November
Daily Saints
 

November 1	All Saints. The solemnity of this feast is probably of Celtic origin in the 7th or 8th century. By the 12th century it was celebrated in Rome and various other sites in Europe but on different days. "Since the early centuries of the church the liturgical calendar has reserved one day to honour, collectively, all the saints, both those officially recognized and those known only to God. Thus we are reminded that the true company of saints is far more numerous than the list of those who have been formally canonized. There are many anonymous saints who nevertheless form part of the great ‘cloud of witnesses,’ surrounding us with their faith and courage and so participating in the communion between the living and the dead. This collective feast, All Saints, is also an occasion to acknowledge the varieties of holiness. Though they share a certain family resemblance, the saints are not formed in any particular mold. Some are renowned for contemplation and others for action; some played a public role while others spent their lives in quiet obscurity. Some demonstrated the vitality of ancient traditions while others were pioneers, charting new possibilities in the spiritual life. Some received recognition and honour within their lifetimes, while others were scorned or even persecuted." (Robert Ellsberg)
November 2	All Souls. This feast is a commemoration of all the faithful departed. It dates back to the ninth century. The date of November 2 was selected by a Benedictine abbot of Cluny. In the fifteenth century, the Dominicans inaugurated the custom of celebrating three Masses on this day in order to fulfill all the requests for Masses. In 1915, Pope Benedict XV extended this practice to the universal church. Since Vatican Council II the emphasis of the liturgy for this feast is on the paschal mystery. This feast is always celebrated, even when it falls on a Sunday.
November 3	St. Martin de Porres (1579-1639). Martin was born in Lima, Peru, to a Spanish father and a black freed woman who never married. Martin was raised as a Christian by his mother. He became a pharmacist and nurse. In 1603, he entered the Dominicans as a lay brother and soon became well known for his service to the sick and the poor. Immediately after his death at 60, he was venerated as "a saint" by those who knew him. He was canonized in 1962 and listed in the Roman Calendar in 1969.
November 4	St. Charles Borromeo (1538-1584). Charles was born in Arona, near Lake Maggiore, of a noble family. At age 21 he graduated from the University of Pavia with doctorates in canon and civil law. He was ordained at age 24 and assigned to the Vatican staff where he held various offices. His uncle, Pope Pius IV, named him a cardinal and archbishop of Milan. He fought all efforts to introduce the Spanish Inquisition into his diocese, established hospitals, and reformed several religious institutes. He died at age 46. He was canonized in 1610 and inscribed in the Roman Calendar in 1613.
November 9	Dedication of St. John Lateran Basilica. The Lateran basilica was erected around 324 by the emperor Constantine and is the cathedral of Rome. This feast was not celebrated universally until 1565.
November 10	St. Leo the Great (+461). It is thought that Leo was born in Tuscany between 390 and 400. It is known that he was educated in Rome. In 444, after some years spent in France, he succeeded Pope Sixtus III. He spent a major portion of his papacy defending the church against heresy - Manicheanism, Nestorianism, Arianism. His activities extended into various areas: liturgy, politics, preaching, writing. Leo died on November 10, 461 A.D., and was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1754.
November 11	St. Martin of Tours (317-397). It is believed that Martin was born in Hungary to a Roman official and was educated at Pavia in Italy. He was baptized a Christian in 337 after spending six years as a catechumen. He later returned to Hungary, where he converted his mother to Christianity. He then lived for several years as a hermit in France. In 371, he was elected bishop of Tours. He concentrated his energies there on evangelization, founded a monastery at Marmoutiers and from there sent forth priest-monks throughout France, Spain and Italy. His attempts to encourage a more austere life style for the clergy earned him many enemies. He died at Candes, near Tours, in France on November 8, 397 A.D.
November 12	St. Josaphat (1580-1623). John Kuncevic was born into an Orthodox family. As a young adult, he joined the Uniate Ruthenian Church. In 1604, he became a Basilian monk and took the name of Josaphat. He then concentrated his ministry on the reunion of the church. At the time there were three Churches among the Ruthenians: the Latin Church in union with Rome, the Orthodox Greek Church, supported by Constantinople and Moscow, and the Greek Uniate Church, disdained by the majority of Poles. Josaphat’s efforts to reunite the Church cost him his life. He was murdered by a mob and his body was thrown into the Dvina River in White Russia. He was canonized in 1867 and inscribed in the Roman Calendar in 1882.
November 13	St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917). Frances was the first U.S. citizen to be canonized a saint. She was born in Lombardy, Italy, and baptized Francesca. Always in poor health due to her premature birth, she was turned down by several religious communities when she attempted to join them. On the advice of her bishop, she founded her own community, the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart. In 1889, Pope Leo XIII asked her and some of her sisters to go to the United States to care for the numerous Italian immigrants there. Mother Cabrini soon opened both an orphanage and a school and by the time of her death had founded 67 charitable institutions. She became a naturalized citizen in 1909 and died in Chicago in 1917. She was canonized on June 7, 1946.
