The Roman Martyrology - July

Return to Roman Martyrology Index

In the language of the Church, Birthday refers to the day on which a Saint enters heaven. However, the Blessed Virgin and St. John the Baptist are exceptions to this rule.

The First Day of July

• The Octave of St. John the Baptist.
• Feast of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
• On Mount Hor', the demise of St. Aaron, the first priest of the Levitical Order.
• In England, the holy martyrs Julius and Aaron, who suffered after St. Alban, in the persecution of Diocletian.
• In the same country, a great number being at that time tortured in different manners and barbarously lacerated, ended their combat, and attained to the joys of the heavenly city.
• At Mechlin, the martyrdom of St. Rumold, son of an Irish king, and bishop of Dublin.
• At Sinuessa, the holy martyrs Castus and Secundinus, bishops.
• At Vienne, St. Martin, bishop and disciple of the Apostles.
• At Clermont, in Auvergne, St. Gal, bishop.
• In the diocese of Lyons, the decease of St. Domitian, abbot, who was the first to lead there an eremitical life. After having assembled in that place many servants of God, and gained great renown for virtues and miracles, he was gathered to his fathers at an advanced age.
• In the diocese of Rheims, St. Theodoric, priest and disciple of the blessed bishop Remigius.
• At Angouleme, St. Eparchius, abbot.
• At Emesa, St. Simeon, surnamed Salus, confessor, who feigned to be an idiot for Christ; but God manifested his high wisdom by great miracles.
• At Vicenza, the demise of St. Theobald, of the Counts of Campania, hermit, who was added to the number of the saints by Alexander III. on account of his holiness and miracles.

The Second Day of July

• Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Elizabeth.
• At Rome, on the' Aurelian road, the birthday of the holy martyrs Processus and Martinian, who were baptized by the blessed apostle Peter in the Mamertine prison. After being struck on the mouth, racked, scourged with thongs and whips tipped with pieces of metal; after being beaten with rods and exposed to the flames, they were beheaded in the days of Nero, and thus obtained the crown of martyrdom.
• Also, at Rome, three holy soldiers, who were converted to Christ by the martyrdom of the blessed Apostle Paul, ·and with him merited to be made partakers of heavenly glory.
• The same day, the holy martyrs Ariston, Crescentian, Eutychian, Urbanus, Vitalis, Justus, Felicissimus, Felix, Marcia, and Symphorosa, who were all crowned with martyrdom when the persecution of the emperor Diocletian was raging.
• At Winchester, in England, St. Swithin, bishop, whose sanctity was illustrated by the gift of miracles.
• At Bamberg, the holy bishop Otho, who preached the Gospel to the people of Pomerania, and converted them to the faith.
• At Tours, the demise of St. Monegundes, a pious woman.

The Third Day of July

• At Alexandria, St. Tryphon, and twelve other martyrs.
• At Constantinople, the holy martyrs Eulogius and his companions.
• At Caesarea, in Cappadocia, St. Hyacinthus, chamberlain of the emperor Trajan. Accused of being a Christian, he was scourged and thrown into prison, where, consumed with hunger, he breathed his last.
• At Chiusi, in Tuscany, in the reign of the emperor Trajan, the holy martyrs Irenaeus, deacon, and Mustiola, a matron, who were subjected to various atrocious tortures and merited the crown of martyrdom.
• The same day, the holy martyrs Mark and Mucian, who were put to the sword for Christ. As a small boy cried out to them not to sacrifice to idols, he was whipped, but confessing Christ all the more vigorously, he was killed with a man named Paul, who had also exhorted the martyrs.
• At Laodicea, in Syria, St. Anatolius, a bishop, whose writings were admired not only by religious men, but even by philosophers.
• At Altino, St. Heliodorus, a bishop distinguished for holiness and learning.
• At Ravenna, St. Dathus, bishop and confessor.
• At Edessa, in Mesopotamia, the translation of the apostle St. Thomas from India. His relics were afterwards taken to Tortona.

The Fourth Day of July

• The prophets Osee and Aggams.
• In Africa, the birthday of St. Jucundian, a martyr who was drowned in the sea for Christ.
• In the diocese of Bourges, St. Laurian, bishop of Seville and martyr, whose head was taken to Seville, in Spain.
• At Sirmium, Saints Innocent and Sebastia, with thirty other martyrs.
• At Madaurus, in Africa, the martyr Namphanion and his companions, whom he strengthened for the combat and led to the crown of martyrdom.
• At Cyrene, in Lybia, the holy bishop Theodore. In the persecution of Diocletian, under the governor Dignian, he was scourged with leaded whips, and had his tongue cut out. Finally, however, he died a confessor.
• The same day, the birthday of the Saints Flavian II., bishop of Antioch, and Elias, bishop of Jerusalem, who were driven into exile. by the emperor Anastasius, in defense of the Council of Chalcedon, and went victoriously to God.
• At Augsburg, in Bavaria, St. Uldaric, a bishop illustrious for extraordinary abstinence, liberality, vigilance, and the gift of miracles.
• At Lisbon, St. Elizabeth, widow, queen of Portugal, whose festival is celebrated on the 8th of this month, by order of Innocent XII.
• At Tours, the translation of St. Martin, bishop and confessor, and the Dedication of his Basilica, which took place on the anniversary of his elevation to the episcopate some years previous.

