of Tarantaise, bishop Feast date: May 08 Peter was born near Vienne, France in 1102 and died at Bellevaux, France in 1175. He was canonized in 1191. At the age of 20 he entered the Cistercian Order, and convinced his family to enter along with him.  His two brothers and his father entered the religious community … Read moreSt. Peter of Tarantaise, bishop

St. Rosa Venerini Feast date: May 07 On May 7, the Church celebrates the recently-canonized Italian educator Saint Rosa Venerini, who founded Catholic schools for girls and young women during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Her work is continued today by the “Venerini Sisters.” St. Rosa (also known as St. Rose) was declared … Read moreSt. Rosa Venerini

St. John of Beverley Feast date: May 07 St. John of Beverley was the Bishop of Hexham, and later of York. He was born in Harpham, Yorkshire, and died in Beverley on May 7, 721. As a youth, John manifested a strong desire to devote his life to God, and eventually left his native Yorkshire and traveled Kent … Read moreSt. John of Beverley

St. Evodius of Antioch Feast date: May 06 Evodius was one of the 72 disciples of Christ, and Catholic tradition has always held that he was the first bishop of Antioch after St. Peter. However, we are not sure in what year he assumed the position. As bishop of Antioch, he was the first to coin … Read moreSt. Evodius of Antioch

Blessed Edmund Rice Feast date: May 05 May 5 is the feast of Blessed Edmund Rice, an Irish businessman who was so moved by the plight of children in the port city where he worked that he founded schools and eventually a religious order to serve them. Edmund was born in 1762 in Callan, Ireland. … Read moreBlessed Edmund Rice

St. Hilary of Arles Feast date: May 05 On May 5, Catholics celebrate Saint Hilary of Arles, a fifth-century bishop who gave up wealth and privilege in favor of austerity and sacrifice for the sake of the Church. Hilary was born during the year 401, most likely in the present-day French region of Loraine. He … Read moreSt. Hilary of Arles

St. Pelagia Feast date: May 04 Pelagia (originally Margarita) was born as the beautiful daughter of pagan parents, and was said to have caught the eye of the Emperor Diocletian’s son. However, she had no desire to marry. One day, she attended mass, given by the bishop. She was so inspired by his sermon that she … Read moreSt. Pelagia

English Carthusian Martyrs Feast date: May 04 These 18 Carthusian monks were put to death in England under King Henry VIII between 1535-1540 for maintaining their allegiance to the Pope.   The Carthusians, founded by St. Bruno in 1054, are the strictest and most austere monastic order in the western Church.  They live an austere … Read moreEnglish Carthusian Martyrs