Commemoration of Saints (March 18)

Solemnities, Feasts, Obligatory and Optional Memorials, and Traditional Dates of Commemoration

• Cyril of Jerusalem, bishop and doctor of the Church
• Alexander of Jerusalem, bishop and martyr
• Frigidian, bishop
• Edward the Martyr
• Anselm of Lucca, bishop
• Salvator of Horta [1]

Today, March 18, the Catholic Church commemorates 4 bishops, 1 doctor of the Church, 2 martyrs, and 1 religious.

The feast of St. Cyril of Jerusalem (315-386 A.D.) is celebrated as an Optional Memorial in the breviary and in the Mass. He was one of the six doctors of the Church who fought or were involved against Arianism. Because St. Cyril found himself in the middle of the controversy, he was accused by St. Jerome of being an Arian. However, the First Council of Constantinople exonerated him from the charges and championed St. Cyril as an orthodox member of the Church against the Arians.

It was mainly for his written works that earned for St. Cyril the title of Doctor of the Church. One of these written works was his Catecheses - 18 catechetical discourses for baptismal candidates during Lent. Another written work was Mystagogic - five catechetical discourses for those newly baptized after Easter. They are valuable because they give knowledge on the ritual and theology of the early Church in the fourth century A.D. [2]

St. Cyril is also commemorated this day by churches in the East following the Byzantine Calendar [3].

Related blog post:

• St. Cyril of Jerusalem, his birth and early history, his exiles, and more

St. Salvator of Horta (d. ca. 1567 A.D.) was a member of the Observant Franciscans. He was from Spain and was orphaned as a child. He became a shoemaker in Barcelona before he applied to the Observant Franciscans when he was 20 years old. He worked as a cook in the Order's friaries and was known and venerated for his miracles of healing. St. Salvator of Horta was canonized in 1938 A.D. [3]

Saints in the Byzantine Calendar [March 18]

• Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem
• Sts. Alexandra, Claudia, Euphrasia and other Martyrs [3]

Sts. Alexandra, Claudia, Euphrasia and other companion martyrs died for their faith during the persecution of Christians under the Emperor Diocletian. These martyrs were beaten with rods, their breasts cut off, and their skins flayed so much that their intestines became visible. They were all thrown into a fiery furnace.

Their feast days are varied: May 18, according to the reference to St. Claudia in Wikipedia.org; March 20, according to the website of the Orthodox Church of America; and March 18, according to The Dictionary of Saints by John Delaney. The differences in dates are possibly due to the many different churches and liturgical traditions that observe the feast of these holy martyrs. Their martyrdoms have also been written and presented online in different groupings (Author's note: They are presented either as a group of six martyrs in Wikipedia.org, or seven martyrs in Oca.org. Wikipedia.org also includes other names to their group: the martyrs "Derphuta and her sister" and "Thecusa". The martyr name Julitta in Wikipedia.org may refer to the name Juliana).

References: Books, Websites & AI Search Results

• [1] Pocket Catholic Dictionary, by John A. Hardon
• [2] The Doctors of the Church, volume 1, by John F. Fink
• [3] Dictionary of Saints, by John J. Delaney
• [4] Virgin Martyrs Alexandria, Claudia, Euphrasia, Matrona, Juliana, Euphemia, and Theodora, Oca.org

Commemoration of Saints (March 17)

Solemnities, Feasts, Obligatory and Optional Memorials, and Traditional Dates of Commemoration

• Patrick, bishop
• Joseph of Arimathea
• Agricola, bishop
• Gertrude of Nivelles, virgin
• Paul of Cyprus
• The Martyrs of Serapeum [1]

The feast of St. Patrick is celebrated as an Optional Memorial every March 17.

St. Patrick (385/390-461 A.D.) was born either on the island of Britain or in Gaul. Much of what is commonly known of St. Patrick has come from pious stories and from legends about his miracles.

Commonly believed is that Patrick was taken off by raiders and brought to slavery in Ireland, which was still pagan. It was there that he worked as a shepherd for six years until he was able to escape. It was during this captivity that he was able to experience a conversion - from being a thoughtless youth to one of deep faith in God. After his escape from those who held him captive, he returned home and began his studies in the monastery of Lerins. He was ordained in about the year 417 A.D.

Patrick saw his vocation as one of also being sent to bring the faith to the Irish people who held him captive. After being consecrated a bishop by St. Germanus in 423 A.D., Patrick went to Ireland to replace St. Paulinus who had died the previous year. Patrick preached throughout Ireland and overcame the opposition of many hostile chieftains and their subjects through miraculous means. St. Patrick accomplished much in structuring the Church in Ireland and was credited for bringing the Irish into closer relations with the Western Church.

After St. Patrick died, the Irish churches soon grew into a large number and developed their faith well to send numerous missionaries to northern Europe. These Irish missionaries have also brought the Christian faith to the United States, to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Africa and Asia. And, wherever there are communities of Irish people, they often build a church, and name it after their patron saint, St. Patrick [3][4].

It was not long after St. Patrick's influence over the development of faith in Ireland, that Irish Catholicism produced what is soon to be called as Celtic monasticism. Monasticism in Ireland had developed earlier than monasticism in mainland Europe (which was initiated later by St. Benedict of Nursia). Early developments of monasticism in Ireland can be credited for making individual confession as a familiar form of the Sacrament's practice among the people. Though private confession existed early in the Church, it was the Irish monks who popularized and formalized the practice of private confession and penance, and then spread it throughout continental Europe during the 7th century A.D. [5]

Learn more about Celtic Christianity and its Monastic Influence on the Church

Saints in the Byzantine Calendar [March 17]

• Venerable father, Alexis [2]

References: Books, Websites & AI Search Results

• [1] Pocket Catholic Dictionary, John A. Hardon
• [2] Dictionary of Saints, John J. Delaney
• [3] Saints for Our Time, by Ed Ransom
• [4] Saints Behaving Badly, by Thomas J. Craughwell
• [5] AI Overview for the search query "is it true that it was the irish monks who practice individual and private confession and made it a common practice throughout the whole church?", Google.com

Commemoration of Saints (March 16)

Solemnities, Feasts, Obligatory and Optional Memorials, and Traditional Dates of Commemoration

• Julian of Antioch, martyr
• Abraham Kidunia, hermit
• Finnian Lobhar, abbot
• Eusebia, abbess
• Gregory Makar, bishop
• Heribert, bishop [1]

On this day, March 16, the Catholic Church commemorates 2 bishops, 1 martyr, 1 hermit, 1 abbot and 1 abbess. St. Julian of Antioch is also commemorated today in the Churches that use the Byzantine Calendar [2].

St. Julian of Antioch (d. ca. 302 A.D.) is also known as Julian of Anazarbus. He was a Christian martyr from Anazarbus in Cilicia, a region in modern-day Turkey, and his relics are enshrined in Antioch. It was St. John of Chrysostom who preached a eulogy about him. This eulogy is the source of information recorded about him. The manner of his martyrdom is terrible. He was sewn in a sack with scorpions and thrown into the sea [2][3].

Saints in the Byzantine Calendar [March 16]

• St. Sabinus and Papas, Martyrs
• St. Julian, Martyr
• St. Alexander, Priest-Martyr, Pope of Rome

References: Books, Websites & AI Search Results

• [1] Pocket Catholic Dictionary, John A. Hardon
• [2] Dictionary of Saints, John J. Delaney
• [3] AI Overview for the search query "is julian of antioch the same as julian of anazarbus", Google.com, March 16, 2025