Calendar of saints
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organising a liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with one or more saints, and referring to the day as the saint's day of that saint. The system arose from the very early Christian custom of annual commemoration of martyrs on the date of their death. As the number of recognized saints increased during Late Antiquity and roughly the first half of the Middle Ages, eventually every day of the year had at least one saint who was commemorated on that date. Eventually, some saints were moved to another day in some traditions, or completely removed; thus, some saints do have more than one day.
Intially, there were two types of saints: martyrs and confessors. Martyrs were people who died in the service of the Lord and confessors were people who died natural deaths. Confessors were not initially considered for saint's days.
This calendar system, when combined with major church festivals and movable and immovable feasts, constructs a very human and personalised yet often localised way of organising the year and identifying dates. It may be compared with the Roman Missal.
Medievalists continue the old tradition of dating by saints' days: their works may appear "dated" as "The Feast of Saint Martin" or "Lammastide". Poets such as John Keats commemorate the importance of The Eve of Saint Agnes.
Many children acquire baptismal or confirmational names from the saint associated with their date of birth, baptism or confirmation, and believing Eastern Orthodox Christians (and in some countries, Roman Catholics) mark the "name day" (namesday) of the saint whose name they bear with special attention, often instead of birthday celebrations.
Various feast days will be "ranked" with various levels of importance. In the Roman Catholic Church, from most to least importance, these are solemnities, feasts, memorials, and optional memorials. The rankings listed below are those for the universal church, various countries or dioceses may have additional saints or blesseds in their calendars. If no ranking is given, the feast day belongs to some particular calendar and not the universal calendar.
Some traditional dates (Roman Catholic unless otherwise indicated) include:
Contents |
January
- January 1: Mary, Mother of God - Solemnity
- January 2: Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen - Memorial
- January 3: Saint Guinevere and The Feast of the Holy Name - Optional Memorial
- January 4: Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton - Memorial
- January 5: Saint Telesphorus and Saint John Neumann - Memorial
- January 6: Blessed Andre Bessette - Optional Memorial
- January 7: Saint Raymond of Peñafort - Optional Memorial
- January 8: Saint Julian - Memorial
- January 9: Saint Euloge of Córdoba - Memorial
- January 10: Saint Nicanor - Memorial
- January 11: Saint Higinius - Memorial
- January 12: Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys and Saint Tatiana - Optional Memorial
- January 13: Saint Hilary of Poitiers - Optional Memorial
- January 14: Saint Felix - Memorial
- January 15: Saint Maur - Memorial
- January 16: Saint Jules - Memorial
- January 17: Saint Anthony the Great - Memorial
- January 18: Saint Prisca - Memorial
- January 19: Saint Mario - Memorial
- January 20: Saint Fabian or Saint Sebastian - Optional Memorial
- January 21: Saint Agnes - Memorial
- January 22: Saint Vincent - Memorial
- January 23: Saint Ildephonse or Blessed Marianne Cope of Moloka‘i - Optional Memorial
- January 24: Saint Francis de Sales - Memorial
- January 25: The Conversion of Saint Paul - Feast
- January 26: Saints Timothy and Titus - Memorial
- January 27: Saint Angela Merici - Optional Memorial
- January 28: Saint Thomas Aquinas - Memorial
- January 29: Saint Valerius - Memorial
- January 30: Saint Martine - Memorial
- January 31: Saint John Bosco - Memorial
February
- February 1: Saint Veridian - Memorial
- February 2: Saint Fortunatus and Presentation of the Lord - Feast
- February 3: Saint Blaise or Saint Ansgar - Optional Memorial
- February 4: Saint Andrew Corsino - Memorial
- February 5: Saint Agatha - Memorial
- February 6: Saints Paul Miki and Companions - Memorial
- February 7: Saint Sergius and Saint Richard the King - Memorial
- February 8: Saint Jerome Emilianus or Saint Josephine Bakhita - Optional Memorial
- February 9: Saint Alexander - Memorial
- February 10: Saint Scholastica - Memorial
- February 11: Our Lady of Lourdes - Optional Memorial
