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April 1
Dom Nuno Álvares Pereira, OCarm (European Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈnunu ˈalvɐɾɨʃ pɨˈɾɐjɾɐ]; 24 June 1360 – 1 November 1431) was a very successful Portuguese general who had a decisive role in the 1383–1385 Crisis that assured Portugal's independence from Castile. He later became a mystic and was beatified by Pope Benedict XV in 1918, and canonised by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009.
Nuno Álvares Pereira is often referred to as the Saint Constable (Portuguese: Santo Condestável) or as Saint Nuno of Saint Mary (Portuguese: São Nuno de Santa Maria), his religious name. He was count of Barcelos, Ourém and Arraiolos. (Full article...)
Prayer: "Lord God, you called Saint Nuno Álvares Pereira to put aside his sword and follow Christ under the Patronage of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Through his prayers may we too deny ourselves, and devote ourselves to you with all our hearts. We ask this through Christ, Our Lord."
Attributes: -
Patronage: -
See also: Melito of Sardis; Lodovico Pavoni
April 2
Pedro Calungsod (Spanish: Pedro Calúñgsod or archaically Pedro Calonsor; July 21, 1654 – April 2, 1672), also known as Peter Calungsod and Pedro Calonsor, was a Catholic Filipino-Visayan migrant, sacristan and missionary catechist who, along with the Spanish Jesuit missionary Diego Luis de San Vitores, suffered religious persecution and martyrdom in Guam for their missionary work in 1672.
While in Guam, Calungsod preached Christianity to the Chamorros through catechesis, while baptizing infants, children, and adults at the risk and expense of being persecuted and eventually murdered. Through Calungsod and San Vitores's missionary efforts, many native Chamorros converted to Catholicism.
Calungsod was beatified on March 5, 2000, by Pope John Paul II, and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI at Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City on October 21, 2012. (Full article...)
Attributes: Martyr's palm, spear, bolo, Catechism book, Rosary, Christogram, Crucifix
Patronage: Filipino youth, Catechumens, altar boys, the Philippines, Overseas Filipino Workers, Guam, Cebuanos, Visayans, Archdiocese of Cebu, Pury, San Antonio, Quezon Province
See also: Mary of Egypt; Abundius; Francis of Paola; John Payne, England
April 3
Richard of Chichester (1197 – 3 April 1253), also known as Richard de Wych, is a saint (canonized 1262) who was Bishop of Chichester.
In Chichester Cathedral a shrine dedicated to Richard had become a richly decorated centre of pilgrimage. In 1538, during the reign of Henry VIII, the shrine was plundered and destroyed by order of Thomas Cromwell. Richard of Chichester is the patron saint of Sussex in southern England; since 2007, his translated saint's day of 16 June has been celebrated as Sussex Day. (Full article...)
Attributes: Bishop with a chalice on its side at his feet because he once dropped the chalice during a Mass and nothing spilled from it; kneeling with the chalice before him; ploughing his brother's fields; a bishop blessing his flock with a chalice nearby
Patronage: Coachmen; Diocese of Chichester; Sussex, England
See also: Luigi Scrosoppi
April 4
Isidore of Seville (Latin: Isidorus Hispalensis; c. 560 – 4 April 636) was a Hispano-Roman scholar, theologian, and archbishop of Seville. He is widely regarded, in the words of 19th-century historian Montalembert, as "the last scholar of the ancient world".
At a time of disintegration of classical culture, aristocratic violence, and widespread illiteracy, Isidore was involved in the conversion of the Arian Visigothic kings to Chalcedonian Christianity, both assisting his brother Leander of Seville and continuing after his brother's death. He was influential in the inner circle of Sisebut, Visigothic king of Hispania. Like Leander, he played a prominent role in the Councils of Toledo and Seville.
His fame after his death was based on his Etymologiae, an etymological encyclopedia that assembled extracts of many books from classical antiquity that would have otherwise been lost. This work also helped standardize the use of the period (full stop), comma, and colon.
