St Remigius (EF); St Terese of the Child Jesus (OF), Oct 1

St Remigius (437-533) baptised King Clovis, resulting in the conversion of the Franks to Christ.  From the martyrology:

"At Rheims, in France, St. Remigius, bishop confessor, who converted the Franks to Christ, regenerated Clovis, their king, in the sacred font of Baptism and instructed him in the mysteries of faith. After he had been many years bishop, and had distinguished himself by his sanctity and the power of working miracles, he departed this life on the 13th of January. His festival, however, is kept on this day, when his sacred body was translated."

St Terese's feast is celebrated on October 3 in the Extraordinary Form and traditional Benedictine calendar, and notes on her will appear here on that day.

Dedication of St Michael the Archangel (Sept 29, Ben/EF); Michael, Gabriel and Raphael (OF)

Jaime Huguet, 1456

Today's feasts represent a classic example of unfortunate Novus Ordo calendar minimalism!

Instead of retaining separate feasts for each of the Archangels mentioned in the Bible, it groups them all together.

In the older forms of the calendar though, it is the feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St Michael the Archangel, as the martyrology explains:

"On Mount Gargano, the commemoration of the blessed Archangel Michael. This festival is kept in memory of the day, when under his invocation, was consecrated a church, unpretending in its exterior, but endowed with virtue celestial."

St Wenceslaus (EF/OF); St Lawrence Ruiz and companions (OF) Sept 28

From the martyrology:

"In Bohemia, St. Wenceslas, duke of Bohemia and martyr, renowned for holiness and miracles. Being murdered in his brother's house, he went triumphantly to heaven."

St Lawrence Ruiz (1600-1637) is the first Filippino saint, a lay missionary martyred along with a group of Dominican priests for refusing to renounce Christianity in Japan during the Tokogawa Shogunate.

SS Cosmas and Damian (Sept 27, EF/OF/Ben); St Vincent de Paul (OF)

From the martyrology:

"At Aegea, during the persecution of Diocletian, the birthday of the holy martyrs Cosmas and Damian, brothers. After miraculously overcoming many torments from bonds, imprisonment, fire, crucifixion, stoning, arrows, and from being cast into thesea, they received capital punishment. With them are said to have also suffered three of their brothers, Anthimus, Leontius, and Euprepius."

And also:

"At Paris, St. Vincent de Paul, priest, and founder of the Congregation of the Mission and of the Daughters of Charity, an apostolic man and a father to the poor."

Our Lady of Ransom (EF), Sept 24

Ember Saturday (EF/Ben 62); St Maurice and companions, memorial (Ben), Sept 22

Today is an ember day, traditionally a day of fasting and abstinence.

But it is also the memorial of St Maurice in the Benedictine calendar.

From the martyrology:

"At St. Maurice, near Sion, in Switzerland, the birthday of the holy Theban martyrs Maurice, Exuperius, Candidus, Victor, Innocent, and Yitalis, with their companions of the same legion, whose martyrdom for the faith, in the time of Maximian, filled the world with the glory of their sufferings."


St Maurice was leader of the Roman Theban Legion, which consisted entirely of Christians.  Called to Egypt to help suppress a rebellion they were ordered to harass some local Christians, but refused.

After two rounds of decimation failed to make the soldiers obey, the remaining 6,666 men were all executed.

St Matthew (EF/OF/Ben), Sept 21

From the martyrology:

"The birthday of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist, who suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia, while engaged in preaching. The Gospel written by him in Hebrew was, by his own revelation, found in the time of the emperor Zeno, together with the relics of the blessed apostle Barnabas."

A former tax collector, St Matthew was of course one of the twelve apostles and, modernist speculation aside, author the Gospel bearing his name.  Some of the early Fathers suggest that he originally wrote his Gospel in Hebrew rather than the Greek that was the lingua franca of the time.  But if so that version has not come down to us.