Calendar of saints
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The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organising a liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with a saint, and referring to the day as the saint's day of that saint. This calendar system, when combined with major church festivals and movable and immovable feasts, constructs a very human and personalised yet often localised way of organising the year and identifying dates. It may be compared with the Roman Missal.
Medievalists continue the old tradition of dating by saints' days: their works may appear "dated" as "The Feast of Saint Martin" or "Lammastide". Poets such as John Keats commemorate the importance of The Eve of Saint Agnes. Many children acquire baptismal or confirmational names from the saint associated with their date of birth, baptism or confirmation, and believing Eastern Orthodox Christians mark the "name day" of the saint whose name they bear with special attention.
Various feast days will be "ranked" with various levels of importance. In the Roman Catholic Church, from most to least importance, these are solemnities, feasts, memorials, and optional memorials. The rankings listed below are those for the universal church, various countries or dioceses may have additional saints or blesseds in their calendars. If no ranking is given, the feast day belongs to some particular calendar and not the universal calendar.
Some traditional dates (Roman Catholic unless otherwise indicated) include:
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January
- January 1: Mary, Mother of God - Solemnity
- January 2: Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen - Memorial
- January 3: The Feast of the Holy Name
- January 4: Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton
- January 5: Saint Angela of Foligno
- January 5: Saint John Neumann
- January 6: Epiphany - Solemnity
- January 7: Saint Raymond of Peñafort - Optional Memorial
- January 8: Saint John
- January 13: Saint Hilary of Poitiers - Optional Memorial
- January 17: Saint Anthony the Great - Memorial
- January 18: The Confession of Saint Peter
- January 20: Saint Fabian or Saint Sebastian - Optional Memorial
- January 21: Saint Agnes - Memorial
- January 22: Saint Vincent - Optional Memorial
- January 24: Saint Francis de Sales - Memorial
- January 25: The Conversion of Saint Paul - Feast
- January 26: Saints Timothy and Titus - Memorial
- January 27: Saint Angela Merici - Optional Memorial
- January 31: Saint John Bosco - Memorial
- Sunday after January 6: Baptism of the Lord - Feast
February
- February 2: Presentation of the Lord - Feast
- February 3: Saint Blaise or Saint Ansgar - Optional Memorial
- February 5: Saint Agatha - Memorial
- February 6: Saints Paul Miki and Companions - Memorial or Saint Gerald of Ostia - Optional Memorial
- February 8: Saint Jerome Emilianus - Optional Memorial
- February 10: Saint Scholastica - Memorial or Saint Charalampos (Eastern Orthodox Church)
- February 14: Saints Cyril and Methodius - Memorial or Saint Valentine
- February 17: Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order - Optional Memorial
- February 21: Saint Peter Damian - Optional Memorial
- February 22: Chair of Saint Peter - Feast
- February 23: Saint Polycarp - Memorial
- February 27: Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows - Optional Memorial
March
- March 1: Saint David
- March 2: Saint Chad
- March 3: Saint Katharine Drexel
- March 4: Saint Casimir - Optional Memorial
- March 7: Saints Perpetua and Felicity - Memorial
- March 8: Saint John of God - Optional Memorial
- March 9: Saint Frances of Rome - Optional Memorial
- March 13: Saint Gerald of Mayo - Optional Memorial
- March 17: Saint Patrick - Optional Memorial
- March 18: Saint Cyril of Jerusalem - Optional Memorial
- March 19: Saint Joseph - Solemnity
- March 23: Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo - Optional Memorial
- March 25: Annunciation - Solemnity
- March 31: Saint Benjamin
April
- April 2: Saint Francis of Paola - Optional Memorial
- April 4: Saint Isidore - Optional Memorial
- April 5: Saint Gerald of Sauve-Majeure or Saint Vincent Ferrer - Optional Memorial
- April 7: Saint John Baptist de la Salle - Memorial
- April 11: Saint Stanislaus - Memorial or Saint Leo I (moved to November 10 in the new calendar)
- April 13: Saint Martin I - Optional Memorial
- April 14: Saint Timothy (modern Catholic Calendar has moved this to January 26)
- April 21: Saint Anselm of Canterbury - Optional Memorial
- April 23: Saint George or Saint Adalbert - Optional Memorial
