Saint of the Day

April 25: Blesseds Robert Anderton and William Marsden

If you enjoy this daily blog of lesser-known saints, see my book, which contains short biographies of saints for every day of the year.

Blesseds Robert Anderton and William Marsden were sixteenth-century Englishmen who had been ordained as Catholic priests. They had been forced to travel to France to be ordained because of the anti-Catholic persecution prevalent in England at the time.

They boarded a ship, apparently to return to England and serve secretly as priests, when the ship on which they were traveling was driven off its course. All the passengers were forced to disembark on the Isle of Wight, and suspicious officials sent them to the local magistrate. When they were asked if they were priests, they acknowledged that they were, which was sufficient cause for them to be put in prison. Although there was no evidence that they had tried to enter England because of the forced landing and although they were not technically violating the penal law of the time, they were condemned to death for treason all the same. They died together, cheerfully and remaining faithful through it all, on this date in 1586.

Blesseds Robert and William, help me to cheerfully accept injustice.

Saint of the Day

April 24: Blessed Mary Euphrasia Pelletier

If you enjoy this daily blog of lesser-known saints, see my book, which contains short biographies of saints for every day of the year.

Rose Pelletier was born in 1796 into a faithful French family; she became a religious sister in an order which cared for what used to be known as “fallen” women. That is, women who were poor, orphaned, and/or who had fallen into a life of prostitution. Such women had few options to leave their difficult lives.

The homes run by the sisters gave these women shelter, training, and, most importantly, faith. Rose, now known as Mother Mary Euphrasia, was only twenty-nine years old when she was sent to open a new home for her congregation. The establishment of a new house of refuge was very successful under her direction, but when it was time for her to leave, she realized that her order had a serious problem: it needed a stronger and better organized central government, rather than each house being subject to its own rules, without consistent training of novices or clear guidelines about jurisdiction. Convincing other members of the order, as well as negotiating with bishops and priests over who had authority over what, was a lifetime of work for Mother Mary Euphrasia, and she virtually created a new institute. Complaints about her being too innovative, impatient, or disrespectful of proper authority were balanced by the obvious good fruits that resulted from her changes, as the congregation expanded to accept more vocations and serve more women. She died in 1868.

Saint Mary Euphrasia, show me how to best serve those in need around me.

Saint of the Day

April 23: Blessed Helen of Udine

If you enjoy this daily blog of lesser-known saints, see my book, which contains short biographies of saints for every day of the year.

Blessed Helen (1396-1458) was the happy wife and mother of a large family in northern Italy when her husband died. This great loss struck her deeply, and she decided to live a penitential life as a tertiary of the Hermits of Saint Augustine.

Though she continued to live in the family home with her family and servants, her life was otherwise greatly changed. She took a perpetual vow of silence (except on Christmas night), prayed, fasted, and performed works of charity. While her spiritual life was filled with joy and ecstasies, she was also tempted by thoughts of suicide and unexpected “accidents”, such as falling into a river and a broken leg. At the same time, people who asked for her prayers often experienced healing. She died after an illness of three years.

Blessed Helen, show me how to turn my grief into conduits of God’s grace.

Saint of the Day

April 22: Blessed Francis of Fabiano

If you enjoy this daily blog of lesser-known saints, see my book, which contains short biographies of saints for every day of the year.

Blessed Francis of Fabiano (1251-1322) was always such a cheerful child that his parents later said he came into the world, not crying, but laughing.

He became a Franciscan at the age of sixteen, and he impressed his brother friars with both his knowledge and his devotion. For example, he went on a pilgrimage to obtain the Portiuncula indulgence, met Saint Francis of Assisi’s secretary, Brother Leo, and later wrote an article explaining and defending the indulgence. (Saint Francis of Assisi had a vision while in the Portiuncula chapel, in which our Lord and the Blessed Mother appeared to him. Francis asked Jesus to pardon those who repented of their sins and came to the chapel. Our Lord agreed, and Pope Honorius III did too, leading this devotion to become known as the Portiuncula indulgence.)

