Birthday Book of Saints Your Powerful Personal Patrons of Every Blessed Day of the Year

Chapter 1 January 1 1. the feast of the circumcision Since he was born of observant Jews, the newborn Christ Child was, "after eight days," according to the Gospel of Saint Luke, genitally mutilated. Saints Jerome and Bernard concur that the surgery was performed by none other than His Virgin Mother Mary, and that this ritual bloodshed was the first of her Seven Sorrows. In after years the Divine Foreskin was a much-prized relic, once bestowed by Angels upon the Emperor Charlemagne; a reliquary jar said to contain it still is venerated at a parish church in Calcata, Italy. the feast of saint clarus Obscure French prelate, 660 Patron of the shortsighted; invoked against myopia * (emblem: abbot appeasing a flooded river) This humble French monk was so holy that he was appointed spiritual director of the convent in which his own widowed mother was a nun. Despite the many miracles attributed to Clarus, it is because of his name, which in Latin means "clear," that his heavenly aid is sought by those whose vision isn't. the feast of saint odilo Homely but zealous abbot of Cluny, 1049 Invoked against jaundice * (emblem: monk, a skull at his feet) An authority both spiritual and temporal, Odilo instituted the Feast of All Souls-a sort of Unknown Saints' Day-as well as the Truce of God, by which local warlords were obliged to refrain from hostilities on weekends. Odilo was especially devoted to the Blessed Virgin, through whose intercession he had, as an infant, been cured of an excess of the bile pigment bilirubin. Also: The Feast of Saint Peter of Atroa, among whose gifts was the ability to make himself invisible, 837; and Saint Telemachus, who leapt into the arena and put an end to gladiatorial contests, c. 400. 2. the feast of saint adelard Retired French politician-abbot, 827 Patron of gardeners * (emblem: spade) Like his cousin Charlemagne, the monk Adelard (aka Adalhard) was a grandson of Charles "the Hammer of God" Martel-that is, a member of proto-French royalty. Renowned for his learning-he wrote in Latin, French, and German-he was often summoned to the Carolingian court as an adviser, and invariably banished for the advice he gave. His final exile was to Corbie, in far-off Normandy, where he enthusiastically took up horticulture. the feast of saint basil the great Patriarch, Doctor of the Church, 379 Patron of hospital administrators, Russia * (emblem: a heavenly hand offering him a pen) Born in present-day Turkey into a very religious family-both his parents, two of his brothers, and a sister are canonized Catholic Saints-Basil studied in Athens, where he was a classmate of the future infamous emperor Julian the Apostate. As bishop of Caesarea, Basil was a fearless foe of imperial heresy and a tireless CEO, establishing and administering a vast complex of churches, hospitals, and orphanages known as Basiliad. The rule he created for monastic living is followed to this day in the Eastern (Russian and Greek Orthodox) Church, and he is still highly revered in Russia; his personality-generous, eloquent, shrewd, and pigheaded-appeals to the Russian soul. the feast of saint gregory of nazianzen Son of a bishop, Doctor of the Church, 390 Patron of fruitfulness, poets * (emblem: book) An eloquent preacher and brilliant theologian, Gregory was a most reluctant administrator, and prone to nervous breakdowns. Of a shy and retiring nature-he wanted to be a monk-he was constantly conscripted by his boyhood friend Saint Basil into the battle against the Arian heresy. In retirement he composed a long and tedious autobiography in verse. the feast of saint macarius the younger Ex-confectioner, desert hermit, 408 Patron of pastry cooks * (emblem: monk, hyena and its young beside him) A cake maker and sKelly, Sean is the author of 'Birthday Book of Saints Your Powerful Personal Patrons of Every Blessed Day of the Year', published 2001 under ISBN 9780375757761 and ISBN 0375757767.