Memorial of Saints (January 11)

Feasts, Obligatory and Optional Memorials of Saints

• Theodosius the Cenobiarch
• Salvius or Sauve, bishop

St. Salvius (d. ca. 625 A.D.) or St. Sauve of Montreuil, succeeded Ado as bishop of Amiens. He was the fifth Bishop of the French city of Amiens . He lived on the cusp of the 6th century and 7th century A.D. Often confused with Salvius of Albi and Salvius of Valencijn, he was made the patron saint against speech impediments, of Montreui, the Frisian town of Dronrijp and of the town of Saint-Sauflieu, in France. Learn more from Anastpaul.com

Saints in the Byzantine Calendar [January 11]

• Theodosius, Hegumen-Abbot

St. Theodosius (423-529 A.D.) is commemorated this day in both the Roman Calendar and the Byzantine Calendar. He was a leading pioneer of cenobitic or monasticism in community. Born in Cappadocia in Asia Minor, St. Theodosius built a large monastery at Cathismus near Bethlehem and filled it with vocations. He attached three infirmaries to the monastery:

• one for the sick,
• one for the aged,
• and one for the mentally disturbed.

There were also four churches attached to the monastery:

• one for the Greeks
• one for the Armenians
• one for the Slavs
• and one for those doing penance or recovering from mental illness

The monastic complex resembled a small city and became a good example of its kind in the East. It was probably because of this achievement that the patriarch of Jerusalem appointed Theodosius as abbot general of all cenobitic communities in Palestine - thus earning him the title, "Cenobiarch."

Related blog posts:

• St. Theodosius, Feast: January 11
• Saints Who Lived to a 100 Years (Part Three)

Memorial of Saints (January 10)

Feasts, Obligatory and Optional Memorials of Saints

• William of Bourges, abbot
• Marcian
• John the Good, bishop
• Agatho, pope
• Peter Orseolo

Saints in the Byzantine Calendar [January 10]

• Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa
• Venerable Dometian, Bishop of Melite
• Marcian, Presbyter

St. Gregory of Nyssa (ca. 330-395 A.D.) was the third of the three great Cappadocian Fathers (with his brother St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen). He became bishop of Nyssa in 371 A.D. Greatly influenced by the writings of Origen and Plato, Gregory wrote numerous theological treatises, which were considered the true exposition of the Catholic faith. Among his writings were:

• Catechetical Discourse
• treatises against Eunomius and Appolinaris
• a book on virginity
• commentaries on Scripture

The feast day of Saint Gregory of Nyssa is January 10 in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches. The Roman Catholic Church and the Episcopal Church celebrate his death on March 9.

The second General Council of Nicaea (680-681 A.D.) called him "Father of the Fathers." Learn more

Memorial of Saints (January 9)

Feasts, Obligatory and Optional Memorials of Saints

St. Marciana was a Christian from Mauritania, in the West coast of Africa. Accused as a Christian during the rule of Emperor Diocletian, she was arrested and brought to gladiators who tried to rape her. Her virginity however was miraculously preserved. But eventually, she was sent to the ampitheater where she was killed by a wild bull and a leopard (died ca. 303 A.D.).

Sts. Julian and Basilissa (his wife), used their home as a hospital to care for the poor and the sick. After St. Basilissa's death, Julian was arrested as a Christian during the persecutions under Emperor Diocletian. St. Julian was martyred together with a priest, and a mother and her child (died ca. 304 A.D.).

St. Peter of Sebastea is a brother of St. Basil (who founded Eastern monasticism). Peter entered a monastery in Armenia and eventually became its abbot in 362 A.D. In 380 A.D., he became bishop of Sebastea. As bishop, he worked against the Arian heresy and attended well the General Council of Constantinople (died ca. 391 A.D.).

St. Waningus left his position as a governor in Neustria to devote his life to God after a dream he experienced. In the dream, St. Eulalia of Barcelona warned him of the difficulties a rich man will have in entering the Kingdom of God. Because of this warning in a dream, St. Waningus left his political life, and together with St. Wandrille, helped to found an abbey, a church, and a convent (died ca. 683 A.D.).

St. Adrian of Canterbury became abbot of a monastery near Naples, Italy. St. Theodore, who became archbishop of Canterbury, appointed Adrian to be abbot of St. Augustine's monastery. As abbot of this monastery, the monastery became renowned as a center of learning. When St. Adrian's tomb was exhumed, his body was found to be incorrupt (died ca. 710 A.D.).

St. Berhtwald of Canterbury became abbot of Reculver in Kent, England. He succeeded St. Theodore as archbishop of Canterbury. Berhtwald was archbishop for thirty-seven years. He was noted to be a very good scripture scholar (died ca. 731 A.D.).

Saints in the Byzantine Calendar [January 9]

• St. Polyeucte, Martyr
• Eustratius, Venerable

January 9 in the Philippines commemorates the Feast of the Black Nazarene.

In Tagalog the feast is called "Pista ng Itím na Nazareno". Officially and liturgically it is the National Feast of Jesus Nazareno, a religious festival held in Manila, Philippines. It is also known as the Traslación after the mass procession associated with the feast. Centered around the statue of the Black Nazarene, an image of Jesus Christ, is carried along the streets of Manila proper atop an engineless carriage. This carriage is surrounded every year by more than a million devotees, with devotees near the carriage exerting efforts to ride the carriage to get closer to the statue. They do this by as an act of faith in the miraculous powers of the Black Nazarene. Learn more at Wikipedia.org