Viewing all items in Resource Category: Holy Days

It’s perhaps typical of the English that they should have a patron saint who isn’t English, about whom next to nothing is known for sure, and who may not have existed at all. That didn’t stop him being patriotically invoked in many battles, notably at Agincourt and in the Crusades, and of course it is...

Have you seen the film How to Train your Dragon? It’s set in a Viking village under attack from dragons, who steal livestock and burn down houses. Hiccup, the village Chief’s son, invents a machine to capture dragons. However, when he catches one of the most dangerous dragons, he cannot kill it, when he sees...

The Saint of an English Army before he was Patron Saint of England, St George may have been a soldier, but he was no Englishman.  He was an officer in the Roman army under Diocletian, who refused to abandon his faith during the Terror, and was martyred at Lydda in Palestine about the year 300...

Tertullian was born in Carthage, North Africa, about 155 AD. He had pagan parents and his father may have been a centurion. Carthage was a prestigious Roman colony and Tertullian was given a good education in Greek, Latin, literature, history and philosophy. On arrival in Rome, Tertullian probably worked as a lawyer. In Rome, he...

If you have ever been in trouble for simply doing good, then Zita is the saint for you.  Born in 1218 to poor but devout parents in Monsagrati, Zita was sent at the age of 12 to work as a servant for the rich Fatinelli family in nearby Lucca. Zita was pious, generous and hard-working....

Many of us can show great dedication in pursuit of a career that will bring us a good salary or position.  Peter Chanel should be the patron saint of anyone who shows quiet determination in doing what they believe to be God’s call upon their life; regardless of the harsh personal consequences. Chanel was born...

Catherine of Siena, who was born 1347, should be the patron saint of anyone who has grown up in a large family, and mastered the two vital skills for survival:  how to stand up for yourself, and how to make peace with others. Catherine had siblings!  At least 19 of them.  Her father was a...

Mark, whose home in Jerusalem became a place of rest for Jesus and His 12 apostles, is considered the traditional author of the second gospel.  He is also usually identified as the young man, described in Mark 14:51, who followed Christ after his arrest and then escaped capture by leaving his clothes behind. Papias, in...

High Days & Holy Days Editor:  As the church year does not change, much of this material has appeared before.  New material is marked with an asterisk. 1          St David’s Day (two options) 2          Chad – Bishop of Lichfield and missionary c 672 4          Casimir NEW*5 Eusebius 7          Perpetua and Felicitas 8           Woodbine Willie 9         ...

  High Days & Holy Days for February Editor:  As saints’ days do not change, this material has appeared before on this site.  The day with the asterisk, remembering George Herbert,  is new this year. 1          Brigid of Ireland – Abbess of Kildare, c 525 2           The Presentation of Christ in the Temple/ Candlemas...

High Days and Holy Days for January  1          The naming of Jesus 1          Have you ever wondered where the name ‘Jesus’ comes from? 2          Basil the Great – champion of the Church 2          Basil and Gregory – lives of costly discipleship 5          Simeon Stylites – one of the weirder saints! 6          Epiphany 6         ...

High Days and Holy Days for December Editor:  We have provided some notes on the Season and some of its saints… As Saints’ Days do not change from year to year, we have offered material on many of these days before.  The sections marked in blue headlines with asterisks are new this year. 1         ...