St. Frederick became a priest at Utrecht and became known for his holiness and learning. Elected bishop in 825 A.D., he worked to put his diocese in order. He even sent missionaries to evangelize the pagan area in the northern part of his diocese. Because of his zeal, he got into loggerheads with the Empress, whom he reproached for her immorality. This may have caused his death from stab wounds. He was either killed by assassins sent by the Empress, or by pagans who resisted his evangelization activities (died ca. 838 A.D.).
The Blessed Martyrs of Campiegne were Carmelite nuns - 15 choir sisters and 3 lay sisters. After the French Revolution, all religious vows in France was not recognized by the law of the State. The sisters however decided to stay in their convent and not be involved with the new law of the State. In September 1792 A.D., the Sisters were ordered to leave their convent, and live as private citizens. When they refused to give up their religious way of living, they were arrested and imprisoned. They died as martyrs for the faith (died ca. 1794 A.D.).
St. Alexis married a wealthy Roman girl to please his parents. After his marriage, by mutual consent, he went to Syria and lived in solitude in a cell adjoined to a church dedicated to the Blessed Mother in Edessa. Because of the great austerities he practiced, when he went back home to his father, he was unrecognizable. Not knowing that the man was his son, his father gave him a job and a place to live under a staircase in his home. Unrecognized by all in his hometown, his identity was revealed only at his death when his autobiography was found and read (died ca. 5th century A.D.).
Sts. Marcellina, Speratus and Companions were the Sicilian martyrs. St. Marcellina was the sister of St. Ambrose, while St. Speratus was the spokesman for 4 other women and 6 other men. Arrested for being Christians, they were offered their freedom if they would give worship to the pagan gods. When they refused to renounce their Christian faith, they were sentenced to death. Theirs is the earliest existing account of martyrdom in the African Church (died ca. 180 A.D.).
St. Ennodius was married before he and his wife decided to part ways so that they can pursue vocations in the Church. Ennodius became a deacon, while his wife became a nun. In 514 A.D., Ennodius was appointed bishop of Ticinium. Although his political move to admonish the Emperor did not receive success, he was however successful in his help to the poor, in all his evangelical activities, and in building churches. He was also a prolific writer. Among his writings were: a biography on St. Antonius of Lerins, an autobiography, a handbook of rhetoric, poetry, and many letters of correspondence (died ca. 521 A.D.).
St. Kenelm was only seven years old when his father King Kenulf of Mercia died. Kenelm succeeded to his father's throne. However, his sister plotted to kill him so she could succeed to the throne. He was killed by Ascebert, his teacher. His dead body was enshrined in Gloucestershire. From then on, all kinds of marvels and miracles occurred at his grave (died ca. 812 A.D.).
St. Leo IV was elected Pope to succeed Sergius. He began to repair the fortifications of Rome to defend it against a possible Saracen attack. Leo IV was faced with many political problems to fix in his pontificate: the killing of his papal legate, the creation of a metropolitan see at Dol without his papal permission, and his refusal to confirm the political moves of Patriarch Ignatius of Constantinople. In 850 A.D., Leo IV crowned Louis, son of Emperor Lothair. In 853 A.D., he also crowned Alfred, son of King Ethelwulf of the West Saxons (died ca. 855 A.D.).
St. Clement of Okhrida became a bishop - the first Slav (from southern Macedonia) to become a bishop. Clement founded a monastery at Okhrida near Velitsa, Bulgaria. He received great success in his missionary work with the Bulgars that he came to be known as one of the Seven Apostles of Bulgaria (died ca. 916 A.D.).
St. Nerses Lampronazi was educated at Skeyra Monastery. After his father died, he was ordained but lived as a hermit for a time. In 1176 A.D., Nerses was consecrated archbishop of Tarsus. He worked for the reunion of the Armenian Church with Rome. This received success in 1198 A.D., but Nerses died six months after the reunion was officialized. St. Nerses was noted to also have translated St. Benedict of Nursia's Rule into Armenian (died ca. 1198 A.D.).
Blessed Hedwig of Poland succeeded to the throne of King Louis in 1382 A.D. She was married to a Lithuanian Duke - a marriage that began a 400-year alliance between Poland and Lithuania. Through the marriage, the Duke became a Christian and worked for the Christianization of the Lithuanian people. Blessed Hedwig died upon giving birth and is venerated by the Polish people (died ca. 1399 A.D.).
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