The Fifth Day of July

• At Cremona, in Insubria, St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria, confessor, founder of the Barnabites and the Angelic Virgins. Distinguished for all the virtues and for miracles, he was placed among the Saints by Leo XIII. His body is venerated in the church of St. Barnabas, at Milan.
• At Rome, St. Zoe, martyr, wife of the blessed martyr Nicostratus. Whilst praying at the tomb of the apostle St. Peter, during the time of Diocletian, she was seized by the persecutors, and cast into a dark dungeon; then being suspended on a tree by her neck and hair, and suffocated by a loathsome smoke, she yielded up her soul in the confession of the Lord.
• In Syria, the birthday of St. Domitius, martyr, who by his miracles confers many favors on the people of that country.
• At Cyrene, in Lybia, St. Cyrilla, a martyr, in the persecution of Diocletian. For a long while she held on her hand burning coals with incense, lest by shaking off the coals she should seem to offer incense to the idols. She was afterwards cruelly scourged, and went to her spouse adorned with her own blood.
• At Jerusalem, St. Athanasius, a deacon, who was apprehended by the heretics for defending the Council of Chalcedon, and after experiencing all kinds of torments, was put to the sword. -In Sicily, the holy martyrs Agatho and Triphina.
• At Tomis, in Scythia, the holy martyrs Marinus, Theodotus, and Sedopha.
• At Treves, St. Numerian, bishop and confessor.
• St. Michael of the Saints, whose death is mentioned on the 10th of April.
• At San Severino, in the March of Ancona, St. Philomena, virgin.

The Sixth Day of July

• The Octave of the holy apostles Peter and Paul.
• In Judea, the holy prophet Isaias. In the reign of king Manasses he was put to death by being sawed in two and was buried beneath the oak Rogel, near a running stream.
• At Rome, the birthday of St. Tranquillinus, martyr, father of the Saints Mark and Marcellian, who were converted to Christ by the preaching of the martyr St. Sebastian. Baptized by the blessed priest Poly carp, he was ordained priest by pope St. Caius. He was arrested while praying at the tomb of blessed Paul on the Octave of the Apostles, and stoned to death by the Pagans, and thus consummated his martyrdom.
• At Fiesoli, in Tuscany, St. Romulus, bishop and martyr, disciple of the blessed apostle Peter, who commissioned him to preach the Gospel. After announcing Christ in many parts of Italy, he returned to Fiesoli, and was crowned with martyrdom with other Christians in the reign of Domitian.
• In Campania, St. Dominica, virgin and martyr, in the time of the emperor Diocletian. For having destroyed idols, she was condemned to the beasts, but being uninjured by them, she was beheaded and departed for heaven. Her body is kept with great veneration at Tropea, in Calabria.
• The same day, St. Lucia, martyr, a native of Campania. Being arrested and severely tortured by the lieutenant-governor Rictiovarus, she converted him to Christ. To them were added' Antoninus, Severinus, Diodorus, Dion, and seventeen others, who shared their sufferings and their crowns.
• In the vicinity of Treves, St. Goal', priest and confessor.

The Seventh Day of July

• The holy bishops Cyril and Methodius, who are mentioned on the 9th of March.
• At Rome, the holy martyrs Claudius, notary, Nicostratus, assistant prefect, Castorius, Victorinus, and Sympborian, who were brought to the faith of Christ by St. Sebastian, and baptized by the blessed priest Polycarp. Whilst they were engaged in searching for the bodies of the holy martyrs, the judge Fabian had them arrested, and for ten days he tried by threats and caresses to shake their constancy, but being utterly unable to succeed, he ordered them to be thrice tortured, and then percipitated into the sea.
• At Durazzo, in Macedonia, the holy martyrs Peregrinus, Lucian, Pompei us, Hesychius, Papius, Saturninus, and Germanus, natives of Italy. In the persecution of Trajan, they took refuge in the town of Durazzo, where seeing the saintly bishop Astius hanging on a cross for the faith of Christ, they publicly declared themselves to be Christians, when, by order of the governor, they were arrested and cast into the sea.
• At Perugia, blessed Benedict XI, a native of Treviso of the Order of Preachers, who in the brief space of his pontificate, greatly promoted the peace of the Church, the restoration of discipline and the spread. of religion.
• At Alexandria, the birthday of St. Pantrenus, an apostolic man, filled with wisdom. He had such an affection and love for the word of God, and was so inflamed with the ardor of faith and devotion, that he set out to preach the gospel of Christ to the Gentiles inhabiting the farthest recesses of the East. At length returning to Alexandria, he rested in peace, under Antoninus Caracalla.
• At Brescia, St. Apollonius, bishop and confessor.- In Saxony, St. Willibald, first bishop of Eichstadt, who labored with St. Boniface in preaching the Gospel, and converted many nations to Christ.At Clermont, in Auvergne, St. Illidius, bishop.
• At Urgel, in Spain, St. Odo, bishop.
• In England, St. Hedda, bishop of the West-Saxons.
• At Gray, in Burgundy, blessed Peter Fourier, Canon Regular of the most holy Saviour, renowned for virtues and miracles.
• In England, St. Edelburga, virgin, daughter of an English king.

The Eighth Day of July

• ST. ELIZABETH, widow, queen of Portugal. Being renowned for virtues and miracles, she was numbered among the saints by UrbanVIII.
• In Asia Minor, the Saints Aquila and his wife Priscilla, of whom mention is made in the Acts of the Apostles.
• At Porto, fifty holy soldiers, martyrs, who were led to the faith by the martyrdom of St. Bonosa, and baptized by the blessed pope Felix. They were put to death in the persecution of Aurelian.
• In Palestine, in the reign of Diocletian, St. Procopius, martyr, who was brought from Scythopolis to Caesarea, and upon his first resolute answer was beheaded by the judge Fabian.
• At Constantinople, the holy Abrahamite monks, who resisted the emperor Theophilus by defending the worship of holy images, and suffered matryrdom.
• At Wurtzburg, in Germany, St. Kilian, bishop, who was commisioned by the Roman Pontiff to preach the Gospel. After having converted many to Christ, he was put to death with his companions, Colman, a priest, and Totnan, a deacon.
• At Rome, the blessed Eugenius II., pope. Having gained a great reputation for sanctity and prudence in his government of the monastery of Saints Vincent and Anastasius, he was raised to the Sovereign Pontificate and ruled over the universal Church with much holiness. Pope Pius IX. approved and confirmed the veneration paid to him.
• At Treves, St. Auspicius, bishop and confessor .