- April 24: Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen - Optional Memorial
- April 25: Saint Mark the Evangelist - Feast
- April 28: Saint Peter Chanel - Optional Memorial
- April 29: Saint Catherine of Siena - Memorial
- April 30: Saint Pius V - Optional Memorial
May
- May 1: Saint Joseph the Worker - Optional Memorial
- May 2: Saint Athanasius - Memorial
- May 3: Saint Philip and Saint James - Feast
- May 4: Saint Godehard - Feast
- May 12: Saints Nereus and Achilleus or Saint Pancratius - Optional Memorial
- May 13: Saint Servatius - Memorial
- May 14: Saint Matthias the Apostle - Feast
- May 15: Saint Dymphna and Saint Gerebernus
- May 18: Saint John I - Optional Memorial
- May 19: Saint Dunstan
- May 20: Saint Bernardine of Siena - Optional Memorial
- May 23: Saint Julia of Corsica - Feast
- May 25: Saint Bede the Venerable or Saint Gregory VII or Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi - Optional Memorial
- May 26: Saint Philip Neri - Memorial
- May 27: Saint Augustine (Austin) of Canterbury - Optional Memorial
- May 29: Saint Gerald of Macon - Optional Memorial
June
- June 1: Saint Justin Martyr - Memorial
- June 2: Saints Marcellinus and Peter - Optional Memorial
- June 3: Saints Carl Lwanga and Companions - Memorial
- June 5: Saint Boniface - Memorial
- June 6: Saint Norbert - Optional Memorial
- June 7: Saint Gotteschalk
- June 9: Saint Ephrem - Optional Memorial or Saint Columba
- June 11: Saint Barnabas the Apostle - Memorial
- June 13: Saint Anthony of Padua - Memorial
- June 19: Saint Romuald - Optional Memorial
- June 20: Saint Adalbert of Magdeburg or Saint Hector
- June 21: Saint Aloysius Gonzaga - Memorial
- June 22: Saints John Fisher and Thomas More or Saint Paulinus of Nola - Optional Memorial or Saint Alban
- June 24: Birth of Saint John the Baptist - Solemnity or Saint Amphibalus
- June 25: Saint William of Vercelli
- June 27: Saint Cyril of Alexandria - Optional Memorial
- June 28: Saint Irenaus - Memorial
- June 29: Saint Peter and Saint Paul - Solemnity
- June 30: First martyrs of the Church of Rome - Optional Memorial
July
- July 2: Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Feast
- July 3: Saint Thomas the Apostle - Feast
- July 4: Saint Elizabeth of Portugal - Optional Memorial
- July 5: Saint Anthony Mary Zachary - Optional Memorial
- July 6: Saint Maria Goretti - Optional Memorial
- July 11: Saint Benedict - Memorial
- July 13: Saint Henry - Optional Memorial or Saint Teresa de los Andes
- July 14: Saint Camille of Lille - Optional Memorial
- July 15: Saint Bonaventure - Memorial or Saint Swithun (Anglican Church), Saint Vladimir the Great (Eastern Orthodox churches)
- July 16: Our Lady of Mount Carmel - Optional Memorial, Saint Helier
- July 17: Saint Lawrence of Brindisi - Optional Memorial
- July 22: Saint Mary Magdalene - Memorial
- July 23: Saint Birgitta (Bridget of Sweden) - Optional Memorial
- July 25: Saint James the Greater (also called Saint Jacob) - Feast
- July 26: Saints Joachim and Anne - Memorial
- July 29: Saint Martha - Memorial
- July 30: Saint Peter Chrysologus - Optional Memorial
- July 31: Saint Ignatius of Loyola - Memorial
August
- August 1: Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori - Memorial
- August 2: Saint Eusebius of Vercelli or Saint Peter Julian Eymard - Optional Memorial
- August 3: Saint Lidia
- August 4: Saint Jean Vianney (the Curé of Ars) - Memorial
- August 5: Dedication of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore - Optional Memorial
- August 6: Transfiguration - Feast
- August 7: Saint Sixtus II and Companions or Saint Cajetan - Optional Memorial
- August 8: Saint Dominic - Memorial
- August 9: Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein)
- August 10: Saint Lawrence - Feast
- August 11: Saint Clare - Memorial
- August 13: Saints Pontian and Antipope Hippolytus - Optional Memorial
- August 14: Saint Maximillian Kolbe - Memorial
- August 15: Assumption of Mary - Solemnity
- August 16: Saint Stephen of Hungary - Optional Memorial
- August 19: Saint John Eudes - Optional Memorial
- August 20: Saint Bernard of Clairvaux - Memorial
- August 21: Saint Pius X - Memorial
- August 22: Queenship of Mary - Memorial
- August 23: Saint Rose of Lima - Optional Memorial
- August 24: Saint Bartholomew the Apostle - Feast
- August 25: Saint Louis or Saint Joseph of Calasanz - Optional Memorial
- August 27: Saint Monica - Memorial
- August 28: Saint Augustine of Hippo - Memorial
- August 29: The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist - Memorial
September
