Memorial of Saints (November 29)

Feasts, Obligatory and Optional Memorials of Saints

• Saturninus, martyr
• Saturninus or Sernin, bishop
• Radbod, bishop

St. Saturninus (d. ca. 309 A.D.) was known to be a priest who went to Rome from Carthage. He was arrested with Sisinius, a deacon, during the persecution of Christians by Emperor Maximian. He and Sisinius were tortured, burned, and then beheaded.

St. Saturninus of Toulouse (3rd century A.D.) a.k.a. Sernin, was the first bishop of Toulouse. He was sent as a missionary from Rome to the area of the Pyrenees Mountains, which encompasses northern Spain and southern France. St. Saturninus opposed the worship of idols by the people, incurring the anger of the pagan temple priests who dragged him into the temple and ordered him to sacrifice to their gods. When Saturninus refused, the pagan priests tied his feet to a bull which then dragged him to death. His relics were enshrined in what is now the basilica of Saint-Sernin.

St. Radbod (ca. 918 A.D.) was the grandson of the last pagan king of Friesland. He was educated by his uncle Gunther, bishop of Cologne and then became a Benedictine monk. In 900 A.D. he was named bishop of Utrecht and was known for his aid to the poor and as a poet. He died at Deventer, Flanders, where he had moved his see because of a Danish invasion.

November 29 also marks the day of Dorothy Day's (1897-1980 A.D.) death. Her cause for canonization was formally introduced early in 2000 A.D. upon the request of Cardinal John J. O'Connor (d. 2000 A.D.), archbishop of New York. Cardinal O'Connor considered Dorothy Day as a model for women who have had or are considering an abortion. Dorothy Day was cofoundress of the Catholic Worker movement. Her whole life was dedicated to the service of the poor, the hungry, the homeless, and the cause of peace.

As of November 2023, Dorothy Day's cause for canonization is in the Roman phase, having concluded the diocesan phase in December 2021. The Vatican's Dicastery for the Causes of Saints has appointed a relator for her cause, and the next step is the submission and approval of the positio, which could lead to her declaration as "Venerable."

November 29 Saints in the Byzantine Calendar

• Sts. Paramon and Philemonus, Martyrs
• Bessarion
• Venerable Acacius

Bessarion (4th century A.D.) was a native of Egypt and became a hermit under the guidance of St. Anthony of the Desert and St. Macarius. Bessarion subjected himself to great mortifications and had many miracles attributed to him. In the Byzantine calendar, his feast is November 29. In the Catholic Church, his feast is on June 17.

Related blog posts

• St. Anthony of the Desert, Hermit and Abbot, Learn more
• St. Macarius, Monk and Greek Father of the Church, Learn more

Memorial of Saints (November 28)

Feasts, Obligatory and Optional Memorials of Saints

• Catherine Labouré
• James of the March
• Stephen the Younger
• Simeon Metaphrastes

When the mother of St. Catherine Labouré (1806-1876 A.D.) died, she was only eight years old. Even at that young age, she took over the household and had no time to learn how to read and write.

At the age of 14 years, she felt the call to religious life. Against the will of her father, she joined the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul in 1830 A.D., and was then sent to the Rue de Bac Convent in Paris. It was in this Convent that she experienced visions of Mary as the Immaculate Conception.

The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Catherine several times. On November 27, 1830 A.D., the Virgin revealed to her a medal to be struck and distributed. This medal is now known as "Miraculous Medal".

From 1831 A.D. until her death, St. Catherine lived in silence and obscurity. She served as portress, cared for the poultry and ministered to the old and the sick in a hospice.

Her incorrupt body can be seen in the Chapel in Rue de Bac, near the spot where she conversed with the Blessed Mother. The result of her conversation with the Blessed Mother was the minting and distribution of the popular "Miraculous Medals" all over the world (died ca. 1876 A.D.).

More on Saints for November 28

Saints in the Byzantine Calendar for November 28

• St. Stephen "the Younger" Venerable Martyr
• St. Irenarchus, and Seven Women, Martyrs

Memorial of Saints (November 27)

Feasts, Obligatory and Optional Memorials of Saints

• Barlaam and Josaphat
• James Intercisus, martyr
• Secundinus or Sechnall, bishop
• Maximus of Riez, bishop
• Cungar, abbot
• Fergus, bishop
• Virgil or Fergal, bishop

Saints - November 27, Learn more

Saints in the Byzantine Calendar

• St. James the Persian, Great-Martyr
• Palladius

St. James Intercisus (d. ca. 421 A.D.), as he is known in the Catholic Church, is called St. James the Persian in the Byzantine Calendar. His feast in the Catholic Church coincides with his feast in the Byzantine Calendar.

In Latin, "Intercisus" means "cut to pieces". He was given this name because of the manner by which he was martyred. His executioners cut his body piece by piece, beginning with his fingers, and culminating in his beheading. The reason for his martyrdom is his declaration of his Christian faith to King Bahram of Persia.

Initially, when he was a favorite of the former Persian King, King Yezdigerd I, he abandoned his religion, because Yezdigerd I began to launch a persecution of the Christians. But when Yezdigerd I died, he repented of his apostasy, and declared his faith as a Christian to the new King Bahram. This caused his condemnation but sealed his entry into the roster of martyrs. Thus, he is called St. James the Persian, Great-Martyr, in the Byzantine Calendar.

A Greek Orthodox source says he died on November 27, 389 A.D. His feast is celebrated by the Greek and Russian Orthodox Churches on this day.

Today is also the feast of the Miraculous Medal. It was in November 27, 1830 A.D., when the Virgin Mary showed Catherine the "Miraculous Medal", and commissioned the saint to have one made to spread its devotion.

Related blog posts:

• Six Popular Apparitions of Mary, Learn more
• Visionaries, Stigmatists & Incorruptibles (Part Two), Learn more