- February 12: Saint Benedict - Memorial
- February 13: Saint Benign - Memorial
- February 14: Saints Cyril, Valentine and Methodius - Memorial
- February 15: Saint Saturnine - Memorial
- February 16: Saint Juliana of Nicomedia and Saint Faustine - Memorial
- February 17: Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order - Optional Memorial
- February 18: Saint Simeon and Saint Eladius - Memorial
- February 19: Alvaro of Córdoba - Memorial
- February 20: Saint Nemesius - Memorial
- February 21: Saint Peter Damian - Optional Memorial
- February 22: Saint Margaret; Chair of Saint Peter - Feast
- February 23: Saint Polycarp - Memorial
- February 24: Saint Modest - Memorial
- February 25: Saint Victorine - Memorial
- February 26: Saint Nestor - Memorial
- February 27: Saint Leander - Memorial
- February 28: Saint Roman - Memorial
March
- March 1: Saint Rosendal - Memorial
- March 2: Saint Peter of Zúñiga - Memorial
- March 3: Saint Katharine Drexel - Optional Memorial
- March 4: Saint Casimir - Memorial
- March 5: Saint Eusebe - Memorial
- March 6: Saint Olegar - Memorial
- March 7: Saints Perpetua and Felicity - Memorial
- March 8: Saint John of God - Optional Memorial
- March 9: Saint Frances of Rome - Optional Memorial
- March 10: Saint Mary Eugene Milleret - Memorial
- March 11: Saint Constantine - Memorial
- March 12: Saint Nicodemus and Saint Bernard - Memorial
- March 13: Saint Solomon and Saint Roderic - Memorial
- March 14: Saint Mathilde - Memorial
- March 15: Saint Lousise of Marillac - Memorial
- March 16: Saint Eusebe - Memorial
- March 17: Saint Patrick - Solemnity
- March 18: Saint Edward the Martyr and Saint Narcissus and Saint Cyril of Jerusalem - Optional Memorial
- March 19: Saint Joseph - Solemnity
- March 20: Saint Ambrose and Saint Victor - Memorial
- March 21: Saint Nicholas of Flüe - Memorial
- March 22: Saint Wellcome - Memorial
- March 23: Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo - Optional Memorial and Saint Rafqa
- March 24: Saint Torib - Memorial
- March 25: Annunciation - Solemnity
- March 29: Saint Jonah - Memorial
- March 30: Saint Irene - Memorial
- March 31: Saint Stephen - Memorial
April
- April 1: Saint Venantius - Memorial
- April 2: Saint Francis of Paola - Optional Memorial
- April 3: Saint Pancrasse - Memorial
- April 4: Benedict "the Black" of Palermo and Saint Isidore - Optional Memorial
- April 5: Saint Vincent Ferrer - Optional Memorial
- April 6: Saint Prudence - Memorial
- April 7: Saint John Baptist de la Salle - Memorial
- April 8: Saint Dionisus - Memorial
- April 9: Saint Casilde - Memorial
- April 10: Saint Ezekiel - Memorial
- April 11: Saint Stanislaus - Memorial
- April 12: Saint Zenon - Memorial
- April 13: Saint Martin I and Saint Hermenegild - Optional Memorial
- April 14: Saint Raoul - Memorial
- April 15: Saint Elmo - Memorial
- April 16: Saint Bernardette - Memorial
- April 17: Saint Elijah - Memorial
- April 18: Saint Perfect - Memorial
- April 19: Saint Hermogen - Memorial
- April 20: Saint Theodore - Memorial
- April 21: Saint Anselm of Canterbury - Optional Memorial
- April 22: Saint Daniel - Memorial
- April 23: Saint George or Saint Adalbert - Optional Memorial
- April 24: Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen - Optional Memorial
- April 25: Saint Mark the Evangelist - Feast
- April 26: Saint Hope - Memorial
- April 27: Our Lady of Montserrat - Memorial
- April 28: Saint Peter Chanel or Saint Prudentius or Saint Louis Marie de Montfort - Optional Memorial
- April 29: Saint Robert and Saint Catherine of Siena - Memorial
- April 30: Saint Pius V - Optional Memorial
May
- May 1: Saint Joseph the Worker - Optional Memorial
- May 2: Saint Athanasius - Memorial
- May 3: Saint Philip and Saint James - Feast
- May 4: Saint Ciriacus - Memorial
- May 5: Our Lord's Ascension - Memorial
- May 6: Saint John Ante Portam Latinam - Memorial
- May 7: Saint Benedict II - Memorial
- May 8: Saint Victor - Memorial
- May 9: Saint Luminous - Memorial
- May 10: Blessed Damien of Moloka‘i or Saint John of Ávila - Optional Memorial
- May 11: Saint Susan - Memorial
- May 12: Saints Nereus and Achilleus or Saint Pancras - Optional Memorial
- May 13: Our Lady of Fatima - Optional Memorial
- May 14: Saint Matthias the Apostle - Feast
- May 15: Saint Isidore - Optional Memorial
- May 16: Saint Honoratus - Memorial
- May 17: Saint Paschal the Dancer - Memorial
- May 18: Saint John I - Optional Memorial
- May 19: Saint Claudine - Memorial
