Memorial of Saints (December 21)

Feasts, Obligatory and Optional Memorials of Saints

• Peter Canisius, priest and doctor of the Church
• Anastasius II of Antioch, bishop and martyr

St. Peter Canisius (1521-1597 A.D.) was born in Nijmegen, Holland and studied at Cologne and Louvain. At the age of 23 years, he joined the Jesuits. In 1546 A.D., he was ordained, was theologian to the Cardinal of Augsburg, and attended the Council of Trent. For 30 years, Peter Canisius worked in Germany for the renewal of the Catholic life after the Protestant Reformation had done much harm. He is famous for his catechism. As a Jesuit Provincial he founded several Jesuit colleges.

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• St. Peter Canisius, priest and Jesuit, Learn more
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• Hearts on Fire: Praying with Jesuits, Learn more

December 21 Saints in the Byzantine Calendar

• St. Juliana, Virgin-Martyr

Memorial of Saints (December 20)

Feasts, Obligatory and Optional Memorials of Saints

• Philogonius, bishop
• Ammon and Companions, martyrs
• Ursicinus, abbot
• Dominic of Silos, abbot

St. Philogonius (died ca. 324 A.D.) was a layman and lawyer at Antioch who got married and had a daughter. In 319 A.D., he was named bishop of Antioch. As bishop of Antioch, he was one of the first to denounce the Arian heresy. During the persecution of Christians under Emperors Maximinus and Licinius, he was imprisoned for a time. He was eulogized by St. John Chrysostom in a still extant panegyric.

Learn more at Wikipedia.org on St. Philogonius

December 20 Saints in the Byzantine Calendar

• St. Ignatius "Theophorus", Priest-Martyr Bishop at Antioch

The Russian and Greek Orthodox Churches commemorate St. Ignatius of Antioch on this day.

St. Ignatius is the Apostolic Father whose letters to the various churches in the ancient Christian world serve as a major source of information regarding the life, faith, and structure of the early Church in Asia Minor and Rome. He also used the name Theophorus (Gk., "bearer of God").

St. Ignatius of Antioch was martyred for his faith in Christ. He was taken to the Colosseum and thrown to the lions, dying almost immediately. In his letter to the Romans, he had described himself as "the wheat of God [to] be ground by the teeth of wild beasts to become pure bread."

The Church at Antioch kept his feast on October 17. The Roman Calendar had observed it on February 1 until in 1969 A.D., when it transferred it to October 17 in order to bring the date into line with the Church at Antioch. The Eastern Churches continue to celebrate his feast this day, December 20.

Related blog post

• St. Stephen, St. Ignatius of Antioch, and the Martyrs of the Early Christian Eras, Learn more

Memorial of Saints (December 19)

Feasts, Obligatory and Optional Memorials of Saints

• Nemesius, martyr
• Anastasius I, pope
• Urban V, pope

St. Nemesius (died ca. 250 A.D.) was an Egyptian. He was arrested in Alexandria during the persecution of Christians under Emperor Decius. Nemesius was cleared of charges of thievery but was found guilty of being a Christian. St. Nemesius was scourged and burned to death.

More on Saints - December 19

December 19 Saints in the Byzantine Calendar

• St. Boniface, Martyr

In the Byzantine calendar, December 19th commemorates St. Boniface of Tarsus (died ca. 306 A.D.). He was a Christian martyr who lived in the 3rd century in Cilicia (modern-day southern Turkey).

Boniface was a slave of Aglaia (or Aglaida) with whom he led a dissolute life. His way of life changed when Aglaia sent him to the East for martyrs' relics. Arriving at Tarsus in Cilicia, he was caught in the persecution of Christians. He displayed his unwavering faith before Simplicius, the governor. For this, Boniface suffered martyrdom for refusing to renounce his faith. His own body constituted part of the relics that were sent back to Aglaia, who eventually converted to the Christian faith. Aglaia built a church, Santi Bonifacio e Alessio, to enshrine the relics, and then spent the remaining fifteen years of her life doing penance.

St. Boniface is revered in the Eastern Orthodox Church for his courage and steadfastness in the face of adversity. He is commemorated in the Roman Calendar every May 14.

More on St. Boniface of Tarsus from Wikipedia.org