Saints of the Bible: A Complete List of Their Feasts in the Old and New Calendars

Before the amazing 4th century, Christians were parochial and even patriotic in their veneration of saints. Rome celebrated the martyrs who had died at Rome, Constantinople celebrated the martyrs who had died at Constantinople, Antioch celebrated the martyrs who had died at Antioch, and so on. It never occurred to the folks in Rome to celebrate the saints of Antioch, or vice versa: celebrating a saint involved walking out to see his tomb. But in the 4th century a unique group of saints broke this pattern and set us on the path to the celebration of all saints. Who were they?

Abraham IconThe saints of the Bible.

The saints of the Bible were familiar names throughout the Church. Texts like Hebrews 11 and Sirach 44-50, read everywhere, held up the great men and women of Salvation History as examples to follow and heroes to venerate. For the church in Jerusalem, however, the saints of Scripture were also the local martyrs: just as Rome had a list of days for celebrating the martyrs of Rome, Jerusalem had a cycle of liturgical commemorations of the biblical saints. When 4th-century pilgrims brought Jerusalem’s liturgies back to their home dioceses, they brought with them the practice of liturgically commemorating the biblical saints—and implicitly, they created the practice of commemorating saints that were not local. Unwittingly, they had planted the seed of the universal sanctoral cycle. Continue reading “Saints of the Bible: A Complete List of Their Feasts in the Old and New Calendars”

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Sts. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus

August 31

In Jerusalem, the commemoration of Saints Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, who received the body of Jesus from the cross, wrapped it in fine linen, and placed it in the tomb. Joseph, a respected member of the council, was looking for the kingdom of God; Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a prince of the Jews, came to Jesus by night to ask about his mission, and defended his cause before the priests and Pharisees who wanted to arrest Jesus.

***

May Holy Mary and all the saints intercede to the Lord for us, that we may merit to be helped and saved by him who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

V. Precious in the sight of the Lord

R. Is the death of his holy ones.

V. May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.  And may the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.

R. Amen

[To learn about praying this and other Martyrology entries, see this page.]

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St. Melchizedek

August 26

The commemoration of Saint Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God most high, who greeted Abraham the recent victor in battle with a blessing and offered to the Lord a holy victim, an immaculate host. He is interpreted as a prefiguration of Christ, the king of peace and justice, and–although he lacked any genealogy–a priest forever.

***

May Holy Mary and all the saints intercede to the Lord for us, that we may merit to be helped and saved by him who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

V. Precious in the sight of the Lord

R. Is the death of his holy ones.

V. May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.  And may the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.

R. Amen

[To learn about praying this and other Martyrology entries, see this page.]

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St. Bartholomew

August 24

The feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle, whom many believe to be the same as Nathaniel. Born in Galilee, he was led to Jesus Christ by Philip near the Jordan; later, the Lord called Bartholomew to follow him and included him in the Twelve; after the Lord’s ascension, he is believed to have preached the Gospel in India, where he was crowned with martyrdom.

***

May Holy Mary and all the saints intercede to the Lord for us, that we may merit to be helped and saved by him who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

V. Precious in the sight of the Lord

R. Is the death of his holy ones.

V. May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.  And may the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.

R. Amen

[To learn about praying this and other Martyrology entries, see this page.]

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St. Samuel

August 20

The commemoration of Saint Samuel, prophet, who was called by God as a boy and later, bearing the office of judge in Israel with God’s help, anointed Saul as king over the people; when Saul was rejected by the Lord because of his infidelity, Samuel also conferred the regal anointing on David, from whose seed the Christ was to be born.

***

May Holy Mary and all the saints intercede to the Lord for us, that we may merit to be helped and saved by him who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

V. Precious in the sight of the Lord

R. Is the death of his holy ones.

V. May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.  And may the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.

R. Amen

[To learn about praying this and other Martyrology entries, see this page.]

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St. Aristarchus

August 4

The commemoration of Saint Aristarchus of Thessalonica, who was a disciple of Saint Paul the Apostle, his faithful companion in travel, and eventually his fellow captive in Rome.

***

May Holy Mary and all the saints intercede to the Lord for us, that we may merit to be helped and saved by him who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

V. Precious in the sight of the Lord

R. Is the death of his holy ones.

V. May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.  And may the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.

R. Amen

[To learn about praying this and other Martyrology entries, see this page.]

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The Seven Holy Martyr Brothers and St. Eleazar

August 1

The commemoration of the passion of the seven holy martyr brothers, who in Antioch in Syria under Antiochus Epiphanes the king, because they served the Law with invincible faith, were cruelly handed over to death with their mother, who indeed suffered with each of her sons but was crowned in all of them, as is narrated in the second book of Maccabees.  Also commemorated is Saint Eleazar, one of the foremost of the scribes, a man advanced in age, who in the same persecution refused to eat forbidden meat for love of life and completed a glorious death in preference to a despicable life, voluntarily going to his suffering and leaving a tremendous example of virtue.

***

May Holy Mary and all the saints intercede to the Lord for us, that we may merit to be helped and saved by him who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

V. Precious in the sight of the Lord

R. Is the death of his holy ones.

V. May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.  And may the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.

R. Amen

[To learn about praying this and other Martyrology entries, see this page.]

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Sts. Martha, Mary, and Lazarus

[I wonder why Martha’s feast ranks ahead of the others in this trio?]

July 29

The memorial of Saint Martha, who in Bethany near Jerusalem received the Lord Jesus into her home and, when her brother was dead, confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of God, who has come into the world.”

The commemoration of Saint Lazarus, the brother of Saint Martha, whom being dead the Lord mourned and resuscitated; and of Mary, his sister, who when Martha was bustling about in constant work sat at the Lord’s feet and heard his word.

***

May Holy Mary and all the saints intercede to the Lord for us, that we may merit to be helped and saved by him who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

V. Precious in the sight of the Lord

R. Is the death of his holy ones.

V. May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.  And may the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.

R. Amen

[To learn about praying this and other Martyrology entries, see this page.]

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Sts. Joachim and Anne, St. Erastus

Scripture nowhere describes Mary’s childhood, gives her genealogy, or even names her parents–which is remarkable, given that they are the biological ancestors of Christ!  But Scripture focuses instead on Joseph’s ancestry, through which Jesus takes his place as heir to King David.  For the sake of the Biblical Saints project, however, I am counting Joachim and Anne as “biblical”.

July 26

The memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, parents of the immaculate Virgin Mary the Mother of God, whose names have been preserved by ancient Christian traditions.

The commemoration of Saint Erastus, who was the treasurer of the city of Corinth and ministered to blessed Paul the Apostle.

***

May Holy Mary and all the saints intercede to the Lord for us, that we may merit to be helped and saved by him who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

V. Precious in the sight of the Lord

R. Is the death of his holy ones.

V. May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.  And may the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.

R. Amen

[To learn about praying this and other Martyrology entries, see this page.]

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Saint James

July 25

The feast of Saint James, Apostle, who, being Zebedee’s son and the blessed evangelist John’s brother, was together with Peter and John a witness to the Lord’s transfiguration and to his agony.  When he was beheaded by Herod Agrippa near the time of the festival of the Passover, he became the first of the apostles to attain to the crown of martyrdom.

***

May Holy Mary and all the saints intercede to the Lord for us, that we may merit to be helped and saved by him who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

V. Precious in the sight of the Lord

R. Is the death of his holy ones.

V. May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.  And may the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.

R. Amen

[To learn about praying this and other Martyrology entries, see this page.]

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