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High Days and Holy Days for November
1 All Saints’ Day 1 The first martyrs 2 All Souls’ Day 3 Hubert 4 Charles Borromeo - saint for those with a lay ministry 5 Guy Fawkes night 5 Kea *11 Martin of Tours 13 Frances Xavier Cabrini - New York’s first saint 25 Catherine of Alexandria 30 St Andrew’s Day - patron saint of party caterers
1 All Saints’ Day All Saints, or All Hallows, is the feast of all the redeemed, known and unknown, who are now in heaven. When the English Reformation took place, the number of saints in the calendar was drastically reduced, with the result that All Saints’ Day stood out with a prominence that it had never had before.
This feast day first began in the East, perhaps as early as the 5th century, as commemorating ‘the martyrs of the whole world’. A Northern English 9th century calendar named All Hallows as a principal feast, and such it has remained. Down the centuries devotional writers have seen in it the fulfilment of Pentecost and indeed of Christ’s redemptive sacrifice and resurrection.
The saints do not belong to any religious tradition, and their lives and witness to Christ can be appreciated by all Christians. Richard Baxter, writing in the 17th century, wrote the following:
He wants not friends that hath thy love, And made converse and walk with thee, And with thy saints here and above, With whom for ever I must be...
As for my friends, they are not lost; The several vessels of thy fleet, Though parted now, by tempests tost, Shall safely in thy haven meet....
The heavenly hosts, world without end, Shall be my company above; And thou, my best and surest Friend, Who shall divide me from thy love?*
1,255 ancient English churches were dedicated to All Saints - a number only surpassed by those dedicated to the Virgin Mary. *(Maurice Frost (ed.), Historical Companion to Hymns Ancient and Modern (London: Clowes, 1962), no. 274, verses 1, 3, 6.
Of course, very many of the early ‘saints’ were also martyrs, and so…
1 The first martyrs The first martyrs of Rome are recorded in the old Roman Martyrology, which states that:
At Rome, the birthday is celebrated of very many martyrs, who under the Emperor Nero were falsely charged with the burning of the city and by him were ordered to be slain by various kinds of cruel death; some were covered with the skin of wild beasts, and cast to the dogs to be torn asunder; others were crucified, and then when daylight failed used as torches to illuminate the night. All these were disciples of the apostles and the first fruits of the martyrs whom the Holy Roman Church sent to their Lord before the apostles’ death.
2 All Souls’ Day The early Church was slow to dedicate a liturgical day to offering prayers and masses to commemorate the faithful departed.
But in time prayers were offered on behalf of dead monks, that they might attain “the Beatific Vision” through purification, which the Church later described as Purgatory. Odilo, the powerful abbot of Cluny, (d 1049) decreed that All Souls’ Day should follow the feast of All Saints’ Day.
At least four ancient English dedications are known, the most famous of which are All Souls College, Oxford and the church in Langham Place in London.
In bygone centuries All Souls’ day was certainly uncomfortable for anyone who had wronged a person who had then died. For it was believed that souls in purgatory could appear on earth on this day, in the form of ghosts, witches or toads, to haunt anyone who had wronged them in life.
On a more cheerful note, it was also believed that you could help the dead on this day by almsgiving in cash or in kind. Some of these beliefs seem to have been caught up in the popular customs of Halloween.
When the Reformation came, the Protestants disregarded the idea of Purgatory, and this feast day remained with the Roman Catholic Church.
3 Hubert and the stag With hunting very much in the public mind at the present, here at least was one man who was converted while hunting. Hubert (bishop, d 727 AD) was out on Good Friday hunting stag when he came across a stag with a crucifix between its antlers. This so shook him that he converted to Christianity, and went on to become Bishop of Tongres-Maestricht. History does not tell us if he killed the stag or not, or if he ever hunted stag again.
4 Charles Borromeo - the un-ordained archbishop Why should being a ‘lay’ person stop you from as full a ministry as being ordained? Here is a saint for all lay people who suspect they can do as good a job….
Charles Borromeo was an Italian who lived in Milan from 1538 to 1584. His uncle, Pope Pius IV, made him Archbishop of Milan three years before Charles even became a priest, let alone a bishop. Charles, however, was one of the ablest and most compassionate Christian leaders of his age. He established theological colleges to train future clergy, encouraged children to be taught the Christian faith, and increased the help given to the poor.
5 Guy Fawkes – an early terrorist If modern security at the Houses of Parliament seems a bit weak to you, take heart, it’s never been much better. Back in 1605 Guy Fawkes managed to stow a good few barrels of gunpowder under the House of Lords without anybody noticing. He wasn’t a member of Al-Quaeda, he was part of a Roman Catholic plot to murder James 1 of England and his parliament at the state opening. Fortunately, Guy Fawkes was found - and stopped - in time.