Since the early Middle Ages, Isidore has sometimes been called Isidore the Younger or Isidore Junior (Latin: Isidorus iunior), because of the earlier history purportedly written by Isidore of Córdoba. (Full article...)
Attributes: Bees; Bishop holding a pen while surrounded by a swarm of bees; bishop standing near a beehive; old bishop with a prince at his feet; pen; priest or bishop with pen and book; with Saint Leander, Saint Fulgentius, and Saint Florentina; with his Etymologiae
Patronage: The Internet, computer users, computer technicians, programmers, students
See also: Benedict the Moor
April 5
Vincent Ferrer, OP (Valencian: Sant Vicent Ferrer [ˈsaɱ viˈsɛɱ feˈreɾ]; Spanish: San Vicente Ferrer; Italian: San Vincenzo Ferreri; German: Sankt Vinzenz Ferrer; Dutch: Sint-Vincent Ferrer; French: Saint Vincent Ferrier; 23 January 1350 – 5 April 1419) was a Valencian Dominican friar and preacher, who gained acclaim as a missionary and a logician. He is honored as a saint of the Catholic Church and other churches of Catholic traditions. (Full article...)
Attributes: Dominican habit; Tongue of flame; Pulpit; Trumpet; Wings; Bible
Patronage: Archdiocese of Valencia; Builders; Prisoners; Construction workers; Plumbers; Fishermen; Spanish orphanages
See also: Catherine of Palma, Spain; Maria Crescentia Höss, Germany
April 6
Pope Sixtus I (Greek: Σίξτος), also spelled Xystus, a Roman of Greek descent, was the bishop of Rome from c. 117 or 119 to his death c. 126 or 128. He succeeded Alexander I and was in turn succeeded by Telesphorus. His feast is celebrated on 6 April. (Full article...)
Attributes: -
Patronage: -
April 7
Jean-Baptiste de La Salle (/ləˈsæl/) (French pronunciation: [ʒɑ̃ batist də la sal]; 1651 – 7 April 1719) was a French priest, educational reformer, and founder of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. He is a saint of the Catholic Church and the patron saint for teachers of youth. He is referred to both as La Salle and as De La Salle.
La Salle dedicated much of his life to the education of poor children in France; in doing so, he started many lasting educational practices. (Full article...)
Attributes: Stretched right arm with finger pointing up, instructing one or two children standing near him; books
Patronage: Teachers of Youth, (15 May 1950, Pius XII); Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools; Lasallian educational institutions; educators, school principals, teachers
See also: Saint Aphrahat of Persia
See also: Henry Walpole, England
April 8
Perpetuus (French: Saint-Perpetue) (died 30 December 490 AD) was the sixth Bishop of Tours, serving from 460 to 490. (Full article...)
Attributes: Depicted as a Bishop directing the building of a church. Sometimes the sick may be shown being healed at his tomb or as his relics are carried in procession.
Patronage: -
See also: Dionysius of Corinth
April 9
Saint Casilda of Toledo (Latin: Sancta Casilda Toletensis Spanish: Santa Casilda de Toledo) (950–1050) is venerated as a saint of the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. Her feast day is 9 April.
Casilda was a Muslim princess, the daughter of the emir of Taifa of Toledo. She showed great kindness to Christian captives. Like Elizabeth of Hungary and Elizabeth of Portugal, the miracle of the roses was attached to her legend. While Casilda supposedly predated both Elizabeths, her hagiography was not written until three centuries after her death, and is likely influenced by the story of one of them. (Full article...)
Attributes: Roses in her basket or dress
Patronage: -
See also: Acacius of Amida
April 10
Magdalena di Canossa (1 March 1774 – 10 April 1835) was an Italian religious sister and the foundress of the two Canossian congregations. Magdalena was a leading advocate for the poor in her region after she witnessed first hand the plight of the poor following the spillover effects of the French Revolution into the Italian peninsula through the Napoleonic invasion of the northern territories. Canossa collaborated with humanitarians such as Leopoldina Naudet and Antonio Rosmini in her mission of promoting the needs of the poor and setting a new method of religious life for both men and women.
