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Gospel Saints
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Gospel Saints
St Ananias of Damascus - January 25th
Born: ???
Died: 1st Century
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Claim to Fame: According to the Acts of the Apostles, Ananias was sent by Jesus to St. Paul in order to restore him from blindness and instruct him in the Christian faith.
Quote: "a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews" that dwelt in Damascus - St. Paul, Acts of the Apostles
Ss Anna the Prophetess and Simeon - February 3rd
Born: ???
Died: 1st Century
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Claim to Fame: Anna and Simeon, both devout souls devoted to the worship of God in the Temple, encounter the infant Jesus as He is presented by Mary and Joseph to His Father in heaven; Simeon recognizes his Messiah immedatiately in the infant, and prophecies the sorrows that Mary must endure; Anna, the daughter of Phanuel also recognizes Israel's savior in the infant Jesus; the Feast of the Presentation commemorates this moment in which the yearning for Israel's redeemer is finally answered with the infant Jesus.
St Anne - July 26th
Born: BC 50 Died: AD 12
Claim to Fame: Mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary; wife of St. Joachim.
Scripture: Does not mention Anne (Anna, Hannah) with regard to Mary; Anne and Joachim are identified within the apocryphal Gospel of James.
Cult: Identified and venerated by Eastern Catholics around 6th century; Latin Church doesn't begin venerating St. Anne until the 12th Century.
Patroness: Unmarried women, housewives, grandmothers, and educators
St Apollos - February 13th
Born: 1st Century AD
Died: 1st Century AD
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Claim to Fame: A friend and colleague of Saint Paul; Helped establish churches at Ephesus and Corinth; An Alexandrian Jew; Became disillusioned with problems at Corinth and went to Crete with the lawyer, Zenas. Paul soothed the rift and he returned to Corinthand became an elder there.
Quotes: "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth." - Saint Paul
"Being fervent in spirit: he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism
of John" - Acts of the Apostles
St Dismas - March 25th
Born: Galilee, Israel
Died: AD 30-33 at Jerusalem, Israel
Canonized: AD 30-33 by Jesus Christ
Title: "The Penitent Thief"
Claim to Fame: The thief who confessed the kingship of Christ from the Cross and was promised Heaven by Our Lord "this very day"; Pope Gregory I claimed he was guilty of fratricide; St John Chrysostom claimed he murdered the victims he stole from; The name "Dismas" originated from the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus
Patron: Condemned prisoners, funeral directors
St Joachim - July 26th
Born: ???
Died: ???
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Claim to Fame: Tradition holds that St. Joachim was the husband of St. Anne, and the father of the Blessed Virgin Mary; He is mentioned in the apocryphal Protoevangelium of James; Described as a charitable man who fasted for forty days in the desert in prayer for a yet-unreceived child; Shares feast day with his wife, St. Anne.
Patron: Fathers, grandparents, married couples, cabinet makers, linen makers
St Joseph of Arimathea - August 31st
Born: ???
Died: 1st Century
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Claim to Fame: A wealthy, secret disciple of Christ who provided His tomb for burial following the Crucifixion; Approached Pontius Pilate on Good Friday and asked permission to claim the body of Our Lord and provide a resting place -- Pilate gave permission; All four gospels attest to his role; He shares the same feast date as St. Nicodemus, another secret disciple.
Patron: Funeral directors and undertakers
St Lazarus of Bethany - July 29th
Born: 1st century
Died: 1st Century
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Reason: The friend of Jesus, brother to Martha and Mary, resuscitated from the dead after fours days in one of the Lord's greatest miracles pointing to our own eventual resurrection; Tradition holds that Lazarus became a bishop on the island of Cyprus; The dogs in the image to the left represent the limited belief that Lazarus of Bethany is also Lazarus the beggar in Jesus' parable. Traditionally, churches blessed dogs on Lazarus' feast day to mark this possibility, but it is not generally believed they are one and the same person.
St Longinus - October 16th
Born: 1st century
Died: 1st Century
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Claim to Fame: Roman centurion who was employed to stand guard at Calvary; Confessed Christ's divinity after He expired ("Surely this man was the Son of God"); His lance pierced the side of Our Lord; He was unnamed in the Gospel, but mentioned as "Longinus" in the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus; His shrine is located inside St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.
Etymology: The name "Longinus" appears to be deriviative of the Greek word for "spear" or lonche (λόγχη)
St Martha of Bethany - July 29th
Born: 1st century
Died: 1st Century
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Reason: Sister of Lazarus and Mary of Bethany; Witnessed the resuscitation of her brother Lazarus; Famously chided by Our Lord for being too busy about His temporal needs while her sister Mary reclined at His feet, basking in grace; Confessed that Jesus is the Son of God when He arrived at the tomb where Lazarus was interred; She is not mentioned as one of the women who went to the tomb to anoint the body of Our Lord;
St Mary of Bethany - July 29th
Born: 1st century
Died: 1st Century
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Reason: Sister of Lazarus; Disciple of Our Lord, whose contemplative temperament was praised by Jesus; Portrayed in the Gospel of John; It's disputed whether or not she is the same person as Mary Magdalene; Before 1969 the Catholic Church celebrated the Feast of Mary Magdalene on a day separate Martha, without commemoration of "St Mary of Bethany". After 1969, the Church celebrates Mary Magdalene on July 22nd, and Mary, Martha, and Lazarus on July 29th. She is portrayed with a pitcher of myrrh, which Mary Magdalene brought to the
tomb to anoint the body of Our Lord.