Today’s blessed, Francis of Fabiano, became widely respected as a persuasive preacher, and he was the first Franciscan to establish a library. He convinced some of his nephews to enter religious life, and he was greatly devoted to praying for the poor souls in purgatory. He died of a fever.

Blessed Francis, help me pray for the souls of those who have left this world behind.

Saint of the Day

April 21: Saint Malrubius

If you enjoy this daily blog of lesser-known saints, see my book, which contains short biographies of saints for every day of the year.

Saint Malrubis (d. 722) was born in Ireland, became a monk, and was about twenty-nine years old when he traveled to Scotland to bring the Gospel to the people there. He established a church in Applecross as his base of operations and preached up and down the Scottish coast for fifty-one years. He became widely known for his teaching and austere life, with many places in the area being named after this beloved and holy man.

Saint Malrubius, teach me your perseverance.

Saint of the Day

April 20: Saint Marcian

If you enjoy this daily blog of lesser-known saints, see my book, which contains short biographies of saints for every day of the year.

Saint Marcian was just a young man running away from the destruction caused by Visigoth armies when he entered a monastery at Auxerre, France. He was an obedient, devout novice when his abbot gave him a lowly task: caring for the cows and sheep of the abbey. It wasn’t long before everyone noticed that the animals were thriving under Marcian’s care. Not only domestic animals, but wild animals seemed to obey the humble monk. When he died, the monks changed the name of their abbey to honor Saint Marcian in death, around the year 488.

Saint Marcian, give me your tender devotion to God and His Creation.

Saint of the Day

April 19: Blessed James Duckett

If you enjoy this daily blog of lesser-known saints, see my book, which contains short biographies of saints for every day of the year.

James Duckett was a young apprentice to a printer in London, England, when he read a book that changed his life. The Firm Foundation of the Catholic Religion convinced him of the truth of the Catholic faith, and he refused to attend Protestant services anymore. He was sentenced to prison, but his former master intervened, got him released, but then sent him away to avoid the danger of being connected with James.

James was educated in the faith by an imprisoned priest, married a Catholic widow, and became a bookseller. But since he was a dealer in Catholic books in anti-Catholic England, he spent nine of the next twelve years in prison for his faith. A customer named Peter Bullock, who was in danger of death from the authorities for some other offense, decided to help his own prospects by turning in James as a Catholic. James was convicted solely on Bullock’s testimony and condemned to death. He told his wife to forgive Bullock, and—since Bullock was likewise convicted and sentenced to death—embraced the man before they died together.

Blessed James, help me to forgive my worst enemy.

Saint of the Day

April 18: Blessed Mary of the Incarnation Acarie

If you enjoy this daily blog of lesser-known saints, see my book, which contains short biographies of saints for every day of the year.

Barbara Avrillot was born in sixteenth century France. She was pious from a young age and wanted to be a nursing sister of the poor. But her parents wanted their only child to marry, so she did. Her husband, Peter Acarie, was a young lawyer from a noble family. He was, like Barbara, pious and charitable to the poor, but he was not always wise in his decision-making, which caused difficulties to their family.

Barbara became the devoted mother of six children; she was so attentive to their spiritual life that some asked her if she intended them for religious life. “I am preparing them to carry out God’s will,” was her reply. (Three daughters ultimately became nuns; one son became a priest.)

Barbara’s husband had incurred debts as a supporter of the Catholic League in France, and when a new king reigned, his property was seized, and he was forced to leave Paris in disgrace. Barbara and their children were so poor that at one point they didn’t have anything to eat. But she bravely stepped up to prove her husband’s innocence in the courts, recovered some of their property, and made it possible for Peter to return to Paris.