Her beatification was celebrated in Rome on 7 December 1941 and she was canonized in Saint Peter's Square on 2 October 1988. (Full article...)
Attributes: Religious habit
Patronage: Canossian Daughters; Canossian Sons
See also: Anthony Neyrot; Michael de Sanctis, Spain
April 11
Stanislaus of Szczepanów (Polish: Stanisław ze Szczepanowa; 26 July 1030 – 11 April 1079) was a Polish Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Kraków and was martyred by the Polish King Bolesław II the Bold. He is the patron saint of Poland.
Stanislaus is venerated in the Catholic Church as Stanislaus the Martyr (as distinct from the 16th-century Jesuit, Stanislaus Kostka). (Full article...)
Attributes: Episcopal insignia, sword, resurrected Piotr
Patronage: Poland, Kraków, moral order
See also: Gemma Galgani
April 12
Teresa of Jesus of Los Andes, OCD (Spanish: Teresa de Jesús de Los Andes; born Juana Enriqueta Josefina de Los Sagrados Corazones Fernández Solar; 13 July 1900 – 12 April 1920) was a Chilean nun of the Discalced Carmelites.
Fernández Solar was a pious child but had an often unpredictable temperament for she could be prone to anger and being vain but could also demonstrate her charitable and loving nature; she seemed transformed when she decided to become a nun and her character seemed to change for her sole ambition was to dedicate herself to the service of God. However her time in the convent was cut short due to her contracting an aggressive disease that killed her - she knew she would die but was consoled knowing she would be able to make her profession before she died.
Her canonization process opened on 23 April 1976 under Pope Paul VI and she became titled as a Servant of God. The confirmation of her life of heroic virtue on 22 March 1986 allowed for her to be titled as Venerable. Solar was beatified on 3 April 1987 in Chile after a miracle attributed to her from her native land cleared her for beatification while another miracle coming from Chile led Pope John Paul II to canonize her as a saint on 21 March 1993 in Saint Peter's Basilica. (Full article...)
Attributes: Discalced Carmelite habit, Flowers, Crucifix
Patronage: Against disease; Against illness; Ill people; Young people; Santiago; Los Andes
See also: Sabbas the Goth
April 13
Saint Hermenegild or Ermengild (died 13 April 585; Spanish: San Hermenegildo; Latin: Hermenegildus, from Gothic 𐌹𐍂𐌼𐌿𐌽𐌰𐌲𐌹𐌻𐌳𐍃 *Airmana-gild, "immense tribute"), was the son of King Liuvigild of the Visigothic Kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula and southern France. He fell out with his father in 579, then revolted the following year. During his rebellion, he converted from Arianism to Chalcedonian Christianity. Hermenegild was defeated in 584 and exiled. His death was later celebrated as a martyrdom due to the influence of Pope Gregory I's Dialogues, in which he portrayed Hermenegild as a "Catholic martyr rebelling against the tyranny of an Arian father." (Full article...)
Attributes: axe, crown, sword, and cross
Patronage: Seville, Spain
See also: Pope Martin I
April 14
Lidwina (Lydwine, Lydwid, Lidwid, Liduina of Schiedam) (1380–1433) was a Dutch mystic who is honored as a saint by the Catholic Church. She is the patroness saint of the town of Schiedam, of chronic pain, and of ice skating.
Lidwina is also thought to be one of the first documented cases of multiple sclerosis. At the age of fifteen, she suffered a serious injury while ice skating and became progressively disabled. Hendrik Mande wrote for her consolation a pious tract in Dutch. She fasted frequently and acquired a reputation as a healer and holy woman. Upon her death in 1433, her grave became a place of pilgrimage. (Full article...)
Attributes: -
Patronage: chronically ill, ice skaters, town of Schiedam
April 15
Hunna (also called Huna and Huva, birth unknown, d. 679), is a saint venerated in the Catholic Church. Born in Alsace in eastern France, she is the patroness of laundresses; her feast day is April 15. She was canonized by Pope Leo X in 1520.