- May 20: Saint Bernardine of Siena - Optional Memorial
- May 21: Saint Christopher Magallanes and companions; Saint Isador, Saint Timothy - Optional Memorial
- May 22: Saint Rita of Cascia - Optional Memorial
- May 23: Saint Desiderius - Memorial
- May 24: Saint Mary the Helper - Memorial
- May 25: Saint Bede the Venerable or Saint Gregory VII or Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi - Optional Memorial
- May 26: Saint Philip Neri - Memorial
- May 27: Saint Augustine (Austin) of Canterbury - Optional Memorial
- May 28: Saint Just - Memorial
- May 29: Saint Restitute - Memorial
- May 30: Saint Ferdinand - Memorial
- May 31: Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Feast
June
- June 1: Saint Justin Martyr - Memorial
- June 2: Saints Marcellinus and Peter - Optional Memorial; also Saint Kevin - Feast
- June 3: Saints Charles Lwanga and Companions - Memorial
- June 4: Saint Francisco Caracciolo - Memorial
- June 5: Saint Boniface - Memorial
- June 6: Saint Norbert - Optional Memorial
- June 7: Saint Candido - Memorial
- June 8: Saint Maximinus - Memorial
- June 9: Saint Ephrem - Optional Memorial
- June 10: Saint Maximus - Memorial
- June 11: Saint Barnabas the Apostle - Memorial
- June 12: Saint John of Sahagun - Memorial
- June 13: Saint Anthony of Padua - Memorial
- June 14: Saint Eliseus - Memorial
- June 15: Saint Mary Michaela - Memorial
- June 16: Saint Armand - Memorial
- June 17: Saint Ishmael - Memorial
- June 18: Saint Herman - Memorial
- June 19: Saint Romuald - Optional Memorial
- June 20: Saint Silverius - Memorial
- June 21: Saint Aloysius Gonzaga - Memorial
- June 22: Saints John Fisher and Thomas More or Saint Paulinus of Nola - Optional Memorial
- June 23: Saint Atanasiu - Memorial
- June 24: Birth of Saint John the Baptist - Solemnity
- June 25: Saint William - Memorial
- June 26: Saint Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer or Saint Pelagius - Optional Memorial
- June 27: Saint Cyril of Alexandria - Optional Memorial
- June 28: Saint Irenaus - Memorial
- June 29: Saint Peter and Saint Paul - Solemnity
- June 30: First martyrs of the Church of Rome - Optional Memorial
July
- July 1: Blessed Junipero Serra plus Saint Basil and Saint Regina - Optional Memorial
- July 2: Saint Bernardin - Memorial
- July 3: Saint Thomas the Apostle - Feast
- July 4: Saint Elizabeth of Portugal - Optional Memorial
- July 5: Saint Anthony Zaccaria - Optional Memorial
- July 6: Saint Maria Goretti - Optional Memorial
- July 7: Saint Fermin - Memorial
- July 8: Saint Adrian and Saint Eugenius III - Memorial
- July 9: Saint Augustine Zhao Rong and companions - Optional Memorial
- July 10: Saint Januarius and Saint Apolonius - Memorial
- July 11: Saint Benedict - Memorial
- July 12: Saint John Walter - Memorial
- July 13: Saint Henry - Optional Memorial
- July 14: Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha - Memorial
- July 15: Saint Bonaventure - Memorial
- July 16: Our Lady of Mount Carmel - Optional Memorial
- July 17: Saint Theodosius - Memorial
- July 18: Saint Camillus de Lellis - Optional Memorial
- July 19: Saint Ambrose - Memorial
- July 20: Saint Apollinaris - Optional Memorial
- July 21: Saint Lawrence of Brindisi - Optional Memorial
- July 22: Saint Mary Magdalene - Memorial
- July 23: Saint Bridget- Optional Memorial
- July 24: Saint Sharbel Makhlouf - Optional Memorial
- July 25: Saint James the Greater - Feast
- July 26: Saints Joachim and Anne - Memorial
- July 27: Saint Natalie - Memorial
- July 28: Saint Nazarius - Memorial
- July 29: Saint Martha - Memorial
- July 30: Saint Peter Chrysologus - Optional Memorial
- July 31: Saint Ignatius of Loyola - Memorial
August
- August 1: Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori - Memorial
- August 2: Saint Eusebius of Vercelli or Saint Peter Julian Eymard - Optional Memorial
- August 3: Saint Lydia - Memorial
- August 4: Saint Jean Vianney (the Curé of Ars) - Memorial
- August 5: Saint Sixtus II; Dedication of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore - Optional Memorial
- August 6: Transfiguration - Feast
- August 7: Saint Sixtus II and Companions or Saint Cajetan - Optional Memorial
- August 8: Saint Dominic - Memorial
- August 9: Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) - Memorial
- August 10: Saint Lawrence - Feast
- August 11: Saint Clare - Memorial
- August 12: Saint Gerard - Memorial
- August 13: Saints Pontian and Hippolytus - Optional Memorial