November 15	St. Albert the Great (1206-1280). Albert was born in Bavaria and studied at the University of Padua. In 1222, he entered the Dominican Order and was assigned to teach first at the Dominican priory in Cologne and later at Freiburg-im-Breisgau, Regensburg, Strassburg and the University of Paris. He wrote numberless books and treatises on Scripture, theology, philosophy and the natural sciences. From 1254 to 1257, Albert was Provincial of the German Dominican Province and in 1260 he was named bishop of Regensburg. Two years later he resigned as bishop in order to preach the Crusade in German-speaking countries. In 1274, he attended the Council of Lyons and in 1278 he travelled to Paris to defend the teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas, one of his former students. Albert died at Cologne in 1280, was canonized, proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1931 and inscribed in the Roman Calendar in 1932. In 1941, Pope Pius XII named him the patron of students of the natural sciences.
November 16	St. Margaret of Scotland (1046-1093). Margaret was born in Hungary where her family was in exile while the Danish King Knute was on the English throne. When Edward returned to power, Margaret’s family returned to England but soon were forced to flee to Scotland during the struggle between William of Normandy and Harold, the head of the Anglo Saxon party. In Scotland, Malcolm III was in power and asked her to marry. She accepted and became Queen of Scotland in 1070. She suffered severely from the cruelty and abuse of her husband but gradually turned him into a man of significant virtue. Queen Margaret convoked a council in which she eliminated some of the ecclesiastical irregularities and reinstated various Roman customs such as beginning Lent on Ash Wednesday, the making of the Easter duty (receiving Communion at Easter) and the observance of Sunday as a day of rest. As well, she constructed churches, monastaries and hospices. Margaret died at Edinburgh in 1093, was canonized in 1250 and named patron of Scotland by Pope Clement X in 1673. Her feast was extended to the universal Church in 1693.
November 17	St. Elizabeth of Hungary (1207-1231). Elizabeth was born in Hungary, the daughter of King Andrew II. At the age of 4 she was promised in marriage to Louis IV of Thuringia and she was married at 14 years of age. Left a widow with three children when her husband died during an epidemic while on one of the Crusades, Elizabeth left the castle at Wartburg and dedicated the remainder of her life to works of charity, including the founding of a hospital in honour of St. Francis of Assisi at Marburg. She died in 1231 at 24 years of age, was canonized in 1235 and inscribed in the Roman Calendar in 1474.
November 18	Dedication of the Churches of St. Peter and St. Paul. This feast commemorates the dedication of the basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican in 350 and the dedication of the basilica of St. Paul in 390. The date for the celebration of this feast was already established in the eleventh century. The construction of St. Peter’s was begun by the emperor Constantine and completed by his sons. It was built over what was formerly a pagan cemetery and later a burial ground for Christians. Today the tomb of St. Peter lies deep beneath the main altar in the basilica. St. Paul’s was re-consecrated in 1854 by Pope Pius IX after repairs necessitated by the fire there in 1823. The original building may have been constructed by Constantine but three subsequent emperors (Valentinian, Theodosius and Honorius) were responsible for the large edifice resembling St. Peter’s. It was consecrated by Pope Siricius in the fourth century and later restored by St. Leo. Since the eighth century the Benedictine monks have had charge of it. This feast was inscribed in the Roman Calendar by Pope Pius V in 1568.
November 18	St. Rose Philippine Duchesne (1769-1852). Philippine was born in Grenoble, France, to wealthy, aristocratic parents. At age 18 she entered the Visitation Sisters but the community was forced to disperse at the outbreak of the French Revolution. Philippine then dedicated herself to works of charity. When all efforts to reestablish the Visitation Sisters in France failed, she joined the Religious of the Sacred Heart, founded by Madeleine Sophie Barat in 1800. In 1818, she and four other sisters were assigned to the missions in New Orleans. The bishop there soon sent them to establish a school at St. Charles, Missouri. Three years later, they founded an orphanage in St. Louis. When she was 72, she and three other sisters went to open a school for Indian girls at Sugar Creek, Kansas. The Indians there called her "The Woman Who Prays Always" though she was never able to learn their language. After only one year on the missions, Mother Philippine was recalled to St. Charles, Missouri, where she spent the last ten years of her life. She died in 1852 and was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1988. Her name is inscribed on the Pioneer Roll of Fame in the Jefferson Memorial Building in St. Louis.
November 21	Presentation of the Blessed Virgin MaryThis feast dates from 1372 in the Latin Rite, when it was established by a decree of Pope Gregory XI. However, it was celebrated in monasteries in Italy as early as the ninth century. The eastern Church observed this feast in the sixth century. It was included in the Roman Missal in 1472 by Pope Sixtus IV. According to the apocryphal Protoevangelium of James (second century), Mary was presented in the temple at Jerusalem at age three, where she lived with other girls and the holy women who had charge of them.
