St Nicholas of Tolentino (EF only); St Pulcheria (Sept 10)

"At Tolentino, in the March of Ancona, the departure from this life of St. Nicholas, confessor, of the Order of Augustinians."

Also today in the martyrology:

"At Constantinople, St. Pulcheria, empress and virgin, distinguished by her piety and zeal for religion."

St Pulcheria, whose coins are pictured above, lived between 398/399 and 453.  The daughter of Eastern Roman Emperor Arcadius and Empress Aelia Eudoxia, she was the second child. When her father Arcadius died in 408, her brother Theodosius II was made Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire, at seven years old. The fifteen-year-old Pulcheria proceeded to proclaim herself regent over her brother in 414, when he was thirteen, and made herself Augusta and Empress of the Eastern Roman Empire.

She took a vow of virginity when she became Augusta.  When her brother died in an accident in 450, she entered into a marriage on the basis that her vow of virginity would be respected, as the Senate was not prepared to permit a woman as sole ruler. 

Pulcheria is known to have held a significant amount of power, and exercized a great deal of influence over the church and theological practices of this time including anti-pagan policies, church building projects, and the debate over the Marian title Theotokos (Mother of God).

Pope St Adrian III (from the martyrology, Sept 7)

Pope Adrian III (pope from 884-885), of whom the martyrology says:

"At Nonantola, Pope St. Adrian III, remarkable for his zeal to reconcile the Eastern churches with the Holy See. He died in the odor of sanctity at San Cesario, and became widely celebrated by his miracles."

St Zachary (from the martyrology, Sept 6)

da Vinci

The martyrology often serves to remind us that there are many Old Testament saints, as well as new!  Today, therefore, we celebrate the feast day of St Zachary (Zechariah), one of the twelve minor prophets, whose book was written in the period 520-518 BC.

From the martyrology:

"The prophet Zachary, who returned in his old age from Chaldea to his own country, and lies buried near the prophet Aggeus."

St Laurence Justinian (EF), Sept 5

St Laurence Justinian, d 1455, of whom the martyrology says:

"The feast of St. Lawrence Justinian, first Patriarch of Venice, who, by glorious miracles and virtues, illustrated the episcopal dignity which he received against his will on this day. His birthday is the 8th of January."

St Marcellus (from the martyrology, Sept 4)

From the martyrology:

"At Chalons, in France, St. Marcellus, martyr, under the emperor Antoninus. Being invited to a profane banquet by the governor Priscus, and abhorring the meats that were served, he reproved with great freedom all persons present for worshipping the idols. For this, by an unheard-of kind of cruelty, the same governor had him burned alive up to the waist. After persevering for three days in praising God, he yielded up his undefiled soul."

Pope St Pius X (EF/Benedictine)/St Gregory (OF), Sept 3

From the martyrology:

"St Pius X, Pope, whose birthday is recorded on August 20."

Pope Pius X has a large fan club amongst traditionalists because of his tough stand on the heresy of modernism, even having a traditionalist society named after him. 

Personally, I always find that rather ironic, since he was also the first of the twentieth century liturgical wreckovators, changing the order of reception of the sacraments, overturning longstanding tradition on the frequency of reception of the Eucharist, and above all fundamentally revamping the Roman Breviary.

Fortunately in the Ordinary Form, today is the feast of a rather more traditional liturgical reformer, St Gregory the Great:

"Likewise at Rome, the raising to the Sovereign Pontificate of St. Gregory the Great, an incomparable man, who, being forced to take that burden upon himself, sent forth from the more exalted throne brighter rays of sanctity upon the world."

St Giles & 12 Holy Brothers (EF: 1 Sept)

In the Extraordinary Form, today is the feast of St Giles (650-710), a Greek hermit who ended up settling in Provence, and one of the fourteen holy helpers.

From the martyrology:

"In the province of Narbonne, St. Giles, abbot and confessor.


At Benevento, twelve saintly brothers, martyrs."