Saint Hunna | |
|---|---|
| Died | 679 |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Canonized | 1520 by Pope Leo X |
| Feast | 15 April |
| Patronage | laundresses, laundry workers, washerwomen |
Not much is known about her, but she was the daughter of a duke and born into "a privileged life". She married Huno of Hunnaweyer, a nobleman and aristocrat. They had one son. Her family was influenced by the former bishop and hermit Saint Deodatus of Nevers, who inspired her to serve her poor neighbors. In addition to caring for her family, home, and estate while her husband traveled for political and diplomatic reasons, she spent her time in prayer and visited her neighbors daily, caring for the sick and providing them with religious instruction, cooking, cleaning, bathing, and childcare, as well as washing and replacing their clothes, which earned her the name the "Holy Washerwoman". Her son, who was named after Deodatus and was baptized by him, became a monk at the monastery he founded in Ebersheim, Bas-Rhin in northeastern France and also became a saint, .
Scholar Jane Tibbetts Schulenburg placed Hunna in the tradition of what she called the "domestic saint" or "holy housekeeper", pious and noble women in the Middle Ages, who like Hunna, conducted public roles such as founders and abbesses of convents, but whose "popular and local fame rested on her pious activity of washing the clothing of the poor", from where she received her nickname. (Full article...)
Attributes: -
Patronage: laundresses, laundry workers, washerwomen
April 16
Bernadette Soubirous (/ˌbɜːrnəˈdɛt ˌsuːbiˈruː/; French: [bɛʁnadɛt subiʁu]; Occitan: Bernadeta Sobirós [beɾnaˈðetɔ suβiˈɾus]; 7 January 1844 – 16 April 1879), also known as Bernadette of Lourdes, was the firstborn daughter of a miller from Lourdes (Lorda in Occitan), in the department of Hautes-Pyrénées in France, and is best known for experiencing apparitions of a "young lady" who asked for a chapel to be built at the nearby cave-grotto. These apparitions occurred between 11 February and 16 July 1858, and the young lady who appeared to her identified herself as the "Immaculate Conception".
After a canonical investigation, Soubirous's reports were eventually declared "worthy of belief" on 18 February 1862, and the Marian apparition became known as Our Lady of Lourdes. In 1866, Soubirous joined the Sisters of Charity of Nevers at their convent in Nevers where she spent the last years of her life. Her body is said by the Catholic Church to remain internally incorrupt. The grotto where the apparitions occurred later went on to become a major pilgrimage site and Marian shrine known as the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, attracting around five million pilgrims of all denominations each year.
Pope Pius XI beatified Bernadette Soubirous on 14 June 1925 and canonized her on 8 December 1933. Her feast day, initially specified as 18 February – the day Mary promised to make her happy, not in this life, but in the other – is now observed in most places on the date of her death, 16 April. (Full article...)
Attributes: -
Patronage: Bodily illness, Lourdes, France, shepherds and shepherdesses, against poverty, people ridiculed for their faith
See also: Fructuosus of Braga; Benedict Joseph Labre
April 17
Alexander I of Alexandria (Koine Greek: Ἀλέξανδρος, Aléxandros) was the 19th Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria. During his patriarchate, he dealt with a number of issues facing the Church in that day. These included the dating of Easter, the actions of Meletius of Lycopolis, and the issue of greatest substance, Arianism. He was the leader of the opposition to Arianism at the First Council of Nicaea. He also mentored his successor, Athanasius of Alexandria, who would become one of the Church Fathers. (Full article...)
Attributes: -
Patronage: -
April 18
Saint Athanasia of Aegina (c.790 in Aegina – 14 August 860 in Timia, Greece) was a saint who worked in the Byzantine Empire and was for a while adviser to the Empress Theodora II.
She served as an abbess and was known for her miraculous healing of the sick and those seen as possessed. (Full article...)
