Feast of Melania the Younger

Feast of Melania the Younger, Foundress and Desert Mother, lived during the reign of Emperor Honorius, son of Theodosius I. She was the paternal granddaughter of Melania the Elder. She married Valerius Pinianus, they traveled to Africa, and befriended Augustine of Hippo. She died in Jerusalem on December 31, 439.

Feast of St. Thomas Becket

Feast of St. Thomas Becket, Martyr, Archbishop of Canterbury. Chancellor of England under King Henry II.  As archbishop of Canterbury, championed church rights over royal interests, murdered by followers of the king. Subject of the 1964 movie “Becket”. Patron – secular clergy.

Feast of St. John the Apostle

Feast of St. John the Apostle, son of Zebedee & Salome, one of the 12 Apostles with his brother James, author, Gospel of John, 3 Epistles of John & Book of Revelation. Patron of love, loyalty, friendships, authors, booksellers, burn-victims, art-dealers, editors, theologians.

Feast of St. Stephen

Feast of St. Stephen Deacon and Protomartyr, mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles. Patron of Altar Servers, casket makers, Cetona, Italy, deacons, headaches, horses, Kessel, Belgium, masons, Owensboro, Kentucky, Passau, Germany, Serbia, Republic of Srpska, and Prato, Italy.

Feast of St. Adele

Feast of St. Adele, widow, nun and Abbess, Grandmother of St. Gregory of Utrecht, daughter of King Dagobert II of Germany, disciple of St. Boniface, the Apostle of Germany. She founded a convent at Palatiolum near Trier, Germany.

Feast of St. John Cantius

Feast of St. John Cantius (John of Kanty), Polish priest, scholastic philosopher, physicist, theologian and popular preacher.  Patron of Poland, Lithuania, University of Cracow (Jagiellonian University) and the Canons Regular of Saint John Cantius. Died in 1473.