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Saint of the day

Saint of the day

July 21: Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, Doctor of the Church

Defender of Church Doctrine

He carried out every task with simplicity and humility, defending the Church from attacks by enemies of the faith, promoting peace among warring powers, and leading the Order of Capuchin Friars Minor with dedication.

July 20: Saint Apollinaris, Bishop and Martyr

Tireless Missionary of the Gospel

Saint Apollinaris, regarded as the first Bishop of Ravenna, lived around the middle of the 2nd century. Ancient inscriptions found in the area of Classe show that a well-organized Christian community already existed in Ravenna at a very early date.

July 19: Saint Symmachus, Pope

Charity toward the poor and pilgrims

Symmachus, originally from Sardinia, was elected Pope on November 22, 498, following the death of Pope Anastasius II. However, his election was contested by a Roman faction aligned with the Byzantines, who instead elected the archpriest Laurentius. To resolve the dispute, the Ostrogothic King Theodoric summoned both candidates to Ravenna and decreed that the one who had received the most votes would be recognized as the legitimate pope. Symmachus had the majority and was thus confirmed as supreme pontiff.

July 18: Saint Bruno of Segni, Bishop

In the Service of the Popes and the Church

Saint Bruno of Segni was born between 1045 and 1049 in Solero d’Asti (now in the Province of Alessandria in northwestern Italy) to a modest family. Educated by the Benedictines, he continued his studies at the University of Bologna where he specialized in the trivium and quadrivium. After being ordained a priest, he became a canon in Siena and wrote biblical commentaries.

July 17: Saint Teresa of St. Augustine and 15 Discalced Carmelite Companion Martyrs

Guillotined for their faithfulness to consecrated life

A show trial before the Revolutionary Tribunal — a parody of justice whose only guiding principle was hatred toward religion and the Church. The outcome was fatal: sixteen Discalced Carmelite nuns from Compiègne, led by their prioress, Teresa of St. Augustine (born Marie-Madeleine-Claudine Lidoine), were guillotined in Paris’s Place du Trône on July 17, 1794.

July 16: Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Disciple and Mother

The liturgical feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was established to commemorate her apparition on July 16, 1251 to Saint Simon Stock, then Prior General of the Carmelite Order. During this vision, the Virgin Mary gave him a scapular and revealed remarkable spiritual privileges associated with wearing it.

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