Calendar Saints - The Month of October Quiz

Answer: Clovis

Remigius was born in Laon, some 60 km from Reims, in 437 AD. He went to study in Reims, and was noted for his eloquence. In 459 Remigius was elected Bishop of Reims, although he was not yet ordained a priest. The ceremony of the Holy Orders followed rapidly.
In 496 Remigius baptised King Clovis (466-511). Clovis had by then united (by battle or by marriage) most of the ancient Roman province of Gaul and part of Germany. When Clovis died, the Frankish reign was divided among his four sons (as was customary in those days).
Remigius has established several bishoprics in the northern regions of the Frankish Kingdom.
One of the miracles ascribed to Remigius occurred when a dying pagan asked him to be baptised. Unfortunately, Remigius had no Oil of the Catechumens nor holy Chrism at hand. So Remigius placed two empty vessels on the altar and started praying. A bit later, one of the vessels was filled with fragrant oil, while the other contained the Holy Chrism. Legend has it that the Chrism was deposed by a dove flying by.
This miracle explains why Remgius is frequently portrayed with a dove.
Charlemagne (742-814), Louis the Pious (778-840) and Philip the Fair (1268-1314) were born long after Remigius died, so Remigius could not have baptised them.
Therese of Lisieux (1873-1893) was a French Carmelite sister and shares her feast day with Saint Remigius.

Answer: Lodz (then Russia, now Poland)

Saint Faustina Kowalska was born under the name Helena Kowalska in Lodz in 1905. At that time Lodz was a small town near the border of the Russian Empire. Nowadays Lodz is one of the major cities of Poland.
Helena entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in 1925. She adopted the name Mary Faustina.
In 1931, Faustina started having visions of Jesus Christ and writing down her conversations with Him. Her diary with all these conversations eventually reached about 700 pages.
Faustina died in 1938, presumably from tuberculosis. She was canonised in 2000.
The most famous saint born in Lima was Saint Rose of Lima, the first Catholic Saint of the New World. She is venerated August 23th.
One of the 117 Martyrs of Vietnam was born in the small town Nam Dinh. He was Saint Vicente Liem de la Paz and his feast day November 24th.
Many Saints are named after the Egyptian port Alexandria. One of the best known of these Saints is Catherine of Alexandria. Her name day is November 25th.

Answer: Mark

Apparently this Pope chose the name of one of the gospel authors.
Pope Mark was elected in January 336. He died in October of the same year. There is very little information about his life: the only certainty is that he was the son of a certain Priscus. Maybe Pope Mark gave the order to erect the San Marco basilica in Rome, but this is not sure.
The name San Marco (Italian for Saint Mark) obviously reminds one of a main touristic centre in Italy: Venice, with the Basilica di San Marco on the eponymous Square.
Matthew is the name of four Coptic Popes. Up till 2000, no Pope of the Roman Catholic Church has chosen the name Matthew. Saint Matthew (San Matteo) is the patron saint of the city of Salerno in Italy.
There have been two Popes with the name Lucius, but none with the name Luke (up till 2000). San Luca (as his name would be in Italian) is the patron saint of Capena, a village some 20 km from Rome.
John is the name chosen by more than twenty Popes. In Italian it would be translated as San Giovanni, and the gospel writer with the same name is patron saint of Sansepolcro, the small town in Tuscany where the famous painter Piero della Francesca was born.

Answer: Actress

The information on Saint Pelagia is very scarce: even her date of birth and date of death are uncertain. The few sources I found state that she was an actress and courtesan (a very common combination at that time, but moral connotations have changed). When she heard a sermon of Saint Nonnus (died 471), she repented and converted to Christianity. After being baptised by Saint Nonnus, Pelagia chose a hermit life near Jerusalem.
Some sources say Pelagia died at the debut of the Fourth Century, other sources indicate her lifespan in the Fifth Century.
At the time Pelagia lived, not a single female was chosen to the Senate. Saint Thomas More is the patron saint of politicians, senators and the like.
Bus drivers were not yet around when Saint Pelagia lived. The patron saint of bus drivers (and of all drivers, for that part) is Saint Christopher.
The internet is an invention of the Twentieth Century. For all occupations linked to internet, the patron saint is Saint Isidore of Seville.

Answer: Borgia

Francis Borgia was born in Valencia in 1510. He was born in a noble family which had produced two Popes: Pope Calistus III and Pope Alexander VI.
Pope Alexander VI (born Rodrigo Borgia) didn't feel much for the celibacy. In fact, Rodrigo had five children. Neither Rodrigo (neglecting the rules of purity) nor his son Cesare (one of the most typical tyrants) nor Rodrigo's daughter Lucrezia (accused of several poisonings) have a reputation that might contribute to their canonization.
Francis Borgia on the contrary was a pious nobleman. He was happily married, became Duke of Gandia at an early age, and loved to go to church. When his wife died, Francis entered the Jesuit congregation. He preferred humble jobs as an itinerant priest, but eventually rose to the rank of Superior General of the Jesuits. In that capacity, he promoted the missionary work.
Francis Borgia died in 1572 and was canonized in 1670. His name day October 10th was deleted in 1969, but several sources still mention him at this day.
Saint Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) was born in a noble family, but chose a humble life and founded the Friars Minor. He is the patron saint of animals and is venerated October 4th.
Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622) was Bishop of Geneva. He is patron saint of journalists and has his name day on January 28th.
Saint Francis Caracciolo (1563-1608) founded the Order of the Minor Clerks Regular. He is patron saint of the Association of Italian Cooks and is celebrated on June 4th.