- August 14: Saint Maximillian Kolbe - Memorial
- August 15: Assumption of Mary - Solemnity
- August 16: Saint Stephen of Hungary - Optional Memorial
- August 17: Saint Jacint - Memorial
- August 18: Saint Jane Frances de Chantal - Optional Memorial
- August 19: Saint John Eudes - Optional Memorial
- August 20: Saint Bernard of Clairvaux - Memorial
- August 21: Saint Pius X - Memorial
- August 22: Queenship of Mary - Memorial
- August 23: Saint Rose of Lima - Optional Memorial
- August 24: Saint Bartholomew the Apostle - Feast
- August 25: Saint Louis or Saint Joseph of Calasanz - Optional Memorial
- August 26: Saint Anastasius - Memorial
- August 27: Saint Monica - Memorial
- August 28: Saint Augustine of Hippo - Memorial
- August 29: The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist - Memorial
- August 30: Saint Fiacre - Memorial
- August 31: Saint Raymond Nonnato - Memorial
September
- September 1: Virgin of Fontcalda - Memorial ; Saint Giles (Church of England)
- September 2: Saint Rachel and Saint Sophia - Memorial
- September 3: Saint Gregory the Great - Memorial
- September 4: Saint Rosalia - Memorial
- September 5: Saint Lorence Justinianus - Memorial
- September 6: Saint Joanna - Memorial
- September 7: Saint Regina - Memorial
- September 8: Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Feast
- September 9: Saint Peter Claver - Optional Memorial
- September 10: Virgin of the Wonders - Memorial
- September 11: Virgin of the Holy Cave - Memorial
- September 12: Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Optional Memorial
- September 13: Saint John Chrysostom - Memorial
- September 14: Triumph of the Cross - Feast
- September 15: Mary, Mother of Sorrows - Memorial
- September 16: Saints Cornelius and Cyprian - Memorial
- September 17: Saint Robert Bellarmine - Optional Memorial
- September 18: Saint Sophia - Memorial
- September 19: Saint Januarius - Optional Memorial
- September 20: Saints Andrew Kim Taegŏn, Paul Chŏng Hasang and Companions - Memorial
- September 21: Saint Matthew the Evangelist - Feast
- September 22: Saint Victor - Memorial ; Saint Thomas of Villanueva?
- September 23: Saint Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio) - Memorial
- September 24: Virgin of Godsend - Memorial
- September 25: Virgin of Fuencisla - Memorial
- September 26: Saints Cosmas and Damian - Optional Memorial
- September 27: Saint Vincent de Paul - Memorial
- September 28: Saint Wenceslaus or Saints Lawrence Ruiz and Companions - Optional Memorial
- September 29: Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels - Feast
- September 30: Saint Jerome - Memorial
October
- October 1: Saint Therese of the Child Jesus - Memorial
- October 2: Guardian Angels - Memorial
- October 3: Saint Francis of Borja and Saint Geraldine - Memorial
- October 4: Saint Francis of Assisi - Memorial
- October 5: The Dedication of the Cathedral of Saint Patrick - Solemnity
- October 6: Saint Bruno, Saint Faith or Blessed Marie Rose Durocher - Optional Memorial
- October 7: Our Lady of the Rosary - Memorial
- October 8: Saint Susan of Blois - Memorial
- October 9: Saint Denis and Companions or Saint John Leonardi - Optional Memorial
- October 10: Saint Thomas of Villanueva (or on 22 September?) - Memorial
- October 11: Blessed John XXIII - Optional Memorial
- October 12: Virgin of Pillar - Feast
- October 13: Saint Edward (the Confessor) - Memorial
- October 14: Saint Callistus I - Optional Memorial
- October 15: Saint Teresa of Jesus - Memorial
- October 16: Saint Hedwig or Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque - Optional Memorial
- October 17: Saint Ignatius of Antioch - Memorial
- October 18: Saint Luke the Evangelist - Feast
- October 19: Saints Jean de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues and Companions; also Saint Peter of Alcantara - Memorial
- October 20: Saint Paul of the Cross and (Orthodox) Saint Irene - Optional Memorial
- October 21: Saint Hugh - Memorial; Saint Hilarion; Saint Ursula and the 11000 virgins
- October 22: Saint Mary Salome - Memorial
- October 23: Saint John of Capestrano - Optional Memorial
- October 24: Saint Anthony Claret - Optional Memorial
- October 25: Saint Chrisant and Saint Crispin - Memorial
- October 26: Saint Felix - Memorial
- October 27: Saint Frankincense - Memorial
- October 28: Saint Simon and Saint Jude - Feast
- October 29: Saint Maximillian - Memorial
- October 30: Saint Marcel - Memorial
- October 31: Saint Urban - Memorial (or 25 May??)
