Memorial of Saints (November 30)

Feasts, Obligatory and Optional Memorials of Saints

• Andrew the Apostle
• Sapor and Isaac, bishops and martyrs
• Cuthbert Mayne, priest and martyr

St. Andrew the Apostle (1st century A.D.) was one of the first followers of Christ. He led his brother Simon Peter to Christ (John 1:35-42). After Pentecost, he went to Greece and Scythia to spread the Gospel. He was martyred on an X-shaped Cross.

St. Cuthbert Mayne (1543-1577 A.D.) was one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales canonized in the year 1970 A.D. Raised and ordained in the Church of England, he was influenced by Edmund Campion to become a Catholic. In 1575 A.D., he was ordained to the Catholic priesthood at Douai in northern France, and then was later sent back to England to minister to Catholic recusants (those who refused to accept the queen as head of the Church of England). Disguised as a domestic steward in that ministry, he was soon discovered, arrested, tried and executed after refusing to acknowledge the ecclesiastical authority of the queen of England.

November 30 Saints in the Byzantine Calendar

• St. Andrew, the "First-called" Apostle

Related blog post:

• What Happened to the Apostles after Pentecost (Part Two), Learn more

Memorial of Saints (November 29)

Feasts, Obligatory and Optional Memorials of Saints

• Saturninus, martyr
• Saturninus or Sernin, bishop
• Radbod, bishop

St. Saturninus (d. ca. 309 A.D.) was known to be a priest who went to Rome from Carthage. He was arrested with Sisinius, a deacon, during the persecution of Christians by Emperor Maximian. He and Sisinius were tortured, burned, and then beheaded.

St. Saturninus of Toulouse (3rd century A.D.) a.k.a. Sernin, was the first bishop of Toulouse. He was sent as a missionary from Rome to the area of the Pyrenees Mountains, which encompasses northern Spain and southern France. St. Saturninus opposed the worship of idols by the people, incurring the anger of the pagan temple priests who dragged him into the temple and ordered him to sacrifice to their gods. When Saturninus refused, the pagan priests tied his feet to a bull which then dragged him to death. His relics were enshrined in what is now the basilica of Saint-Sernin.

St. Radbod (ca. 918 A.D.) was the grandson of the last pagan king of Friesland. He was educated by his uncle Gunther, bishop of Cologne and then became a Benedictine monk. In 900 A.D. he was named bishop of Utrecht and was known for his aid to the poor and as a poet. He died at Deventer, Flanders, where he had moved his see because of a Danish invasion.

November 29 also marks the day of Dorothy Day's (1897-1980 A.D.) death. Her cause for canonization was formally introduced early in 2000 A.D. upon the request of Cardinal John J. O'Connor (d. 2000 A.D.), archbishop of New York. Cardinal O'Connor considered Dorothy Day as a model for women who have had or are considering an abortion. Dorothy Day was cofoundress of the Catholic Worker movement. Her whole life was dedicated to the service of the poor, the hungry, the homeless, and the cause of peace.

As of November 2023, Dorothy Day's cause for canonization is in the Roman phase, having concluded the diocesan phase in December 2021. The Vatican's Dicastery for the Causes of Saints has appointed a relator for her cause, and the next step is the submission and approval of the positio, which could lead to her declaration as "Venerable."

November 29 Saints in the Byzantine Calendar

• Sts. Paramon and Philemonus, Martyrs
• Bessarion
• Venerable Acacius

Bessarion (4th century A.D.) was a native of Egypt and became a hermit under the guidance of St. Anthony of the Desert and St. Macarius. Bessarion subjected himself to great mortifications and had many miracles attributed to him. In the Byzantine calendar, his feast is November 29. In the Catholic Church, his feast is on June 17.

Related blog posts

• St. Anthony of the Desert, Hermit and Abbot, Learn more
• St. Macarius, Monk and Greek Father of the Church, Learn more

Memorial of Saints (November 28)

Feasts, Obligatory and Optional Memorials of Saints

• Catherine Labouré
• James of the March
• Stephen the Younger
• Simeon Metaphrastes

When the mother of St. Catherine Labouré (1806-1876 A.D.) died, she was only eight years old. Even at that young age, she took over the household and had no time to learn how to read and write.

At the age of 14 years, she felt the call to religious life. Against the will of her father, she joined the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul in 1830 A.D., and was then sent to the Rue de Bac Convent in Paris. It was in this Convent that she experienced visions of Mary as the Immaculate Conception.

The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Catherine several times. On November 27, 1830 A.D., the Virgin revealed to her a medal to be struck and distributed. This medal is now known as "Miraculous Medal".

From 1831 A.D. until her death, St. Catherine lived in silence and obscurity. She served as portress, cared for the poultry and ministered to the old and the sick in a hospice.

Her incorrupt body can be seen in the Chapel in Rue de Bac, near the spot where she conversed with the Blessed Mother. The result of her conversation with the Blessed Mother was the minting and distribution of the popular "Miraculous Medals" all over the world (died ca. 1876 A.D.).

More on Saints for November 28

Saints in the Byzantine Calendar for November 28

• St. Stephen "the Younger" Venerable Martyr
• St. Irenarchus, and Seven Women, Martyrs