The Ninth Day of July

• At Rome, in the place called the Drop-ever-falling, the birthday of St. Zeno, and ten thousand two hundred and three other martyrs.
• At Gortyna, in Crete, in the persecution of Decius, under the governor Lucius, St. Cyril, a bishop, who was thrown into the flames without being injured, though his bonds were burnt. The judge, strnck with awe at so great a miracle, set him at liberty, but as the saint began again immediately to preach the faith of Christ with zeal, he was beheaded.
• In the town of Thora, on lake Velino, in Italy, the martyrdom of the Saints Anatolia and Audax, under the emperor Decius. Anatolia, a virgin consecrated to Christ, cured, through the whole province of Picenum, (Now Ancona.) many persons laboring under various infirmities, and made them believe in Christ. By order of the judge Fustinian, she was condemned to various kinds of punishments. She was cured of the sting of a serpent to which she had been exposed; a miracle which converted Audax to the faith. Finally she was transpierced with a sword, whilst her hands were extended in prayer. Audax was committed to prison, and being without delay sentenced to capital punishment, obtained the crown of a martyr.
• At Alexandria, the holy martyrs Patermuthius, Copres, and Alexander, who were put to death under Julian the Apostate.
• At Briel, ill Holland, the martyrdom of the nineteen martyrs of Gorcum. For vindicating the authority of the Roman Church, and the real presence of. Christ in the Eucharist, they endured various ignominies and torments from the Calvinist heretics, and ended their suffering by being put to death. In the year 1867, Pius IX. placed them among the holy martyrs.-At Martula, St. Brixius, bishop. Under the judge Marcian, after having suffered much for the confession of our Lord, and converted to Christ a great multitude of people, he rested in peace.-At Citta-di-Castello, St. Veronica Giuliani, a Capuchin nun, abbess of the monastery of that town. Born at Mercatelli, in the diocese of Urania, she became illustrious by her great love for suffering and other virtues, and by her heavenly gifts. She was inscribed among holy virgins by pope Gregory XVI.

The Tenth Day of July

• At Rome, the martyrdom of the seven holy brothers, sons of the saintly martyr Felicitas, namely, Januarius, Felix, Philip, Sylvanus, Alexander, Vitalis, and Martial, in the time of the emperor Antoninus, under Publius, prefect of the city. Januarius, after being scourged with rods and detained in prison, died under the blows inflicted with leaded whips. Felix and Philip were scourged to death, Sylvanus was thrown headlong from an eminence. Alexander, Vitalis, and Martial were condemned to capital punishment.
• Also, at Rome, in the persecution of Valerian and Gallienus, the holy virgins and martyrs Rufina and Secunda, sisters, who, after being subjected to torments, the one having her head split open, the other being decapitated, departed for heaven. Their bodies are kept with due honor in the Lateran Basilica, near the baptistery.
• In Africa, the holy martyrs Januarius, Marinus, Nabor, and Felix, who were beheaded.
• At Nicopolis, in Armenia, the holy martyrs Leontius, Mauritis, Daniel, and their companions, who after being tortured in different manners, were finally cast into the fire, and thus terminated their long martyrdom, in the time of the emperor Licinius and the governor Lysias.
• In Pisidia, the holy martyrs Bianor and Silvanus, who merited an immortal crown by being decapitated, after enduring most bitter torments for the name of Christ.
• At Iconium, St. Apollonius, martyr, who consummated his glorious martyrdom by death on the cross.
• At Ghent, St. Amelberga, virgin.

The Eleventh Day of July

• At Rome, the blessed Pius, pope and martyr, who was crowned with martyrdom in the persecution of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus.
• At Nicopolis, in Armenia, the birthday of the holy martyrs Januarius and Pelagia, who for four days were racked, torn with iron claws and pieces of earthenware, and thus achieved their martyrdom.
• In the territory of Sens, St. Sidronius, martyr.
• At Iconium, St. Marcian, martyr, who obtained the palm of martyrdom by many torments, under the governor Perennius.
• At Sida, in Pamphylia, St. Cindeus, priest, in the time of the emperor Diocletian and the governor Stratonicus. After suffering many torments, he was thrown into the fire, but remaining uninjured, he yielded up his soul in prayer.
• At Brescia, the holy martyrs Savinus and Cyprian.
• At Bergamo, St. John, a bishop, who was killed by the Arians for defending the Catholic faith.
• At Cordova, St. Abundius, a priest, crowned with martyrdom whilst preaching against the sect of Mahomet.
• In the territory of Poitiers, St.Sabinus, confessor.

The Twelfth Day of July

• In the monastery of Passignano, near Florence, the abbot St. John Gualbert, founder of the ValIumbros an Order.
• At Milan, the holy martyrs Nabor and Felix, who suffered in the persecution of Maximian.
• In Cyprus, St. Jason, one of the first disciples of Christ.-At Aquileia, the birthday of BL Hermagoras, disciple of the blessed evangelist Mark, and first bishop of that city. Whilst occupied in performing miraculous cures, in preaching frequently and bringing souls to repentance, he suffered many kinds of torments, and finally by capital punishment, merited an immortal triumph with his deacon Fortunatus.
• At Lucca, in Tuscany, blessed Paulinus, who was consecrated first bishop of that city by St. Peter. Under Nero, after many combats, he terminated his martyrdom with some companions, at the foot of Mount Pisa.
• The same day, the Saints Proclus and Hilarion, who won the palm of martyrdom after most bitter torments, in 1he time of the emperor Trajan and the governor MaxiIlllls.
• At Lentini, St. Epiphana, who, after having her breasts cut off, died in the time of the emperor Diocletian and the governor Tertillus.
• At Toledo, St. Marciana, virgin and martyr. For the faith of Christ, she was exposed to the beasts, torn to pieces by a bull, and was thus crowned with martyrdom.
• At Lyons, St. Viventiolus, bishop.
• At Bologna, St. Paternian, bishop.