5 The Kea to toothache?
Kea was an early Christian and a monk from a good family who left Glastonbury to work in Devon and Cornwall, where Landkey (Devon) and Kea (Cornwall) bear his name. He founded several Christian centres in the area before going on to Brittany to become the saint known there as ‘Saint-Quay’. It seems that Kea may also have tried a bit of early dentistry, as down the centuries since he has been invoked over the problems of toothaches.
*11 Martin of Tours 316 – 397 This winter, when you next see someone who looks both poor and cold, think of Martin of Tours. This monk bishop, born in Pannonia (now Hungary) became one of the most popular saints of the Middle Ages.
Martin’s father was a pagan officer in the Roman Army, and Martin was intended for the army as well. But from an early age Martin wanted to be a Christian, and felt that as a Christian he could not serve the Roman Empire. Martin was imprisoned for this early ‘conscientious objection’, and not released until 357, when he was nearly 40.
One day Martin met a nearly naked beggar at Amiens. He took off his cloak, cut it in half and gave the half to the beggar. Soon after this, he had a dream in which Christ appeared to him, wearing the half of cloak which Martin had given away.
Martin was the pioneer of western monasticism: he founded the first monastery in the whole of Gaul about 360. He was made bishop of Tours in 372 – by popular demand of both his clergy and his people.
As bishop, Martin continued his simple life as a monk, - and evangelist. Christianity had been largely confined to the urban centres of population, but Martin went further, and took Christianity to the pagani (country-men). For the next 25 years this greatly loved bishop travelled his diocese by donkey and by boat, preaching the good news of Jesus Christ, and helping his people to tear down their heathen temples and sacred trees. He was sought out for his healing prayers for the sick, and also his defence of the faith from heretics.
Martin’s emblem in English art is often that of a goose, whose annual migration is about this time of year. ‘St Martin’s Summer’ in England is a spell of fine weather that sometimes occurs around 11 November. .
13 Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850 – 1917) – first saint of New York City In the aftermath of the terrorist attack on America, many Americans were seen to be ‘saintly’ in their brave attempts to help save lives. But Frances was the first citizen of the United States to be officially canonized as a saint – by Pope Pius XII in 1946. She founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, and worked among orphans, children and the sick of New York.
25 Catherine of Alexandria (thought to be 4th century) Catherine is thought to have been a noble girl who lived in the 4th century. She was persecuted for her Christianity, and despised marriage with the Emperor because she was a ‘bride of Christ’. According to the legend, Catherine was no push-over intellectually, either: she disputed successfully with 50 philosophers who were called in to convince her of the errors of Christianity.
Catherine protested against the persecution of Christians by Maxentius, and then she herself was tortured: broken on a wheel (later called Catherine wheel), but the machine then broke down itself, injuring bystanders. Catherine was then beheaded.
This legend strongly appealed to the Middle Age imagination. Catherine became the patron of young girls, students, philosophers, nurses and craftsmen such as wheelwrights, spinners and millers.
In England 62 churches were dedicated to her, and 170 medieval bells still bear her name. ‘Lives’, poems, miracle plays, stained-glass windows, panels and paintings have all been done in Catherine’s honour.
30 St Andrew’s Day (d. c.60) Andrew is a good patron saint for those of you planning a Christmas party this year - and who hope you have rightly estimated the amount of food you’ll need. Andrew was the disciple who, when faced with 5,000 people to feed, brought a boy to Jesus who had two small fish and five barley loaves. When Andrew wasn’t being wildly optimistic with the catering arrangements, he was out fishing with brother Peter and friends James and John.
This New Testament apostle and martyr was brother of Simon Peter. He was a fisherman by trade, his home was at Capernaum. He was a disciple of John the Baptist before becoming an apostle of Christ.
In all the Gospel lists of apostles his name is among the first four; he is specially mentioned for his share in the feeding of the 5,000 and in the episode of the Greeks who wished to meet Jesus. (John12:20-2)
It is not certain where Andrew preached the Gospel, where he died, or (even in Chrysostom’s time) where he was buried. The most ancient written tradition links him with Greece; Scythia and Epirus both claimed him as their disciple. Patras in Achaia claimed to be the place where he was crucified and preached to the people for two days before he died.
There was a notable cult in the West. His feast was universal from the 6th century; churches were dedicated to him from early times in Italy and France, as well as Anglo-Saxon England, where Rochester was the earliest of 637 medieval dedications.
After the fall of Constantinople in 1204, the Crusaders took his body to Amalfi. The despot Thomas Palaeologus gave his head to the pope in 1461. It was one of the most treasured possessions of St Peter’s until it was returned to Constantinople by Paul VI.
In art Andrew is depicted with a normal Latin cross. The saltire cross (X), commonly called St Andrew’s Cross, which represents Scotland on the Union Jack, was associated with him from the 10th century at Autun. His other attribute is a fishing net.
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