Answer: Redemptorists

Gerard Majella was born in 1726 in Muro Locano, a small village in the neighbourhood of Naples. He was the son of a tailor, and so he became a tailor himself: that was the tradition in those times. He also worked as a sacristan and a gardener.
He was admitted as a layman by the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (in short: the Redemptorists) in 1749, after having been turned down by the Capuchins because of his poor health.
One of the miracles ascribed to him occurred when he started praying for the well-being of a mother giving childbirth. This miracle explains why he is the patron saint of expectant mothers.
He died in 1755 of tuberculosis.
The Brigittines, Ursulines and Poor Clares are three congregations for female religious.

Answer: Moors

There is not much information on the life of Saint Laura. Only her death is sufficiently documented: at that time Muslim authorities considered every other religion as some form of blasphemy, one of the most serious crimes. So the Christians, for example, were tried and convicted because of their faith. Saint Laura was executed in 864 by putting her into a pot with boiling lead. The Muslims living in Spain during the Ninth Century were called Moors.

At that time, there were no Native Americans nor Vietnamese living in Spain. And the Romans were no longer in charge: their Empire was ended around 476.

Answer: Saint Ursula

Memling crafted a shrine honouring Saint Ursula in 1489. It relates in several panels the legend that goes as follows.
Saint Ursula was (according to legend) a British princess betrothed to a Breton pagan governor. Ursula and her handmaidens embarked on a ship to meet Ursula's fiancé. But a storm miraculously transported the ship swiftly to another Gaul harbour, and Ursula decided to start a pilgrimage. After having visited the Pope she returned via Cologne, and there the Huns took her and her companions captive. Every single of the Christian voyagers was brutally murdered by the Huns.
There is a Saint Ursula Church in Cologne, and an inscription found in an archaeological site mentions the martyrdom of Christian virgins. However, the number of martyrs varies quite a lot: early sources speak of only a dozen virgins, while the body count in the late Middle Ages was raised to eleven thousand hand maidens. Another archaeological site contained bone fragments of a large number of females, allegedly laid down in the form of Latin words.
By the way, Memling was not the only artist who illustrated the legend of Saint Ursula. But the shrine by Memling is perhaps the best known artwork based upon this legend.
None of the other woman mentioned here were martyred.
Saint Veronica is known as the woman who would have wiped Jesus' face when He was en route to Golgotha. She is venerated July 12th.
Saint Begga was the daughter of Pippin of Landen. She founded seven churches and a convent. Her name day is December 17th.
Saint Clare was one of the earliest disciples of Saint Francis of Assisi. She founded the congregation of the Poor Clares. Her feast day is August 11th.

Answer: Saint Paul Tong Buong

Saint Paul Tong Buong served as a bodyguard of the Vietnamese king. When the pagan king found out Paul was a Christian, Paul was arrested, tortured and eventually beheaded. He died in 1833.
You surely noticed there are many Saints baring the first name of Paul. The best known is of course the Biblical Saint Paul, born Saul of Tarsus, who left us several Epistles.
Saint Paul of Thebes (228-341, although these dates are a bit dubious) is considered as the first hermit. He is venerated on January 15th.
Saint Paul of Narbonne (died probably in 290) was one of seven missionaries sent out from Rome to Gaul. His name day is March 22nd.
Saint Paul of Xeropotamou might have been the son of the Byzantine Emperor Michael VII. He chose not to succeed his father, but to dedicate his life to the Church. Saint Paul of Xeropotamou founded one of the monasteries on Mount Athos. His feast day (in the Orthodox Church only) is July 28th.

Answer: Alfred

The Kings of Wessex are considered the first monarchs of England. Among those kings, Alfred the Great (849-899), Edward the Martyr (962-978) and Edward the Confessor (1003-1066) are mentioned as saints. Attention: the dates given are not always ascertainable.
Saint Alfred the Great ascended to the throne in 871. He desired to improve the education, and he has compiled a codex. But he is best remembered for the sole effort he didn't choose: his continuous fights with the Vikings.
In his first encounters with the Vikings, Alfred noticed the need to reform the military structure. So he proceeded to erect thirty-odd fortifications, each about 20 miles (30km) from the other. These burhs (or boroughs as they were called later on) controlled strategic outposts and could reckon upon assistance from neighbouring boroughs in case of an attack.
Alfred also relied upon a standing army (including two divisions of cavalry) and upon an improved navy, with heavier (but less manoeuvrable) ships.
Edward the Martyr is venerated on March 18th. He ascended to the throne in 975 and was soon murdered.
Edward the Confessor has his name day on October 13th. He became King in 1042, after three Kings from the House of Denmark.
Aethelstan the Glorious was born in 895. He ruled England from 924 until his death in 939.
Edgar the Peaceful, born 943, became King of England in 959. He ruled until his death in 975.