The Thirteenth Day of July

• At Rome, St. Anacletus, pope and martyr, who governed the Church of God after St. Clement, and shed lustre on it by a glorious martrdom.
• The same day, the holy prophets Joel and Esdras.
• In Macedonia, blessed Silas, one of the first Christians. By the Apostles he was destined for the churches of the Gentiles with Paul and Barnabas. Filled with the grace of God, he zealously discharged the office of preaching, and after glorifying Christ in his sufferings, rested in peace.
• Also, St. Serapion, martyr, who obtained the crown of martyrdom by fire, in the time of the emperor Severus and the governor Aquila.
• In the island of Chio, in the time of the emperor Decius and the governor Numerian, the martyr St. Myrops. Being clulbed to death, he went to our Lord.
• In Africa, the holy confessors Eugenius, the faithful and virtuous bishop of Carthage, and all the clergy of that church, to the number of about five hundred or more, among whom were many small children employed as lectors. In the persecution of the Vandals, under the Arian king Hunneric, they were subjected to scourging and starvation, and driven into a most painful banishment, which they bore with joy for God's sake. In their number were also two distinguished personages, the archdeacon Salutaris, and Muritta, occupying the second rank among the ministers of the church. Both had three times confessed the faith, and were illustrious by their sturdy perseverance in Christianity.
• In Bretagne, St. Turian, bishop and confessor, a man of admirable simplicity and innocence.

The Fourteenth Day of July

• At Lyons, the demise of St. Bonaventure, Cardinal and bishop of Albano, confessor and doctor of the Order of Minorites, most celebrated for his learning and holiness of life.
• At Rome, St. Justus, soldier under the tribune Claudius. A miraculous cross appearing to him, he believed in Christ, was baptized, and bestowed his goods on the poor. Arrested afterwards by the prefect Magnetius, he was scourged, had a heated helmet put on his head, and was thrown into the fire, but without injury then to a hair of his head, Finally, he yielded up his soul in the confession of the Lord.
• At Sinope, in Pontus, the martyrs St. Phocas, bishop of that city. Under the emperor Trajan, after having been imprisoned, bound, struck with the sword and exposed to the fire for Christ, he took his flight to heaven. His remains were brought to Vienne, in France, and deposited in the church of the holy apostles.
• At Alexandria, St. Heraclas, bishop, whose fame was so great that the historian Africanus repaired to Alexandria to see him, as he himself testifies.
• At Carthage, St. Cyrus, bishop, on whose festival St. Augustine spoke of him to his people.
• At Como, St. Felix, first bishop of that city.
• At Brescia, St. Optatian, bishop.
• At Daventry, in Belgium, St. Marcellin, priest and confessor.
• At Rome, St. Camillus de Lellis, confessor, founder of the Clerks Regular who minister to the sick. Renowned for virtues and miracles, he was numbered among the saints by the Sovereign Pontiff, Benedict XIV.

The Fifteenth Day of July

• At Bamberg, St. Henry I., emperor, who kept perpetual chastity with his wife Cunegunde, and induced St. Stephen, king of Hungary, with nearly all his kingdom, to receive the faith of Christ.
• At Porto, the birthday of the holy martyrs Eutropius and the sisters Zosima and Bonosa.
• At Carthage, blessed Catulinus, deacon, whose glories were proclaimed by St. Augustine in a sermon to his people, and the Saints Januarius, Florentius, Julia and Justa, martyrs, who were entombed in the church of St. Faustus.
• At Alexandria, the holy martyrs Philip, Zeno, Narseus, and ten children.
• In the island of Tenedos, St. Abudemius, a martyr, who suffered under Diocletian.
• At Sebaste, St. Antiochus, a physician, who was decapitated under the governor Adrian. On seeing milk flowing from his wounds instead of blood, Cyriacus, his executioner, was converted to Christ and endured martyrdom.
• At Pavia, St. Felix, bishop and martyr.
• At Nisibis, the birthday of St. James, bishop of that city, a man celebrated for great holiness, miracles and erudition. He was one of those who confessed the faith during the persecution of Galerius Maximian, and afterwards, in the Council of Nicrea, condemned the perverse heresy of Arius, by opposing to it the doctrine of consubstantiality. It was also owing to his prayers, and those of bishop Alexander, that Arius received at Constantinople the condign punishment of his iniquity, the extravasation of his intestines.
• At Naples, in Campania, St. Athanasius, bishop of that city, who suffered much from his wicked nephew Sergius, by whom he was driven from his see. Consumed with afflictions, he departed for heaven at Veroli, in the time of Charles the Bald.
• At Palermo, the finding of the body of St. Rosalia, virgin of Palermo. Being miraculously discovered in the time of the Sovereign Pontiff, Urban VIII., it delivered Sicily from the plague in the year of the Jubilee.