- September 1: Saint Arthur, Saint Gilles
- September 3: Saint Gregory the Great - Memorial
- September 8: Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Feast
- September 9: Saint Peter Claver - Optional Memorial
- September 13: Saint John Chrysostom - Memorial
- September 14: Triumph of the Cross - Feast
- September 15: Mary, Mother of Sorrows - Memorial
- September 16: Saints Cornelius and Cyprian - Memorial
- September 17: Saint Robert Bellarmine - Optional Memorial
- September 19: Saint Januarius - Optional Memorial
- September 20: Saints Andrew Kim Taegŏn, Paul Chŏng Hasang and Companions - Memorial
- September 21: Saint Matthew the Evangelist - Feast
- September 22: Saint Maurice, Saint Phocas, Saint Thomas of Villanueva
- September 23: Saint Thecla of Iconium, Saint Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio)
- September 26: Saints Cosmas and Damian - Optional Memorial
- September 27: Saint Vincent de Paul - Memorial
- September 28: Saint Wenceslaus or Saints Lawrence Ruiz and Companions - Optional Memorial
- September 29: Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels - Feast
- September 30: Saint Jerome - Memorial
October
- October 1: Saint Therese of the Child Jesus - Memorial
- October 2: Guardian Angels - Memorial
- October 4: Saint Francis of Assisi - Memorial
- October 6: Saint Bruno - Optional Memorial
- October 7: Our Lady of the Rosary - Memorial or Saint Birgitta (moved to July 23 in the modern calendar)
- October 9: Saint Dionysius and Companions or Saint John Leonard - Optional Memorial
- October 13: Saint Gerald of Aurillac - Optional Memorial
- October 14: Saint Callistus I - Optional Memorial
- October 15: Saint Teresa of Jesus - Memorial
- October 16: Saint Gerald of Clairvaux, Saint Hedwig or Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque - Optional Memorial
- October 17: Saint Ignatius of Antioch - Memorial
- October 18: Saint Luke the Evangelist - Feast
- October 19: Saints Jean de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues and Companions - Optional Memorial
- October 20: John Cantius
- October 23: Saint John of Capestrano - Optional Memorial
- October 24: Saint Anthony Claret - Optional Memorial
- October 28: Saint Simon and Saint Jude (also called Jude Thaddaeus or Jude Lebbeus) - Feast
- October 29: Saint Colman of Kilmacduagh and Saint Narcissus of Jerusalem
November
- November 1: All Saints - Solemnity
- November 2: All Souls - Solemnity (technically somewhere between a Feast and Solemnity)
- November 3: Saint Martin de Porres - Optional Memorial
- November 4: Saint Charles Borromeo - Memorial
- November 6: Saint Leonard of Noblac - Feast
- November 9: Dedication of the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterno - Feast
- November 10: Saint Leo the Great - Memorial
- November 11: Saint Martin of Tours - Memorial
- November 12: Saint Josaphat - Memorial
- November 13: Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini
- November 15: Saint Albert the Great - Optional Memorial - and Leopold of Austria
- November 16: Saint Margaret of Scotland or Saint Gertrude - Optional Memorial
- November 17: Saint Elisabeth of Hungary - Memorial
- November 18: Dedication of the Basilicas of Saints Peter and Paul - Optional Memorial or Saint Odo of Cluny
- November 19: Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Memorial
- November 22: Saint Cecilia - Memorial
- November 23: Saint Clement I or Saint Columban - Optional Memorial
- November 24: Saints Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions - Memorial
- November 25: Saint Catherine of Alexandria
- November 30: Saint Andrew the Apostle - Feast
December
- December 3: Saint Francis Xavier - Memorial
- December 4: Saint John Damascene - Optional Memorial
- December 5: Saint Gerald of Braga - Optional Memorial
- December 6: Saint Nicholas - Optional Memorial
- December 7: Saint Ambrose - Memorial
- December 8: Immaculate Conception - Solemnity
- December 9: Saint Juan Diego
- December 10: Saint Julia of Merida - Memorial
- December 11: Saint Damasus I - Optional Memorial
- December 12: Saint Jane Frances de Chantal - Optional Memorial
- December 13: Saint Lucy of Syracuse - Memorial
- December 14: Saint John of the Cross - Memorial
- December 21: Saint Peter Canisius - Optional Memorial
- December 23: Saint John of Kanty - Optional Memorial
- December 26: Saint Stephen - Feast
- December 27: Saint John the Evangelist - Feast
- December 28: Holy Innocents - Feast
- December 29: Saint Thomas Becket - Optional Memorial
- December 31: Saint Sylvester I - Optional Memorial