Celebrating the Saints Trivia Quiz

Answer: 14 February

There were several ancient Roman saints named Valentine, but the one generally thought to be acknowledged on 14th February is St Valentine of Rome, martyred in the year 268 under the reign of Claudius II (Claudius Gothicus).

Answer: red

The design of the St George's Cross dates from medieval times. The hymn 'Jerusalem' is associated with St George's Day, and in England it is a tradition to wear a red rose in your lapel on that day. Interestingly, the Scout Movement also has St George as its patron saint.

Answer: St Christopher

St Christopher is also the patron saint of many other occupations including sailors, archers, fullers and gardeners. His Feast Day is celebrated on July 25th.

Answer: Lourdes

St Bernadette Soubirous saw 18 apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes, believed to be the Virgin Mary. She died in 1879 and was canonised in 1933 by the Catholic Church. Her body was exhumed and deemed to be 'incorrupt', i.e. not decomposed. She was exhumed for the third time in 1925 and her preserved remains were then placed on permanent display in Nevers, the town where she died, in the Bourgogne region of France.

Her Feast Day is celebrated on 16th April.

Answer: Swithin

St Swithin (also Swithun) was an Anglo-Saxon bishop of Winchester, in Hampshire, England, a post he held for ten years until his death in 862. There are many British proverbs and rhymes relating to the weather - the weather is a major topic of interest for us for some mysterious reason.

Answer: a shamrock

'Wearing the green' is also the title of a traditional Irish ballad. If St Patrick's Day falls during Holy Week, it is observed on a different date specified by the church, and if it falls on a Sunday it is changed to the following Monday on church calendars. St Patrick used the shamrock, which has three leaves, in his teachings in Ireland to explain about the Holy Trinity.

The shamrock is a member of the clover family.

Answer: Santa Claus

St Nicholas was born in Patara (a coastal village in what is now southern Turkey) during the third century, of wealthy parents who died when he was young. He used his inheritance to help children, the vulnerable and those in need, and was widely known and loved for his compassion and generosity. He became Bishop of Myra and dedicated his life to giving.

Answer: Wales

St David's Day falls on 1st March. The miracle he is most associated with is said to concern an occasion when he was preaching, and could not be seen or heard by everyone present; the ground under his feet then rose up to elevate him above the crowd. At the same time, a white dove settled itself on his shoulder, which was taken to be a sign from God conveying His blessing to St David.

In art he is often pictured with a white dove on his shoulder because of this.

Answer: Boxing Day

There are various origins for the term 'Boxing Day', but it is generally taken to refer to being the day an alms box was opened and its contents distributed to the needy people in the parish, money having been placed in the box on Christmas Day by the better off parishioners with this purpose in mind. St Stephen was the Christian church's first martyr; he was stoned to death in AD 34 or 35 in Jerusalem.

Answer: Andrew

St Andrew was the younger brother of Simon Peter (Saint Peter). The University of St Andrews is Scotland's oldest university, dating back to the early 15th century. Prince William of Wales was educated there, gaining his degree in geography. In golf, St Andrews is known as the 'Home of Golf'; it sometimes hosts the Open Championship, aka the British Open.