The Sixteenth Day of July

• The festival of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel.
• The same day, the birthday of St. Faustus, a martyr, under Decius. He lived five days fastened on a cross, and being then piercedwith arrows, he went to heaven.
• At Sebaste, in Armenia, the holy martyrs Athenogenes, bishop, and ten of his disciples, in the time of the emperor Diocletian.
• At Antioch, in Syria, the birthday of blessed Eustathius, bishop and confessor, celebrated for learning and sanctity. Under the Arian emperor Constantius, for the defence of the Catholic faith, he was banished to Trajanopolis, in Thracia, where he rested in the Lord.
• The same day, St. Hilarinus, monk, who was arrested with St. Donatus in the persecution of Julian. As he would not sacrifice to idols, he was beaten with rods, and died a martyr at Arezzo, in Tuscany. His body was translated to Ostia.
• At Treves, St. Valentine, bishop and martyr.
• At Cordova, in Spain, St. Sisenandus, deacon and martyr, who was strangled by the Saracens for the faith of Chirst.
• At Saintes, in France, the holy martyrs Raineldes, virgin, and her companions, who were massacred by barbarians for the Christian faith.
• At Bergamo, St. Domnio, martyr.-At Capua, St. Vitalian, bishop and confessor.

The Seventeenth Day of July

• At Rome, St. Alexius, confessor, son of the senator Euphemian. Leaving his spouse untouched the night of his marriage, he withdrew from his house, and after a long pilgrimage returned to Rome, where he was for seventeen years harbored in his father's house as an unknown beggar, thus deluding .the world by a new device. But after his death, becoming known through a voice heard in the churches of the city, and by his own writing, he was, under the Sovereign Pontiff, Innocent I, translated to the church of St. Boniface, where he wrought many miracles.
• At Carthage, the birthday of the holy Scillitan martyrs Speratus, Narzales, Cythinus, Veturius, Felix, Acyllinus, Lretantius. Januaria, Generosa, Vestina, Donata, and Secunda. By order of the prefect Saturninus, after their first confession of the faith, they were sent to prison, nailed to pieces of wood, and finally beheaded. The relics of Speratus, with the bones of blessed Cyprian and the head of the martyr St. Pantaleon, were carried from Africa into France, and religiously placed in the basilica of St. John the Baptist at Lyons.
• At Amastris, in Paphlagonia, St. Hyacinth, martyr, who died in prison after much suffering, under the prefect Castritius.
• At Tivoli, St. Generosus, martyr.
• At Constantinople, St. Theodota, martyr, under the Iconoclast Leo.
• At Rome, the demise of pope St. Leo IV.
• At Pavia, St. Ennodius, bishop and confessor.
• At Auxerre, St. Theodosius, bishop.
• At Milan, the virgin St. Marcellina, sister of the blessed bishop Ambrose, who received the religious veil from pope Liberius in the basilica of St. Peter at Rome. Her sanctity is attested by St. Ambrose in his writings.
• At Venice, the translation of St. Marina, virgin.

The Eighteenth Day of July

• The feast of St. Camillus de Lellis, confessor, founder of the Clerks Regular ministering to the sick, whose birthday is the 14th of July. Leo XIII. declared him Celestial Patron of hospitals and the infirm.
• At Tivoli, in the time of the emperor Adrian, St. Symphorosa, wife of the martyr St. Getulius, with her seven sons, Crescens, Julian, Nemesius, Primitivus, Justinus, Stacteus, and Eugenius. Their mother, because of her invincible constancy, was first buffeted a long time, then suspended by her hair, and lastly thrown into the river with a stone tied to her body. Her sons had their limbs distended by pulleys and bound to stakes, and terminated their martyrdom by different kinds of death. The bodies were subsequently taken to Rome, and were found in the sacristy of St. Angelo in Piscina, under the Sovereign Pontiff, Pius IV.
• At Carthage, St. Gundenes, virgin. By order of the proconsul Rufinus, she was four different times stretched on the rack for the faith of Christ, horribly lacerated with iron hooks, confined for a long time in a filthy dungeon, and finally put to the sword.
• At Dorostorum, in Mysia, in the time of Julian the Apostate and the governor Capitolinus, St . AEmilian, martyr,who was cast into a furnace, and thus received the palm of martyrdom.
• At Utrecht, St. Frederick, bishop and martyr.
• In Spanish Galicia, St. Marina, virgin and martyr.
• At Milan, in the reign of Maximian, the holy bishop Maternus. For the faith of Christ and the church entrusted to him, he was thrown into prison and often scourged. Finally he went to his rest in the Lord with a great renown for his repeated confession of the faith.
• At Brescia, the birthday of St. Philastrius; bishop of that city, who in speech and writing combated heretics, especially the Arians, from whom he suffered much. Finally, he died in peace, renowned for miracles.
• At Metz, in France, St. Arnulf, a bishop illustrious for holiness and the gift of miracles. He chose an eremitical life, and ended his blessed career in peace.
• At Segni, St. Bruno, bishop and confessor.
• At Forlimpopoli, in AEmilia, St. Ruffillus, bishop of that city.

The Ninteenth Day of July

• ST. VINCENT DE PAUL, confessor, who slept in the Lord on the 27th of September. Leo XIII. declared him heavenly patron before the throne of God of all charitable organizations throughont the Catholic world owing in any manner their origin to him.
• The same day, the birthday of St. Epaphras, whom the apostle St. Paul calls his fellow-prisoner. By the same apostle he was consecrated bishop of Colossae, where becoming renowned for his virtues, he received the palm of martyrdom for defending courageously the flock committed to his charge. His body lies at Rome in the basilica of St. Mary the Greater.
• At Seville, in Spain, the martyrdom of the holy virgins Justa and Rufina. Arrested by the governor Diogenian, they were stretched on the rack and lacerated with iron claws, then imprisoned, and subjected to starvation and various tortures. Lastly Justa breathed her last in prison, and Rufina had her neck broken while confessing Christ.
• At Cordova, St. Aurea, virgin, who repented of a fault she had committed, and in a second combat overcame the enemy by the shedding of her blood.
• At Treves, St. Martin, bishop and martyr.
• At Rome, pope St. Symmachus, who for a long time had much to bear from a faction of schismatics. At last, distinguished by holiness, he went to God.-At Verona, St. Felix, bishop.
• At Scete, a mountain in Egypt, St. Arsenius, a deacon of the Roman church. In the time of Theodosius, he retired into a wilderness, where, endowed with every virtue and shedding continual tears, he yielded his soul to God.
• In Cappadocia, the holy virgin Marcina, sister of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory of Nyssa.