St Mary of Clopas - April 24th
Born: ???
Died: 1st Century
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Reason: Tradition holds that she was the sister-in-law of St. Joseph; The Gospel of John places her among the mourners at the cross, and among the women who discovered the empty tomb when bringing myrrh and spices to anoint Our Lord's body; Described as the mother of the Apostle James the Lesser, Joseph, and Salome.
St Mary of Magdalene - July 22nd
Born: 1st century
Died: 1st Century
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Reason: Reputed to be the woman caught in adultery saved from the Pharisees by Our Lord; Converted and became one of Jesus' most important disciples; the first to discover the empty tomb on Easter Sunday; the first to encounter the Risen Jesus; Also considered to be the "woman of ill repute" who anoints Jesus with sparknard using her locks of hair; Disputedly the same person as Mary of Bethany (sister of Lazarus and Martha) -- Eastern Orthodox and pre-1969 Catholics treated them as one and the same.
Patron: Penitent sinners; against sexual temptation; women; converts; hairdressers; the Dominicans; the contemplative life; pharmacists
St Mary Salome - April 24th
Born: ???
Died: 1st Century
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Reason: Daughter of Mary of Clopas, sister of James the Lesser and Joseph of Clopas; Identified by St. Mark as one of the women present at the crucifixion of Our Lord; Also placed among the women who visited the tomb of Our Lord to anoint his body; She is usually portrayed holding a thurible as a symbol of her sacrifice and faith in Jesus Christ.
St Nicodemus - August 31st
Born: Judea
Died: Judea
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Reason: "The Disciple of the Night"; Pharisee who met with Jesus in secret to hear the Gospel; Defends Jesus' rights before the Sanhedrin; Helped remove and care for Jesus' body taken down from the Cross; Written of exclusively by St. John the Apostle
Patron: The curious
St Philemon - November 22nd
Born: ???
Martyred: Died AD 68 at Collosae, Phrygia
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Reason: "Martyr with Apphia. A Christian in the city of Colossae, Phrygia, and he was the master of the runaway slave Onesimus mentioned in St. Paul's Letter to the Colossians. According to tradition, Philemon and his wife Apphia were stoned to death at Colossae by an anti-Christian mob."
Source: Catholic.org
St Phoebe - September 3rd
Born: 1st Century
Died: 1st Century
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Claim to Fame: Co-worker of St. Paul; Sent to Rome as his emmissary; Referred to by St. Paul as a "servant" and a non-sacramental "deaconess".
Quote: "I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae. I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of his people and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me." -- St. Paul, Letter to the Romans .
Ss. Priscilla & Aquila - July 8th
Born: ???
Martyred: Died at Rome
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Claim to Fame: Missionary husband & wife spoken of in the New Testament; Traveled and lived with St. Paul, who called them "fellow workers in Christ" (Rm 16:3); Credited by St. Paul with catechizing the great evangelist Apollos on various subjects he was deficient on; They are mentioned six time in the New Testament; Tradition holds they were martyred together in Rome.
Patrons: Love and marriage.
St Silas (Silvanus) - July 13th
Born: 1st Century
Martyred: AD 65-100 in Macedonia
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Claim to Fame: Co-worker of St. Paul, joining him on his first two missionary journeys; Preached with Paul and Timothy at Corinth; Referred to by St. Peter as "a faithful brother" (1 Pt. 5:12); Joined St. Paul after his falling-out with St. Barnabas; Martyred in Macedonia
St Timothy - January 26th
Born: AD 17 at Lystra, Turkey
Martyred: Died AD 97 at Macedonia (?)
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Reason: Stoned to death by angry pagans; Traveled extensively with St. Paul, who mentored the young man born of a Jewish father and Greek mother; Received at least two epistles from Paul which are part of the Canon of the New Testament; entrusted with important missions; First bishop of Ephesus.
Patron: Against stomach and intestinal maladies
St Titus - January 26th
Born: 1st century AD
Died: AD 96 at Gortyn, Crete
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Reason: First bishop of Crete; Companion and disciple of St. Paul; Tremendous missionary work, especially to Corinth; Recipient of epistle from Paul which is part of the New Testament canon.
Patron: U.S. Army Chaplain Corps., Island of Crete
St Veronica - July 12th
Born: 1st century AD
Died: 1st century AD
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Reason: Tradition holds that Veronica encountered Jesus on the Via Dolorosa and wiped the sweat and blood from his face, resulting in His image being miraculously left upon her veil; The encounter is memorialized as the Sixth Station of the Cross; The story is apocryphal, but the tradition is firm; Devotion to St. Veronica led to devotion to the Holy Face of Christ, following a mystical experience of Marie of St. Peter; It's been said that an Act of Reparation to Christ is the equivalent of wiping His face with Veronica's Veil; Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich reported that Veronica's real name is "Seraphia".
Patron: Laundry workers, photographers