Jmj

Today, July 25, we members of the Catholic Church family honor, in a special way, the following friends of God -- saints whose souls are now in heaven:

St. James the Greater (Israelite, son of Zebedee and Salome, brother of St. John, fisherman, apostle of Jesus, martyred by the sword [first Apostle martyred] c. 44)
St. Christopher [originally named Offero] (Palestinian, carried people across a stream, martyred c. 251)
St. Glodesind (French, abbess, c. 608)
St. Magnericus von Trier (German, bishop, d. 596)

If you have anything to share about these holy people, please reply now -- biographical episodes, prayers through their intercession, the fact that one is your patron saint -- whatever moves you. If you are interested in one of these saints and want to find out more about him/her, please ask. Information is sometimes available on the Internet.

All you holy men and women, saints of God, pray for us.
God bless you.
John


-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), July 22, 2002

Answers

John,

We don't see to many days with only four Saints, with there feastdays celebrated. It must be a good day! Less holy people died on this day.

I will say a prayer to these Saints that some babies get saved from being aborted somewhere in this world today. Only with His grace.

God bless you

David

-- David (David@excite.com), July 23, 2002.

David, your comment made me do some double-checking.
I found some more saints who will be commemorated on July 25:

St. Cucuphas (North African, nobleman, martyred in Spain in 304)
St. Ebrulf (French, hermit, abbot, d. 600)
Sts. Felix and Florentius (Roman, soldiers, martyred in 235)
St. Nissen (Irish, disciple of St. Patrick, abbot, 6th century)
St. Paul of Gaza (Palestinian, martyred in 308)
Sts. Thea and Valentina (Palestinian, tortured, early martyrs by burning)

God bless you.
John

-- (jfgecik@hotmail.com), July 23, 2002.

Summary: St. Christopher was a member of the north African tribe of the Marmaritae. He was captured by Roman forces during the emperor Diocletian's campaign against the Marmaritae in late 301/early 302 and was transported for service in a Roman garrison in or near Antioch in Syria. He was baptised by the refugee bishop Peter of Alexandria and was martyred on 9 July 308. Bishop Peter arranged for the transport of his remains back to Marmarica in 311. He is really identifiable with the Egyptian martyr known as St. Menas. In so far as the author of the lost, original acts of St. Christopher seems both to have been based at Antioch and to have wanted to encourage missionary activity, he is probably identifiable if not as bishop Theophilus the Indian himself, present at Antioch c.351-54, then as one of his circle.

-- Enrique Ortiz (eaortiz@yahoo.com), July 25, 2002.

Happy name-day to Chris Butler and Chris Coose.

Enrique, the true story of St. Christopher seems to be shrouded in uncertainty. In my work on these miniature profiles of saints, I have come across many cases like this, in which there are two or three "competing" biographies. You have presented one "life" of St. Christopher, while, as you may have noticed, I referred to him as a Palestinian who died earlier (from another tradition). I think that this uncertainty contributed to the Church's decision to remove his name (and that of other saints) from the universal calendar in the 1960s, while allowing local devotion to continue.
JFG

-- (jfgecik@hotmail.com), July 25, 2002.

Kathy,

This might be your St. Christopher here. I have seen a picture of this Saint carring a little child across a stream. This is just my guess though.

David

ps; This post is in reference to your question on another thread about your son's medal.

-- David (David@excite.com), August 14, 2002.

Thanks David...sounds like he is the one. I found only one St. Christopher when I looked up the Saints on the web.

-- Kathy (sorry@nomail.com), August 16, 2002.

Jmj

On July 25, we members of the Catholic Church family honor, in a special way, the following friends of God -- saints and blesseds whose souls are now in heaven:

St. James the Greater of Galilee (Israelite, son of Zebedee and Salome, brother of St. John, fisherman, apostle of Jesus, martyred by the sword [first Apostle martyred] c. 44)

Bl. Anthony Lucci of Agnone [Antonio] (Italian, Franciscan friar, bishop, d. 1752 [beatified 1989])
St. Christopher of Canaan (Palestinian, carried people across a stream, martyred c. 251)
St. Cucuphas of Scillis (North African, nobleman, martyred in Spain in 304)
St. Ebrulf of Bayeux (French, hermit, abbot, d. 600)
Sts. Felix and Florentius of Rome (Italian, soldiers, martyred in 235)
St. Glodesind of Metz (French, abbess, c. 608)
St. Magnericus of Trier (German, bishop, d. 596)
Bl. Mary of Mt. Carmel Sallés Barangueras of Vich [Maria de Monte Carmelo] [baptized Carmen] (Spanish, virgin, founded Sisters of the Immaculate Conception for the Instruction of Children, d. 1911 [beatified 1998])
St. Nissen (Irish, disciple of St. Patrick, abbot, 6th century)
St. Paul of Gaza (Palestinian, martyred in 308)
Bl. Rudolph Acquaviva of Atri [Rodolfo] (Italian, Jesuit missionary priest in India, martyred in 1583)
Sts. Thea of Gaza and Valentina of Caesarea (Palestinian, tortured, early martyrs by burning)

If you have anything to share about these holy people, please reply now -- biographical episodes, prayers through their intercession, the fact that one is your patron -- whatever moves you. If you are interested in one of these saints or blesseds and want to find out more about him/her, please ask. Information is sometimes available on the Internet.

All you holy men and women, saints of God, pray for us.
God bless you.
John

-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), July 25, 2003.