Attributes: -
Patronage: -
April 19
Emma of Lesum or Emma of Stiepel (also known as Hemma and Imma) (c. 975-980 – 3 December 1038) was a countess popularly venerated as a saint for her good works; she is also the first female inhabitant of Bremen to be known by name. (Full article...)
Attributes: -
Patronage: -
April 20
Agnes of Montepulciano, OP (28 January 1268 – 20 April 1317) was a Dominican prioress in medieval Tuscany who was known as a miracle worker during her lifetime. She is honored as a saint by the Catholic Church. (Full article...)
Attributes: Lily and a lamb
Patronage: -
April 21
Anselm of Canterbury OSB (/ˈænsɛlm/; 1033/4–1109), also called Anselm of Aosta (French: Anselme d'Aoste, Italian: Anselmo d'Aosta) after his birthplace and Anselm of Bec (French: Anselme du Bec) after his monastery, was an Italian Benedictine monk, abbot, philosopher, and theologian of the Catholic Church, who held the office of Archbishop of Canterbury from 1093 to 1109. After his death, he was canonized as a saint; his feast day is 21 April. He was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by a papal bull of Pope Clement XI in 1720.
As Archbishop of Canterbury, he defended the church's interests in England amid the Investiture Controversy. For his resistance to the English kings William II and Henry I, he was exiled twice: once from 1097 to 1100 and then from 1105 to 1107. While in exile, he helped guide the Greek Catholic bishops of southern Italy to adopt Roman rites at the Council of Bari. He worked for the primacy of Canterbury over the archbishop of York and over the bishops of Wales but, though at his death he appeared to have been successful, Pope Paschal II later reversed papal decisions on the matter and restored York's earlier status.
Beginning at Bec, Anselm composed dialogues and treatises with a rational and philosophical approach, which have sometimes caused him to be credited as the founder of Scholasticism. Despite his lack of recognition in this field in his own time, Anselm is now famous as the originator of the ontological argument for the existence of God and of the satisfaction theory of atonement. (Full article...)
Attributes: His mitre, pallium, and crozier; his books; a ship, representing the spiritual independence of the Church.
Patronage: -
See also: Conrad of Parzham, Germany
April 22
Pope Caius (died 22 April 296), also called Gaius, was the bishop of Rome from 17 December 283 to his death in 296. Little information on Caius is available except that given by the Liber Pontificalis, which relies on a legendary account of the martyrdom of Susanna of Rome for its information. According to legend, Caius baptized the men and women who had been converted by Tiburtius (who is venerated with Susanna) and Castulus. His legend states that Caius took refuge in the catacombs of Rome and died a martyr. (Full article...)
Attributes: -
Patronage: -
April 23
Adalbert of Prague, (Latin: Sanctus Adalbertus, Czech: svatý Vojtěch, Slovak: svätý Vojtech, Polish: święty Wojciech, Hungarian: Szent Adalbert (Béla); c. 956 – 23 April 997), known in the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia by his birth name Vojtěch (Latin: Voitecus), was a Czech missionary and Christian saint. He was the Bishop of Prague and a missionary to the Hungarians, Poles, and Prussians, who was martyred in his efforts to convert the Baltic Prussians to Christianity. He is said to be the composer of the oldest Czech hymn Hospodine, pomiluj ny and Bogurodzica, the oldest known Polish anthem but his authorship of them has not been confirmed.
Adalbert was later declared the patron saint of the Czech Republic, Poland, and the Duchy of Prussia. He is also the patron saint of the Archdiocese of Esztergom in Hungary. (Full article...)
Attributes: spears
Patronage: Poland, Czech Republic, Archdiocese of Esztergom
See also: Saint George
April 24
Fidelis of Sigmaringen, OFM Cap. (1577 – 1622) was a German Capuchin friar who was involved in the Catholic Counter-Reformation. He was martyred by his opponents at Seewis im Prättigau, now part of Switzerland. Fidelis was canonized in 1746. (Full article...)
