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He accompanied no fewer than 57 condemned prisoners to the gallows, hearing their confessions and giving them Communion to support them in their final moments. For this reason, he became known as the “Priest of the Gallows.” His concern for prisoners was part of his deep love for the marginalized and the most in need, to whom he sought to show the merciful face of God.
It was June 22, 1535, when Bishop John Fisher of Rochester England was executed by beheading in the Tower of London. He had been accused of high treason by King Henry VIII. In the hope of sparing his life, Pope Paul III had named him Cardinal on May 20 of that year, but it was in vain. Fisher’s head was displayed at the entrance of London Bridge until July 6, when it was thrown into the River Thames. In its place, the head of Thomas More, the Lord Chancellor of England, was set. He too had been condemned to death for high treason. His sentence was carried out on July 6, 1535.
Everything the world desires—honor, wealth, nobility, glory, power—he had. Yet Aloysius (Louis) Gonzaga chose to go against the tide, abandoning all worldly security to stake his entire life on following Christ. Born into the noble Gonzaga family on March 9, 1568 as the eldest son of the Marquis of Castiglione, Aloysius had a future of comfort and distinction ahead of him. However, he preferred prayer and penance over weapons and armor.
"Although the Eucharist is solemnly celebrated every day, we deem it fitting that, at least once a year, a more honored and solemn remembrance be observed. The other things we commemorate, we grasp with the spirit and the mind, but do not for that reason obtain their real presence. However, in this sacramental commemoration of Christ, even though under a different form, Jesus Christ is truly present among us in His own substance. Indeed, as He was about to ascend into heaven, He said: 'And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age (Mt 28:20)."
“The greatest imitator of Saint Charles [Borromeo] was Saint Gregory Barbarigo in Padua, where, thanks to his virtue, the Seminary became a monument and through three centuries it still remains in aedificationem gentium [for the edification of the nations].”
With these words, Pope John XXIII described Saint Gregory Barbarigo during the homily for his canonization, on May 26, 1960, in the Basilica of Saint John Lateran.
Blaise (or Blastus) and Diogen (or Diogenes) are two saints who have been venerated in Rome since antiquity and throughout the Middle Ages. Their commemoration is recorded in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum under the date of June 17.
Regarding Saint Blaise, some texts — including the Acts of the Martyr Saint Valentine — refer to a Roman Tribune named Blastus, who was condemned to death in 269 AD by Emperor Claudius Gothicus for his Christian faith. However, there is no conclusive evidence to confirm that this Blastus is the same saint remembered on this date.
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