August 11 – St. Tiburtius, Martyr, Memorial

SS Peter and Paul, with St Tibertius among the four martyrs below,
Catacomb of SS Marcellinus and Peter, Via Labicana

Chromatius, prefect of Rome, condemned several Christians to death. In the process, however, he was converted by St. Tranquillinus. Tiburtius his son was also baptized through the persuasion of St Sebastian. 

Tiburtius hid in his father's house during the persecution of Diocletian. Betrayed by an apostate, he was brought before the prefect Fabianus and tried. He confessed his faith which he confirmed by a miracle, for protecting himself only by the sign of the cross he walked over red-hot coals barefoot without suffering any injury. But the miracle was ascribed to magic and Tiburtius was beheaded at the third mile-stone of the Via Labicana in the year 286. The spot of execution was called "at the two laurel trees" (ad duas lauros).

August 10 – St. Lawrence, Martyr, Class II

Fra Angelico, 1447-1450
St Lawrence before Valerian

St Lawrence, whose vigil we celebrated yesterday, is remembered for his guardianship of the treasures of Rome, including, famously the Grail, which he had sent off to his family in Spain, and then to a monastery, for safekeeping.

After the death of Pope St Sixtus, the prefect of Rome demanded that Lawrence turn over the riches of the Church. St Laurence asked for three days to gather together the wealth. Lawrence worked swiftly to distribute as much Church property to the poor as possible, so as to prevent its being seized by the prefect. On the third day, at the head of a small delegation, he presented himself to the prefect, and when ordered to give up the treasures of the Church, he presented the poor, the crippled, the blind and the suffering, and said that these were the true treasures of the Church. One account records him declaring to the prefect, "The Church is truly rich, far richer than your emperor." This act of defiance led directly to his martyrdom.

Tradition holds that Laurence was burned or "grilled" to death, hence his association with the gridiron. Tradition also holds that Lawrence joked about their cooking him enough to eat while he was burning on the gridiron, stating something along the lines of, "turn me over ... I'm done on this side".

August 9 : Vigil of St Lawrence, martyr, Class III

St Lawrence of Rome (c. 225 – 258) was one of the seven deacons of ancient Rome who were martyred during the persecution of Valerian in 258. He is famous for his cry during his torture, "This side’s done, turn me over and have a bite."

Vigil of St Lawrence/St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, OF (Aug 9)

Today is the feast of St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) Carmelite, martyred by the Nazis.

Also today, the vigil of St. Lawrence, martyr.

St Mary of the Cross (Class I in Australia, August 8)

Mary Helen MacKillop RSJ (15 January 1842 – 8 August 1909), or St Mary of the Cross, was an Australian nun who founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart (the Josephites), a congregation of religious sisters that established a number of schools and welfare institutions throughout Australasia, with an emphasis on education for the rural poor.

Her Order was initially established on the feast day of the Presentation of Mary in 1866, and by 1871, 130 sisters were working in more than 40 schools and charitable institutions across South Australia and Queensland.

Her path was not easy: she encountered considerable opposition from bishops and priests, and  at one point was excommunicated unjustly.

She was canonised in 2010.

St Cyriacus (August 8)

From the martyrology:

"The holy martyrs Cyriacus, deacon, Largus, and Smaragdus, with twenty others who suffered on the 16th of March, during the persecution of Diocletian and Maximian. Their bodies were buried on the Salarian Way by the priest John, but were on this day translated by Pope St. Marcellus to the estate of Lucina, on the Ostian Way. Afterwards they were brought to the city and placed in the church of St. Mary in Via Lata."

St Cyriacus was a Roman nobleman who converted to Christianity as an adult and, renouncing his material wealth, gave it away to the poor. He spent the rest of his life ministering to the slaves who worked in the Baths of Diocletian.

Under the reign of Western Roman Emperor Maximian, co-emperor with Diocletian, St Cyriacus was tortured and put to death, beheaded in 303 on the Via Salaria, where he was subsequently buried. With him were martyred his companions Largus and Smaragdus, and twenty others, including Crescentianus, Sergius, Secundus, Alban, Victorianus, Faustinus, Felix, Sylvanus, and four women: Memmia, Juliana, Cyriacides, and Donata.

Saint Cyriacus is credited with exorcizing demons from two girls. The first was Artemisia (or Artemia), the daughter of Emperor Diocletian, which resulted in both Artemisia and her mother Saint Serena converting to Christianity. The second was Jobias, the daughter of Shapur II of Persia (reigned 241-272), which led to the conversion of the King's entire household.

He is one of the fourteen holy helpers.

SS Sixtus, Felicissimus and Agapitus, memorial (August 7)

c14th

Pope Sixtus II, whose name appears in the canon of the Mass, was Pope from August 30, 257 to August 6, 258, and was martyred under the Emperor Valerian. Felicissimus and Agapitus were his deacons, and were martyred with him.