November
- November 1: All Saints - Solemnity
- November 2: All Souls - (classification unique)
- November 3: Saint Martin de Porres - Optional Memorial
- November 4: Saint Charles Borromeo - Memorial
- November 5: Saint Zacharias (Saint Zachary) - Memorial
- November 6: Saint Andrew (which one? cf. 30 Nov.!) and Saint Emil - Memorial
- November 7: Saint Frankincense - Memorial
- November 8: Saint Godfrey - Memorial
- November 9: Dedication of the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano - Feast
- November 10: Saint Leo the Great - Memorial
- November 11: Saint Martin of Tours - Memorial
- November 12: Saint Josaphat - Memorial
- November 13: Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini - Memorial
- November 14: Saint Catharine of Alexandria - Solemnity
- November 15: Saint Albert the Great - Optional Memorial
- November 16: Saint Margaret of Scotland or Saint Gertrude - Optional Memorial
- November 17: Saint Elizabeth of Hungary - Memorial
- November 18: Dedication of the Basilicas of Saints Peter and Paul - Optional Memorial or Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne
- November 19: Saint Crispin - Memorial
- November 20: Saint Felix of Valois - Memorial
- November 21: Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Memorial
- November 22: Saint Cecilia - Memorial
- November 23: Saint Clement I or Saint Columban or Blessed Miguel Agustin Pro - Optional Memorial
- November 24: Saints Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions - Memorial
- November 25: Saint Moses - Memorial
- November 26: Saint Just and Saint Sylvester - Memorial
- November 27: Saint Sigfried and Saint Primitive - Memorial
- November 28: Saint Gregory III - Memorial
- November 29: Saint Saturnin - Memorial
- November 30: Saint Andrew the Apostle - Feast
December
- December 1: Saint Eloy - Memorial
- December 2: Saint Bibianne - Memorial
- December 3: Saint Francis Xavier - Memorial
- December 4: Saint John Damascene - Optional Memorial
- December 5: Saint Sabas - Memorial
- December 6: Saint Nicholas - Optional Memorial
- December 7: Saint Ambrose - Memorial
- December 8: Immaculate Conception - Solemnity
- December 9: Saint Juan Diego - Optional Memorial
- December 10: Saint Eulalia of Mérida - Memorial
- December 11: Saint Damasus I - Optional Memorial, St. Cian of Wales
- December 12: Our Lady of Guadalupe - Feast
- December 13: Saint Lucy of Syracuse - Memorial
- December 14: Saint John of the Cross - Memorial
- December 15: Saint Valerian - Memorial
- December 16: Saint Albine - Memorial
- December 17: Saint Lazarus - Memorial
- December 18: Virgin of Hope - Memorial
- December 19: Saint Urban - Memorial
- December 20: Saint Domenicus of Silos - Memorial
- December 21: Saint Peter Canisius - Optional Memorial
- December 22: Saint Demetrius - Memorial
- December 23: Saint John of Kanty - Optional Memorial
- December 24: Saint Lucian - Memorial
- December 25: Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) - Solemnity
- December 26: Saint Stephen - Feast
- December 27: Saint John the Evangelist - Feast
- December 28: Holy Innocents - Feast
- December 29: Saint Thomas Becket - Optional Memorial
- December 30: Saint Sabinianus - Memorial
- December 31: Saint Sylvester I - Optional Memorial