The Twentieth Day of July

• The festival of St. Jerome AEmiliani, confessor, founder of the Congergation of Somascha. Gaining renown for many miracles during his life and after his death, he was inscribed among the beatified by Benedict XIV., and canonized by Clement XIII.
• At Antioch, St. Margaret, virgin and martyr,
• On Mount Carmel, the holy prophet Elias.
• The same day, the birthday of blessed Joseph, surnamed the Just, whom the Apostles selected with blessed Matthias for the apostleship, in the place of the traitor Judas. The lot having fallen upon Matthias, Joseph, notwithstanding, continued to preach and to advance in virtue, and after having sustained from the Jews many persecutions for the faith of Christ, happily ended his life in Judea. It is related of him that having drunk poison, he received no injury from it, because of his confidence in the Lord.
• At Damascus, the holy martyrs Sabinus, Julian, Maximus, Macrobius, Cassia, and Paula, with ten others.
• At Cordova, St. Paul, deacon and martyr. For rebuking Mahometan princes for their impiety and cruelty, and preaching Christ courageously, he was put to death, and went to his reward in heaven.
• In Portugal, St. Wilgefortes, virgin and martyr, who merited the crown of martyrdom on a cross in defence of the faith and her chastity.
• At Boulogne, in France, the abbot St. Wulmar, a man of admirable sanctity.
• At Treves, St. Severa, virgin.

The Twenty-First Day of July

• At Rome, the holy virgin Praxedes, who was brought up in all chastity and in the knowledge of the divine law. Assiduously attending to watching, prayer and fasting, she rested in Christ, and was buried near her sister Pudentiana, on the Salarian road.
• At Babylon, the holy prophet Daniel.
• At Marseilles, the birthday of St. Victor, a soldier. Because he refused to serve in the army and sacrifice to idols, he was thrust into prison, where he was visited by an angel, then subjected to various torments, and finally being crushed under a millstone, he ended his martyrdom. With him also suffered three soldiers, Alexander, Felician, and Longinus.
• At Troyes, St. Julia, virgin and martyr.
• In the same place, the martyrdom of the saints Claudius, Justus, Jucundinus, and five companions, in the time of the emperor Aurelian.
• At Comana, in Armenia, the holy bishop and martyr Zoticus,who was crowned under Severus.-At Strasburg, St. Arbogastus, a bishop, renowned for miracles.
• In Syria, the holy monk John, a companion of St. Simeon.

The Twenty-Second Day of July

• At Marseilles, the birthday of St. Mary Magdalen, out of whom our Lord expelled seven demons, and who deserved to be the first to see the Saviour after He had risen from the dead.
• At Philippi, St. Syntyches, mentioned by the blessed apostle Paul.
• At Ancyra, in Galatia, the birthday of the martyr St. Plato. Under the lieutenant-governor Agrippinus, he was scourged, lacerated with iron hooks, and subjected to other most atrocious torments, and finally being beheaded, he rendered his invincible soul to God. The miracles he wrougth in assisting the captives are attested in the Acts of the second Council of Nicaea.
• In Cyprus, St. Theophilus, a praetor, who was apprehended by the Arabs, and as he could not be induced either by presents or threats to deny Christ, was put to the sword.
• At Antioch, the holy bishop Cyril, who was distinguished for learning and holiness.
• In the territory of Auvergne, St. Meneleus, abbot.
• In the monastery of Blandine, the abbot St. Vandrille, celebrated for miracles.
• At Scythopolis, in Palestine, St. Joseph, a count.
• At Lisbon, St. Lawrence of Brindisi, confessor, superior general of the Capuchin Minorites of St. Francis. Illustrious by his preaching and his arduous labor for the glory of God, he was canonized by Leo XIII., who appointed the 7th of July for his feast day.

The Twenty-Third Day of July

• The birthday of the holy bishop Apollinaris, who was consecrated at Rome by the apostle Peter, and sent to Ravenna, where he endured for the faith of Christ many different tribulations. He afterwards preached the Gospel in AEmilia, where he converted many from the worship of idols. Finally, returning to Ravenna, he terminated his confession of Christ by a glorious martyrdom under the Caesar Vespasian.
• At Le Mans, in France, St. Liborius, bishop and confessor.
• At Rome, St. Rasyphus, martyr.
• In the same city, the martyrdom of St. Primitiva, virgin and martyr.
• Also, the holy martyrs Apollonius and Eugenius.
• The same day, the birthday of the holy martyrs Trophimus and Theophilus who received their crown of martyrdom by being beaten with stones, scorched with fire, and finally struck with the sword, in the time of the emperor Diocletian.
• In Bulgaria, many holy martyrs whom the impious emperor Nicephorus, whilst he was devastating the churches of God, put to death in various ways, by the sword, the halter, arrows, long imprisonment, and starvation.
• At Rome, the saintly virgins Romula, Redempta, and Herundines, mentioned by pope St. Gregory in his writings.
• In the same city, the departure from this life of St. Bridget, widow, whose sacred body was taken to Sweden on the 7th of October. Her feast is celebrated on the 8th of that month.

