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, befriended Augustine of Hippo & died in Jerusalem, December 31, 439

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 Saints Romulus and Conindrus, Missionaries and Bishops. They were contemporaries of St. Patrick, and the first evangelizers of the Isle of Man.

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 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, 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 (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.

Feast of St. Amaswinthus of Malaga, Abbot of the Andalusian monastery of Silva de Malaga, Spain. Died in 982.

Feast of St. Peter Canisius, Dutch Jesuit, Doctor of the Church, “Second Apostle of Germany”, the first Dutchman to join the Society of Jesus, he led the Jesuits in restoring the Church after the Protestant Reformation. Patron of the Catholic press and Germany.

Feast of St. Dominic of Silos, Benedictine monk, priest, Master of novices, prior and Abbott, Abbey of Santo Domingo de Silos. Patron of captives, pregnant women, prisoners, shepherds, invoked against rabies, insects.