Attributes: sword; palm of martyrdom; heretics; the Morning Star; trampling on the word "heresy"; with a club set with spikes; with a whirlbat; with an angel carrying a palm of martyrdom; with Saint Joseph of Leonessa
Patronage: -
See also: Mary Euphrasia Pelletier, France; Benedict Menni
April 25
Mark the Evangelist (Koinē Greek: Μᾶρκος, romanized: Mârkos), also known as John Mark (Koinē Greek: Ἰωάννης Μάρκος, romanized: Iōannēs Mârkos; Aramaic: ܝܘܚܢܢ, romanized: Yōḥannān) or Saint Mark, is the person who is traditionally ascribed to be the author of the Gospel of Mark. Modern Bible scholars have concluded that the Gospel of Mark was written by an anonymous author rather than an identifiable historical figure. According to Church tradition, Mark founded the episcopal see of Alexandria, which was one of the five most important sees of early Christianity. His feast day is celebrated on April 25, and his symbol is the winged lion. (Full article...)
Attributes: -
Patronage: Barristers, Venice, Egypt, Mainar
See also: Giovanni Battista Piamarta; Peter of Saint Joseph de Betancur
April 26
Rafael Arnáiz Barón, OCSO (9 April 1911 - 26 April 1938), also named María Rafael in religion, was a Spanish Trappist conventual oblate. He studied architecture in Madrid, but decided to cease his studies in favor of the religious life. This was often interrupted due to his struggle with type I diabetes and his being called for active service. But these never hindered his religious call and he did as best as he could to deal with his diabetes through his constant life of reflection and writing on spiritual subjects in his letters.
He was beatified on 27 September 1992 by Pope John Paul II and was canonized a saint of the Catholic Church by Pope Benedict XVI on 11 October 2009. (Full article...)
Attributes: Trappist habit
Patronage: Diabetics, World Youth Day
See also: Trudpert
April 27
María Guadalupe García Zavala (27 April 1878 – 24 June 1963) – born Anastasia Guadalupe García Zavala – was a Mexican Roman Catholic religious sister and the co-founder of the Handmaids of Santa Margherita and the Poor. She is also known as "Mother Lupita". At one time, she was engaged to be married but she decided her religious call was too strong for that and she broke off her engagement in order to pursue this call. She dedicated herself to the care of ill people and was noted for her compassion and faith.
Her beatification cause began in mid-1984 and her formal beatification was celebrated on 25 April 2004. Pope Francis later canonized her as a saint on 12 May 2013 in Saint Peter's Square. (Full article...)
Attributes: Religious habit
Patronage: Nurses, Handmaids of Santa Margherita Maria and the Poor
See also: Zita
April 28
Peter Louis Marie Chanel, SM (12 July 1803 – 28 April 1841), was a Catholic priest, missionary, and martyr. Chanel was a member of the Society of Mary and was sent as a missionary to Oceania. He arrived on the island of Futuna in November 1837. Chanel was clubbed to death in April 1841 at the instigation of a chief upset because his son converted. (Full article...)
Prayer: "St Peter Chanel you left your homeland to proclaim Jesus, Saviour of the world, to the peoples of Oceania. Guided by the spirit of God, who is the strength of the gentle, you bore witness to love, even laying down your life. Grant that like you we may live our daily life in peace, joy, and in love. May your prayer and example call forth from our midst many workers for the Gospel so that God's kingdom may reach to the ends of the earth."
Attributes: Gentle, Kind, Encouraging
Patronage: Oceania
See also: Louis de Montfort, France; Gianna Beretta Molla
April 29
Caterina di Jacopo di Benincasa, TOSD (25 March 1347 – 29 April 1380), known as Catherine of Siena (Italian: Caterina da Siena), was an Italian Catholic mystic and pious laywoman who engaged in papal and Italian politics through extensive letter-writing and advocacy. Canonized in 1461, she is revered as a saint and as a Doctor of the Church due to her extensive theological authorship. She is also considered to have influenced Italian literature.