At this point, she became aware of the reformation of the Carmelite order under Saint Teresa of Avila and initiated multiple foundations of the Discalced Carmelites into France. Though still married, she became a sort of unofficial novice mistress to the Carmelite nuns and received advice from Saint Francis de Sales. No one was surprised when, at her husband’s death, she entered the Carmelite order herself and became known as Mary of the Incarnation. Though she had suffered for decades with a limp as a result of a broken leg, she cheerfully and humbly cleaned pots and pans and obeyed her own daughter, who was sub-prioress of the house. Despite her busy life, Mary had a deep spiritual life and was known for the spiritual truths that were revealed to her in her times of contemplative prayer. She died in 1618 on Easter Sunday at the age of fifty-two.

Blessed Mary of the Incarnation, teach me humility.

Saint of the Day

April 17: Blessed Clare of Pisa

If you enjoy this daily blog of lesser-known saints, see my book, which contains short biographies of saints for every day of the year.

When Theodora (known to her family as Thora) was born in 1362, her father was the leader of the republic in the city of Pisa, Italy. As such, he betrothed her to the son of a wealthy family when she was only seven years old. Thora was deeply devout, practiced personal mortifications, and clearly desired religious life. But she acquiesced to her father’s wishes and was married at the age of fifteen. Her in-laws were not overjoyed with Thora’s generosity to the poor and her decision to join other ladies in caring for the sick. But an epidemic took the life of her husband soon after she was married.

Seeing that her family was planning a second marriage for her and with the encouragement of her contemporary, Saint Catherine of Siena, Thora stole out of the house one night and entered an enclosed convent of Poor Clare nuns. She took the name in religious life of Clare, but her brothers showed up at the convent soon afterward and demanded her release. The nuns were afraid of violence and dropped her over the wall to her waiting relatives. Clare spent five months in her father’s house, alternately threatened and starved, as they tried to make her give in and remarry. She refused. Finally, her father relented. He not only allowed her to join the Dominicans as a nun, he even built another house for the order.

Clare spent the rest of her life as a nun and later prioress of her house. She was a good administrator of her convent’s finances and even founded a hospital with donations she was given.

In addition to her wisdom, her willingness to forgive her enemies was one of the reasons she’s now known as Blessed Clare. Her own brother showed up at the door of the convent, being pursued by enemies of their family. Opening the door to her brother would put all the nuns under her care in certain danger. She kept the convent’s entrance closed to protect them, but her brother was killed on her front doorstep. Clare became ill was a result. She not only forgave her brother’s killer but later provided for the man’s widow and daughters when they became poor. Clare died peacefully but in great suffering in 1419.

Blessed Clare, help me to forgive.

Saint of the Day

April 15: Saint Abundius

For the next month, there will be a daily post of a lesser-known saint each day. These are saints who aren’t in my book but who are still saints of the Church, as listed in the 2004 Martyrologium Romanum, the official list of saints published by the Vatican. These daily posts will give you a feel for my book, which is still slated to be released in May, 2020.

We know very little about Saint Abundius (sometimes spelled Acontius). We know that he has been remembered for centuries on this date. We know that he died in the late sixth century. And we know that Pope Saint Gregory the Great thought Abundius’ Christian example was worth describing in his work, the Dialogues, a collection of contemporary miracle stories that he wrote down to encourage the faithful that miracles still happen. According to Saint Gregory, Abundius served as sacristan at a church in Rome, perhaps a few decades before Gregory became pope. Everyone remembered Abundius as possessing “extraordinary humility and gravity” in fulfilling his duties.

The miracle story recounted by Saint Gregory the Great is as follows. A girl who lived in Saint Abundius’ parish was paralyzed. She prayed fervently to Saint Peter the Apostle to be cured for some time, until one night when she had a vision of Saint Peter. In the vision, Saint Peter told her to go speak to the sacristan Abundius, instead of himself, to be healed. The girl obediently went to Abundius and relayed the message from the saint. Abundius told the girl that, if she had been sent by Saint Peter, “get up on your feet”. Which the girl did.

Saint Abundius, pray for me to be humble, and, if it is God’s will, pray for ____ to be healed.