Saints & Feast Days

Image: Saint Matthew and the Angel | Guido Reni Saint of the Day for September 21 (c. 1st Century) Saint Matthew’s Story Saint Matthew was a Jew who worked for the occupying Roman forces, collecting taxes from other Jews. The Romans were not scrupulous about what the “tax farmers” got for themselves...

Image: Saint Andrew Kim Taegon and Companions | CNS Photo Saints of the Day for September 20 Saint Andrew Kim Taegon (August 21, 1821 – September 16, 1846); Saint Paul Chong Hasang and Companions (d. between 1839 – 1867) Saints Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang, and Companions’ Stories The first...

Image: The Martyrdom of Saint Januarius | Neri di Bicci Saint of the Day for September 19 (c. 300) Saint Januarius’ Story Little is known about the life of Januarius. He is believed to have been martyred in the Emperor Diocletian’s persecution of 305. Legend has it that Januarius and his companions...

Image: Saint Joseph of Cupertino. Engraving after F.A. Lorenzini | Wellcome Images Saint of the Day for September 18 (June 17, 1603 – September 18, 1663) Saint Joseph of Cupertino’s Story Saint Joseph of Cupertino is most famous for levitating at prayer. Already as a child, Joseph showed a fondness...

Image: Detail | Stained glass window in Saint Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, Dayton, Ohio | photo by Nheyob Saint of the Day for September 17 (October 4, 1542 – September 17, 1621) Saint Robert Bellarmine’s Story When Saint Robert Bellarmine was ordained in 1570, the study of Church history and t...

Image: Stained glass window of Saint Cornelius in Catholic Church of Saint-Corneille | photo by GFreihalter Saint of the Day for September 16 (d. 253) Saint Cornelius’ Story There was no pope for 14 months after the martyrdom of Saint Fabian because of the intensity of the persecution of the Church....

Image: Our Lady of Sorrows statue in Golgotha, Holy Sepulchre Jerusalem | photo by creisor Saint of the Day for September 15 Our Lady of Sorrows The Story of Our Lady of Sorrows For a while there were two feasts in honor of the Sorrowful Mother: one going back to the 15th century, the other to the 1...

Image: The Exaltation of the True Cross | anonymous Russian icon painter Saint of the Day for September 14 Exaltation of the Holy Cross The Story of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross Early in the fourth century, Saint Helena, mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, went to Jerusalem in search of the...

Image: Chrysostemos | Carl Christian Peters Saint of the Day for September 13 (c. 349 – September 14, 407) Saint John Chrysostom’s Story The ambiguity and intrigue surrounding John, the great preacher (his name means “golden-mouthed”) from Antioch, are characteristic of the life of any great man in...

Image: The Virgin and Child (The Madonna of the Rose) | Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio Saint of the Day for September 12 Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary The Story of the Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary This feast is a counterpart to the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus; both have the...

Image: Head Reliquary of Saint Cyprian in the St. Kornelius chapel of the abbey church of Kornelimünster Abbey in Kornelimünster | photo by ACBahn Saint of the Day for September 11 (d. 258) Saint Cyprian’s Story Saint Cyprian is important in the development of Christian thought and practice in the t...

Image: Saint Thomas of Villanova | Francisco Camilo Saint of the Day for September 10 (1488 – September 8, 1555) Saint Thomas of Villanova’s Story Saint Thomas of Villanova was from Castile in Spain and received his surname from the town where he was raised. He received a superior education at the U...