Born and raised in Siena, Catherine wanted from an early age to devote herself to God, which was against the will of her parents. She joined the "mantellates", a group of pious women, primarily widows, informally devoted to Dominican spirituality; later these types of urban pious groups would be formalized as the Third Order of the Dominicans, but not until after Catherine's death. She dictated to secretaries her set of spiritual treatises, The Dialogue of Divine Providence.
Her influence on Pope Gregory XI played a role in his 1376 decision to leave Avignon for Rome. The Pope then sent Catherine to negotiate peace with the Florentine Republic. After Gregory XI's death (March 1378) and the conclusion of peace (July 1378), she returned to Siena. The Great Schism of the West led Catherine of Siena to go to Rome with the pope. She sent numerous letters to princes and cardinals to promote obedience to Pope Urban VI and to defend what she calls the "vessel of the Church". She died on 29 April 1380, exhausted by her rigorous fasting. Urban VI celebrated her funeral and burial in the Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome.
Devotion to Catherine of Siena developed rapidly after her death. Pope Pius II canonized her in 1461; she was declared a patron saint of Rome in 1866 by Pope Pius IX, and of Italy (together with Francis of Assisi) in 1939 by Pope Pius XII. She was the second woman to be declared a Doctor of the Church, on 4 October 1970 by Pope Paul VI – only days after Teresa of Ávila. In 1999 Pope John Paul II proclaimed her a Patron Saint of Europe. (Full article...)
Prayer: "Prayer to the Precious Blood of Jesus: Precious Blood, Ocean of Divine Mercy: Flow upon us! Precious Blood, Most pure Offering: Procure us every Grace! Precious Blood, Hope and Refuge of sinners: Atone for us! Precious Blood, Delight of holy souls: Draw us! Amen."
Attributes: Dominican tertiaries' habit, lily, book, crucifix, heart, crown of thorns, stigmata, ring, dove, rose, skull, miniature church, miniature ship bearing Papal coat of arms
Patronage: against fire; bodily ills; Diocese of Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA; Europe; illness; Italy; Bambang, Nueva Vizcaya, Samal, Bataan, Philippines; miscarriages; people ridiculed for their piety; sexual temptation; sick people; sickness; nurses
See also: Saint Adalgar, Germany
April 30
Pope Pius V, OP (Italian: Pio V; 17 January 1504 – 1 May 1572), born Antonio Ghislieri (from 1518 called Michele Ghislieri), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 January 1566 to his death, in May 1572. He is venerated as a saint of the Catholic Church. He is chiefly notable for his role in the Council of Trent, the Counter-Reformation, and the standardization of the Roman Rite within the Latin Church, known as the Tridentine mass. Pius V declared Thomas Aquinas a Doctor of the Church.
As a cardinal, Ghislieri gained a reputation for putting orthodoxy before personalities, prosecuting eight French bishops for heresy. He also stood firm against nepotism, rebuking his predecessor Pope Pius IV to his face when he wanted to make a 13-year-old member of his family a cardinal and subsidize a nephew from the papal treasury.
By means of the papal bull of 1570, Regnans in Excelsis, Pius V excommunicated Elizabeth I of England for heresy and persecution of English Catholics during her reign. He also arranged the formation of the Holy League, an alliance of Catholic states to combat the advancement of the Ottoman Empire in Eastern Europe. Although outnumbered, the Holy League famously defeated the Ottomans at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. Pius V attributed the victory to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and instituted the feast of Our Lady of Victory. Biographers report that as the Battle of Lepanto ended, Pius rose and went over to a window, where he stood gazing toward the East. "...[L]ooking at the sky, he cried out, 'A truce to business; our great task at present is to thank God for the victory which He has just given the Christian army'." (Full article...)
Attributes: Dominican habit; Papal vestments; Papal tiara; Crucifix, Book
Patronage: Valletta, Malta; Bosco Marengo, Italy; Pietrelcina, Italy; Roccaforte Mondovi; Diocese of Alessandria
See also: Marie of the Incarnation; Giuseppe Benedetto Cottolengo