May
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1
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Saints Philip and James the Apostles
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2
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St. Athanasius
Bishop and Doctor of the Chruch; Alexandria; 373.
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3
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The Finding of the Holy Cross by St. Helena
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4
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St. Monnica
Widow; 387. Mother of St. Augustine of Hippo.
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5
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6
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7
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8
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St. Julian of Norwich
mystic Hermit; 1417. Received from God The Revelations of Divine Love. "And he showed me more, a little thing, the size of a hazelnut, on the palm of my hand, round like a ball. I looked at it thoughtfully and wondered, 'What is this?' And the answer came, 'It is all that is made.' I marvelled that it continued to exist and did not suddenly disintegrate; it was so small. And again my mind supplied the answer, 'It exists, both now and forever, because God loves it.' In short, everything owes its existence to the love of God."
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9
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St. Gregory of Nazianzus
Bishop of Constantinople & Doctor of the Church; 389. "'Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.' 'Blessed is he who considers the needy and poor.' And again, 'It is well with the man who deals generously and lends.' And elsewhere, 'The righteous man is ever giving liberally and lending.' Let us lay hold of this blessing and earn a name for understanding, let us be kind. Even the night must not interrupt your works of pity. Do not say, 'Go away and come back. I'll give it to you tomorrow.' Nothing must come between your intention and your carrying out your act of kindness. Kindness is the only thing which does not admit of delay."
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10
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St. Comgal of Bangor
Abbot; Bangor, Ireland; 601. One of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland. With perhaps too much of the warrior spirit remaining from his time spent as a soldier, he was noted for the severity of his fasts and penitence. At his hermitage at Lough Erne, seven of the monks died as a result of the severity of the practice. Comgal himself eventually died from the same cause.
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11
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12
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Holy Mary, the Model of all the Saints
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13
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14
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St. Pachomius
Abbot; Egyptian desert; 346. The first to organize a monastic community with a written rule and true communal living. The founder of monasticism as such. "Whenever we listened to his words, we were greatly spurred on with zeal for good works; even when he kept silent, he taught us by his actions. We were amazed: we thought that all the saints were created as saints by God and never changed from their mother's womb, not like other men. But now we see the goodness of God in our Father, for see, he is of pagan origin and has become devout; he has put on the commandments of God. Thus even we can follow him and become equal to the saints whom he himself has followed."
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15
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16
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St. Brendan the Voyager
Abbot; Clonfert; 577. (Ranks as a Holy Day because he is the patron of the diocese.) The Patron of America because he sailed here in search of the Isle of the Blessed. "Saint Brendan, son of Findlug, descendant of Alte, was born among the Eoganacht of Loch Le'in in the land of the men of Munster. He was a man of great abstinence, famous for his mighty works and father of nearly three thousand monks." (From the opening of The Voyage of St. Brendan.) One of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland.
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17
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18
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19
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20
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21
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The Fast of Constantine
A day of fasting andrepentance for all the evils done by Christendom and by the Church in the Name of Christ.
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22
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23
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24
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St. Vincent of Lérins
Doctor of the Church; c 445. An opponent of the excesses of Augustinianism, he is held to be a "Celtic Doctor of the Church." He is most famous for his definition of the Catholic Faith as that which is believed, "everywhere, always, and by all people."
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25
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The Venerable Bede
Monk Priest & Doctor of the Church; Jarrow; 725. Historian of the British Church. Although very Roman Catholic, he is responsible for much of our knowledge of the ancient Celtic Church. "When it came to Tuesday before Ascension Day, Bede's breathing became very much worse, and a slight swelling had appeared in his feet; but all the same he taught us the whole of that day, and dictated cheerfully.... And so upon the floor of his cell, singing 'Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,' and the rest, he breathed his last. And well we may believe without hesitation that, inasmuch as he had laboured here always in the praise of God, so his soul journeyed to the joys of heaven which he longed for." (From a letter by St. Cuthbert.)
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26
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27
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28
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29
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30
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St. Juan Diego
From the area we now call Mexico City; 1548. He it was to whom our Lady appeared on the hill Tepeyac. After the apparition, and the miraculous image on his tilma appeared, the Bishop appointed him to care for the chapel built to house the image. He became a holy man, telling the story of God and his Mother to countless Indians and bringing them to the fullness of truth. He died in his room at the chapel as he had lived, in love with his Mother and God's.
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31
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The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
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