In this new feature of ours, we would like to highlight some of those whom time has forgotten. They are no longer listed in today's calendars. But as John Paul II has been focusing on, these Saints of the past are heroes; we do not need paperwork to tell us of their great faith. The times they lived in alone bespeak of it.
The list of these Saints' names come from the St. Joseph Missal, edited by the Rev. Hugo H. Hoever, and contains an Imprimatur from Francis Cardinal Spellman, the famous Archbishop of New York, who gave his blessings to this work on the Feast of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary, September 15, 1950.
Little did he know, of course, the great sorrow his city would experience almost 51 years to the date later. May he intercede for his city and all of us in Heaven.
Missing dates denote that no applicable forgotten name was found for that day. Names in red (which includes all of this week's Forgotten Saints) denote martyrdom.
Those who wish, please send us your list to fill in any gaps our research excludes or inform us if a particular Saint's feast has been moved to another date.
Here is this week's list:
* Sunday, January 19
Sts. Marius, Martha, Audifax and Abachum
These four Saints were a family who came to Rome to visit the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul. Marius and Martha were Persian nobles who traveled with their sons, Audifax and Abachum. Because the times were one of Christian persecution by the pagan Roman empire, the family was cast into prison for their beliefs, tortured and martyred in the year 270 A.D.
We ask that these great Saints intercede for those in Persia today, where Christians are as subject to persecution as they suffered under the Romans.
Saint Canute
This king of Denmark lived in the 11th Century. As so many in this age (Saint Thomas Becket comes to mind), this Saint was martyred by the enemies of the Church when he knelt to pray for them before the Altar.
May Saint Canute intercede for the new European Union that it remember its Christian heritage and the patronage of the Blessed Virgin. (For those who may not know, the European Union flag was designed by the artist to invoke the blue Mantle of Mary and Her Crown of 12 Stars.)
* Wednesday, January 22
Saint Anastasius
While today's calendar marks the martyrdom of the 4th-cenury Spanish St. Vincent, another Saint also was honored on this date for theirs. St. Anastasius was a Persian monk who suffered martyrdom in 628 A.D. This is around the time of the rise of islam.
Therefore, we implore St. Anastasius to intercede with our Lord and Savior to free us from the scourge of islam.
* Thursday, January 23
Saint Emerentiana
St. Emerentiana was the foster sister of St. Agnes, whose martyrdom is celebrated Tuesday, January 21. St. Emerentiana was stoned to death while praying at her sister Agnes' tomb around the year 304 A.D.
St. Emerentiana, pray for all Christian martyrs.
* Friday, January 24
St. Timothy
When St. Paul preached at Ephesus, St. Timothy admired the Lord's Apostle-to-the-Gentile's virtues. As a result, St. Timothy renounced all his worldly possessions in order to be St. Paul's disciple. He actually was consecrated by St. Paul and served as bishop of Ephesus. St. Timothy was martyred in 97 A.D. St. Paul addressed two of his Epistles to St. Timothy.
May St. Timothy intercede for the Gospel to not only be preached throughout the world, but be accepted and adhered to.
As our schedule permits, we will refresh the Forgotten Saints of the Day file every week.
Until then:
All ye Holy Angels and Saints of God, and especially you our dear Patron Saints, pray for us!