The Twenty-Fourth Day of July

• The vigil of St. James, apostle.
• At Tyro, in Tuscany, on lake Bolsena, St. Christina, virgin and martyr. Believing in Christ, and breaking up her father's gold and silver idols to give them to the poor, she was cruelly scourged by his command, subjected to other most severe torments, and thrown with a heavy stone into the lake, from which she was drawn out by an angel. Then under another judge, who succeeded her father, she bore courageously still more bitter tortures. Finally, after she had been shut up by the governor Julian in a burning furnace for five days without any injury, and after being cured of the sting of serpents, she ended her martyrdom by having her tongue cut out, and being pierced with arrows.
• At Rome, on the Tiburtine road, St. Vincent, martyr.
• At Amiterno, in Abruzzo, the martyrdom of eighty-three holy soldiers.
• At Merida, in Spain, St. Victor, a military man, who, with his two brothers, Stercatius and Antinogenes, by various torments consummated his martyrdom in the persecution of Diocletian.
• In Lycia, the holy matryrs Niceta and Aquilina, who were converted to Christ by the preaching of the blessed martyr Christopher, and gained the palm of martyrdom by being decapitated.
• Also, the holy martyrs Meneus and Capito.-At Sens, St. Ursicinus. bishop and confessor.

The Twenty-Fifth Day of July

• ST. JAMES the Apostle, brother of the blessed evangelist John, who was beheaded by Herod Agrippa about the feast of Easter. His sacred bones were on this day carried from Jerusaelm to Spain, and placed in the remote province of Galicia, where they are devoutly honored by the far-famed piety of the inhabitants, and the frequent concourse of Christians, who visit them through piety and in fulfilment of their vows.
• In Lycia, in the time of Decius, St. Christopher, martyr. Being scourged with iron rods, cast into the flames, from which he was saved by the power of Christ, and finally transfixed with arrows and beheaded, he completed his martyrdom.
• At Barcelona, in Spain, during the persecution of Diocletian and under the governor Dacian, the birthday of the holy martyr Cucuphas. After overcoming many torments, he was struck with the sword, and thus went triumphantly to heaven.
• In Palestine, St. Paul, a martyr, in the persecution of Maximian Galerius, and under the governor Firmilian. He was condemned to capital punishment, but having obtained a short respite to pray, he besought God with all his heart, first for his own countrymen, then for tbe Jews and the Gentiles, that they might embrace the true faith, next for the multitude of the spectators, and finally for the judge who bad condemned him and the executioner that was to strike him; after which be received the crown of martyrdom by being beheaded.
• In the same country, St. Valentina, a virgin, wbo was led to an altar to offer sacrifice, but overturning it with her foot, she was cruelly tortured, and being cast into the fire with anotber virgin, her companion, she went to her spouse.
• At Forcono, in Abruzzo, the boly martyrs Florentius and Felix, natives of Sipontum.
• At Cordova, St. Theodemirus, monk and martyr.
• At Treves, St. Magnericus, bishop and confessor.

The Twenty-Sixth Day of July

• The departure out of this life of St. Anne, mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God.
• At Philippi, in Macedonia, the birthday of St. Erastus, who was appointed bishop of that place by the blessed apostle Paul, and there crowned with martyrdom.
• At Rome, on the Latin road, the holy martyrs Symphronius, Olympius, Theodulus, and Exuperia, who (as we read in the Acts of pope St. Stephen) were burnt alive, and thus obtained the palm of martyrdom.
• At Porto, St. Hyacinth, martyr, who was first thrown into the fire, and then precipitated into a stream without being injured. Afterwards, under the emperor Trajan, being struck with the sword by the ex-consul Leontius, he terminated his life. His body was buried by the matron Julia, on her own estate near Rome.
• Also, at Rome, St. Pastor, priest. His name is used to designate a cardinal's title in the church of St. Pudentiana, on the Viminal hill.
• At Verona, St. Valens, bishop and confessor.
• In the monastery of St. Benedict, near Mantua, St. Simeon, monk and hermit, who was renowned for many miracles, and at an advanced age reste.d in the Lord.

The Twenty-Seventh Day of July

• At Nicomedia, the martyrdom of St. Pantaleon, a physician. For the faith of Christ he was apprehended by the emperor Maximian, subjected to the torture and burned with torches, during which torments he was comforted by an apparition of our Lord. He ended his martyrdom by a stroke of the sword.
• In the same city, St. Hermolaus, priest, by whose instructions blessed Pantaleon was converted to the faith. Also, the Saints Hermippus and Hermocrates, brothers. After many sufferings borne for the confession of Christ, they were condemned to capital punishment by the same Maximian.
• At Nola, the holy martyrs Felix, Julia and Jucunda.
• At Biseglia, in Apulia, the holy martyrs Maurus, bishop, Pantaleemon, and Sergius, who suffered under Trajan.
• In the country of the Romerites (Arabia), the commemoration of the holy martyrs, who were delivered to the flames for faith of Christ, under the tyrant Dunaan.
• At Cordova, in Spain. during the persecution of the Arabs, the holy martyrs George, deacon, Felix, Aurelius, Natlllia, and Liliosa.
• At Ephesus, the birthday of the seven holy sleepers, Maximian, Malchus, Martinian, Denis, John, Serapion, and Constantine.
• At Auxerre, the demise of blessed AEtherius, bishop and confessor.
• At Constantinople, blessed Anthusa, a virgin. Under Constantine Copronymus, after being scourged and banished, she rested in the Lord.

