Saint Andrew the Apostle

"As [Jesus] was walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is now called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, ‘Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and followed him" ~ Matthew 4:18-20

Saint Andrew was the brother of Saint Peter, and as a disciple of John the Baptist, he was eventually told to follow Christ, as John's prophecy had now been fulfilled. After Christ's death, resurrection and ascension, Andrew went off to Greece and Turkey to preach the Good News to the world. He was martyred by being crucified on an X-shaped cross.


Feast Day: November 30
Patron Saint of fishermen.

Saint Catherine of Alexandria

Saint Catherine of Alexandria converted to Christianity at a young age. She converted others as well; at age 18, she astounded 50 pagan philosophers with her wisdom. They all became Christians and were eventually martyred for the Faith. (This goes to show that she not only convinced them of the Truth, but also made them so zealous for it that they were willing to be martyred!)
Eventually, Catherine herself was sentenced to death. She was to be killed on a spiked wheel, yet when she touched it, it crumbled to dust. She was then beheaded and went straight to her Beloved in Heaven.

Feast Day: November 25
Patroness of students, teachers, librarians and lawyers.
Catherine is invoked as one of the 14 Holy Helpers -- Saints who are invoked for very special needs.

Saint Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions

Between the years of 1820 and 1962, 117 men and women were martyred for the Faith in Vietnam. Saint Andrew Dung-Lac was one of these brave people. Due to political stances against Christianity, the emperor had hundreds unjustly tortured and killed. Andrew remained true to the Faith until he and his companions bravely faced execution for it.

Feast Day: November 24

Saint Cecilia

Saint Cecilia lived in the 3rd century. She was a consecrated virgin, yet forced into marriage to a pagan. However, Cecilia's great holiness led her husband and his brother to convert to Catholicism. Eventually, the three would be martyred for their faith. Cecilia suffered horribly in her last days; her murderer attempted to behead her, but ran off before finishing, leaving her lying on the ground for three days until she died. She spent these days in prayer, begging Our Lord for the forgiveness of her sins and those of her attacker.

Feast Day: November 22
Patroness of Musicians

Saint Josaphat

Saint Castorius

Saint Castorius is one of the four Crowned Martyrs, whose feast is today. According to legend, Castorius, Claudius, Nicostratus and Symphorian were stone masons who refused to carve a statue of a pagan God because they were Christians. Because of this, the king had them tortured and executed. Saint Castorius is the patron saint of stonecutters, stone masons and sculpters.

Feast Day: November 8

Saint Ernest

Very little is known about Saint Ernest. It is known that he lived in the 12th century and was abbot of the Benedictine Zweifalten Abbey in Zweifalten, Germany. He fought in the Second Crusade and preached the Word in Islamic territories. He was eventually captured and killed in 1148, tied to a cross with his hands and legs cut.

Feast Day: November 7

All Saints Day

How awesome is it that this blog begins on All Saints Day?! I am very excited about this fact; it starts the whole thing off perfectly.

Today, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Saints in Heaven. We celebrate not only the well-known and popular Saints such as Mary, the Mother of God or Saint Michael the Archangel, but also the Saints who we do not know of, who made it to Heaven yet whose cause for canonization was never opened. It is incredibly awesome to know that there are thousands of holy souls praying constantly for our needs and petitions.

Today is a Holy Day of Obligation, which means we must go to Mass and receive Holy Communion.