November 21	Feast of Christ the KingThis feast occurs annually on the last Sunday of October. It celebrates no specific event in the history of salvation but rather honours Jesus Christ, the Saviour, under the title of king. Pius XI instituted the feast in 1925 to counteract the growing secularism and atheism of his time. This feast affirms the sovereignty and rule of Christ over persons, families, human society, the state, the whole universe. In particular, the feast affirms the messianic kingship of Christ. Jesus is the king who has obtained His sovereignty through His blood. He is the Redeemer king. At the end of time, He will restore all of creation and restore his Kingdom to the Father.
November 22	St. Cecilia (+230 or 250?). Little is known with certainty about this saint. The Sacramentary of Verona states that she converted her husband Valerian and brother-in-law Tiburtius to Christianity, that she preserved her virginity even though married, and that she was martyred for the faith. In the year 545 Pope Vigilius celebrated her feast in the Basilica of St. Cecilia in Trastevere (Rome), Italy. She has been venerated as the patron of sacred music since the fifteenth century.
November 23	St. Clement (+97?). Clement was the third successor to St. Peter. According to St. Jerome, he has been venerated since the end of the fourth century in the basilica of St. Clement in Rome. Devotion to him spread from there to Spain, France, Africa and Byzantium. He is one of the early theologians known as the Apostolic Fathers. He is not the Clement referred to in the Epistle to the Ephesians.
November 23	St. Columban (543-615). Columban was born in Ireland, entered a monastery at Bangor from where he and 12 companions were sent to spread the gospel in France. When the number of monks reached 250 (c. 590) he received land from the church for the construction of a monastery. He wrote a Rule for the group as well as a Penitentiary, a guide for confessors. After a series of disagreements with the French bishops concerning the introduction of Celtic religious practices into their country, he was expelled from France. He travelled finally to Italy where he established another monastery at Bobbio (between Geneva and Piacenza). He died there in 615 and was inscribed in the Roman Calendar in 1969.
November 23	Blessed Miguel Agustin Pro (1891-1927). Celebrated in the United States Miguel was born in Guadalupe, Mexico and, as a young man, entered the Jesuit novitiate. By 1914 the revolution in Mexico had become so severe that the Jesuit scholastics there were dispersed. They moved to Laredo, Texas, to California and some, by way of Nicaragua and Spain, to Belgium. There Miguel completed his studies and was ordained priest in 1925. After a few years, his Jesuit Superiors sent him back to Mexico but since the government officials there had banned all public worship, he ministered to his people in secret. Eventually an order was issued for his arrest and he was forced to go into hiding. He and his two blood brothers were accused of being involved in an assassination attempt on President Calles and were sentenced to death. Miguel died before a firing squad in 1927. In 1930, the course for his beatification was introduced in Rome.
November 24	St. Andrew Dung-Lac (+1839) and Companions. "There are 117 martyrs in this group and although they died at different times, they were all canonized by Pope John Paul II on June 19, 1988. Of the group, 96 were Vietnamese, 11 were Spaniards, and 10 were French. There were 8 bishops, 50 priests and 59 lay Catholics in the group. Of the priests, 11 were Dominicans, 10 belonged to the Parish Mission Society, and the rest were diocesan priests, as well as one seminarian". (cf. Saints of the Roman Calendar, Enzo Lodi).
November 25	Christ the King. This feast occurs annually on the last Sunday of October. It celebrates no specific event in the history of salvation but rather honours Jesus Christ, the Saviour, under the title of king. Pius XI instituted the feast in 1925 to counteract the growing secularism and atheism of his time. This feast affirms the sovereignty and rule of Christ over persons, families, human society, the state, the whole universe. In particular, the feast affirms the messianic kingship of Christ. Jesus is the king who has obtained His sovereignty through His blood. He is the Redeemer king. At the end of time, He will restore all of creation and restore his Kingdom to the Father.
November 25	St. Catherine of Alexandria, virgin and martyr – Little is known about Catherine and doubts about the authenticity of her existence led to her name being dropped from the Roman Calendar in 1969. According to legend, she studied philosophy in Alexandria, Egypt, and eventually converted to Christianity. Her attempts to convert the emperor led to her martyrdom in the early fourth century.
November 30	St. Andrew. Andrew was the brother of St. Peter. Originally he had been a disciple of John the Baptist but was the first of the apostles to follow Jesus (Jn 1:35-42). It is believed that he preached the gospel in Greece and was crucified in 60 AD on an X-shaped Cross (now known as St. Andrew’s cross). His relics were transferred to Constantinople in 357 and later to Amalfi, Italy, in 1208. In 1964, as an ecumenical gesture, his relics were returned to Greece since he is greatly revered in the Byzantine Church. He is patron of Russia and Scotland.