The Twenty-Eighth Day of July

• At Rome, the martyrdom of St. Victor, pope and martyr.
• Also, at Rome, St. Innocent, pope and confessor.
• At Milan, the birthday of the holy martyrs Nazarius and a boy named Celsus. While the persecution excited by Nero was raging, they were beheaded by Anolinus, after long sufferings and afflictions endured in prison.
• In Thebais, in Egypt, the commemoration of many holy martyrs who suffered in the persecution of Decius and Valerian. At this time, when Christians sought death by the sword for the name of Christ, the crafty enemy devised certain slow torments to put them to death, wishing much more to kill their souls rather than their bodies. One of these Christians, after suffering the torture of the rack, of hot metal plates and of seething oil, was smeared with honey and exposed, in the broiling heat of the sun, with his hands tied behind him, to the stings of wasps and flies. Another was bound and laid among flowers, when a shameless woman approached him with the intention of exciting his passions, but he bit off his tongue and spat it in her face.
• At Ancyra, in Galatia, the holy martyr Eustathius. After various torments, he was plunged into a river, but being delivered by an angel, was finally called to his reward by a dove coming from heaven.
• At Miletus, in the time of the emperor Licinius, the holy martyr Acatius, who completed his martyrdom by having his head struck off, after having undergone different torments and been thrown into a furnace, from which he came out uninjured through the assistance of God.
• In Bretagne, St. Sampson, bishop and confessor.
• At Lyons, St. Peregrinus, priest, whose happiness in heaven is attested by glorious miracles.

The Twenty-Ninth Day of July

• At Tarascon, in France, St. Martha, virgin, the hostess of our Saviour, and sister of blessed Mary Magdalen and St. Lazarus.
• At Rome, on the Aurelian road, St. Felix II., pope and martyr. Being expelled from his See by the Arian emperor Constantius for defending the Catholic faith, and being put to the sword privately at Cera, in Tuscany, he died gloriously. His body was taken away from that place by clerics, and buried on the Aurelian road. It was afterwards brought to the church of the Saints Cosmas and Damian, where, under the Sovereign Pontiff, Gregory XIII., it was found beneath the altar with the relics of the holy martyrs Mark, Marcellian, and Tranquillinus, and with these was put back in the same place on the 31st of July. In the same altar were also found the bodies of the holy martyrs Abundius, priest, and Abundantius, deacon, which were shortly after solemnly transferred to the church of the Society of Jesus, on the eve of their festival.
• Also at Rome, on the road to Porto, the holy martyrs Simplicius, Faustinus, and Beatrix, in the time of the emperor Diocletian. The first two, after being subjected to many different torments, were condemned to suffer capital punishment; Beatrix, their sister, was smothered in prison.
• Again, at Rome, the holy martyrs Lucilla and Flora, virgins, Eugenius, Antoninus, Theodore, and eighteen companions, who underwent martyrdom in the reign of the emperor Gallienus.
• At Gangra, in Paphlagonia, St. Callinicus, martyr, who was scourged with iron rods, and given over to other torments. Being finally cast into a furnace, he gave up his soul to God.
• In Norway, St. Olaf, king and martyr.
• At Troyes, in France, St. Lupus, bishop and confessor, who went with blessed Germanus to England to combat the Pelagian heresy, and by assiduous prayer defended the city of Troyes from the furor of Attila, who was devastating all France. At length, having religiously discharged the functions of the priesthood for fifty-two years, he rested in peace.
• At St. Brieuc, St. William, bishop and confessor.
• Also, the demise of blessed Prosper, bishop of Orleans.
• At Todi, St. Faustinus, confessor.
• At Mamia, St. Seraphina.

The Thirtieth Day of July

• At Rome, in the reign of Decius, the holy Persian martyrs Abdon and Sennen, who were bound with chains, brought to Rome, scourged with leaded whips for the faith of Christ, and then put to the sword.
• At Tuberbum Lucernarium, in Africa, the holy virgins and martyrs Maxima, Donatilla, and Secunda. The first two, in the persecution of Valerian and Gallienus, were forced to drink vinegar and gall, then scourged most severely, and stretched on the rack, burned on the gridiron, rubbed over with lime, afterwards exposed to the beasts with the virgin Secunda, twelve years old, but being untouched by them, they were finally beheaded.
• At Assisi, in Umbria, St. Rufinus, martyr.
• At Caesarea, in Cappadocia, St. Julitta, martyr. As she sought to recover through the courts the restitution of goods seized by an influential personage, the latter objected that, being a Christian, her cause could not be pleaded. The judge commanded her to offer sacrifice to the idols, that she might be heard. With great firmness, she refused, and being thrown into the fire, yielded her spirit to God, though her body remained uninjured by the flames. St. Basil the Great has proclaimed her praise in an excellent eulogy.
• At Auxerre, St. Ursus, bishop and confessor.

The Thirty-First Day of July

• At Rome, the birthday of St. Ignatius, confessor, founder of the Society of Jesus, renowned for sanctity and miracles, and most zealous for propagating the Catholic religion in all parts of the world.
• At Caesarea, the martyrdom of the blessed martyr Fahius. As he refused to carry the ensign of the governor of the province, he was thrown into prison for some days, and as he persisted twice in confessing Christ when brought before the judge, he was condemned to capital punishment.
• At Milan, during the persecution of Antoninus, St. Calimerius, bishop and martyr, who was arrested, covered with wounds, and pierced through the neck wi th a sword. He terminated his martyrdom by being precipitated into a well.
• At Synnada, in Phrygia, the holy martyrs Democritus, Secundus and Denis.
• In Syria, three hundred and fifty monks, who became martyrs by being slain by the heretics for defending the Council of Chalcedon.
• At Ravenna, the departure from this world of St. Germanus, bishop of Auxerre, a man most renowned for his birth, faith, learning, and glorious miracles, who freed England completely from the heretical doctrines of the Pelagians.
• At Tagaste, in Africa, St. Firmus, bishop, illustrious by a glorious confession of the faith.
• At Siena, in Tuscany, the birthday of blessed John Colombini. founder of the Order of the Jesuati, renowned for sanctity and miracles.

Copyright ©1999-2023 Wildfire Fellowship, Inc all rights reserved