St. Bernward was orphaned at an early age, but his uncle, a bishop of the Netherlands, took care of him. Bernward entered the priesthood and became the imperial chaplain and tutor of the child-Emperor, Otto III. In 993 A.D., he became the bishop of Hildesheim. People looked up to him because of his holiness and skill in artwork. He built the church and monastery dedicated to St. Michael. After 30 years as bishop, he retired to a Benedictine monastery.
St. Felix of Valois founded together with St. John of Matha, the Order of the Most Holy Trinity (the Trinitarians). The mission of the Order is to ransom captives from the Moors. St. John worked in Spain, while St. Felix administered the French province of the Order. By 1240 A.D., the Trinitarian Order had some six hundred monasteries (died ca. 1212 A.D.).
St. Edmund the Martyr was the king of East Anglia - an old Anglo-Saxon kingdom. During the great war with the Vikings (the Danes) in 869-870 A.D., he was defeated and captured. Edmund refused to renounce the Christian faith. He was first scourged, shot with arrows and beheaded at Hellesden. His body was found incorrupt in ca. 915 A.D. and was transferred to a place near Bedricsworth (died ca. 870 A.D.).
St. Dasius was a Roman soldier at Durostorum (in Bulgaria). He was chosen by his companions to be the leader of the saturnalia - a pagan ritual to the pagan god Kronos. Because Dasius was Christian, he refused to participate in this pagan ritual. When he continued to resist and also to refuse to sacrifice before the image of the Emperor, he was beheaded (died ca. 303 A.D.).
St. Nerses of Sahgerd was arrested together with his disciple Joseph. This was the time of the Christian persecutions in Persia under Sapor II. Nerses and Joseph were brought before the King and were offered their freedom if they would worship the sun. When Nerses refused to worship the sun, he and Joseph were beheaded (died ca. 343 A.D.).
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