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Calendar of Saints (Lutheran)
Encyclopedia
The Lutheran Calendar of Saints is a listing which details the primary annual festivals and events that are celebrated liturgically by some Lutheran Churches in the United States
. The calendars of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
(ELCA) and the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
(LCMS) are from the 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship
and the 1982 Lutheran Worship
. Elements unique to the ELCA have been updated from the Lutheran Book of Worship to reflect changes resulting from the publication of Evangelical Lutheran Worship
in 2006. The elements of the calendar unique to the LCMS have also been updated from Lutheran Worship and the Lutheran Book of Worship to reflect the 2006 publication of the Lutheran Service Book
.
The event commemorated is listed with the type of event afterwards in parenthesis as well as the country where it is observed (if not commonly observed on that date in North America). For individuals, the date given is the date of their death or "heavenly birthday." The single letter listed after each event is the designated color
for vestment
s and parament
s: White (W), Red (R) or Purple (P). Commemorations are noted as being specific to the ELCA or LCMS following the particular entry. Commemorations and Festivals that are held in common are not annotated.
For further information on the development of the calendar, see Liturgical calendar (Lutheran)
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The calendars of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a mainline Protestant denomination headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA officially came into existence on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three churches. As of December 31, 2009, it had 4,543,037 baptized members, with 2,527,941 of them...
(ELCA) and the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod is a traditional, confessional Lutheran denomination in the United States. With 2.3 million members, it is both the eighth largest Protestant denomination and the second-largest Lutheran body in the U.S. after the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The Synod...
(LCMS) are from the 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship
Lutheran Book of Worship
Lutheran Book of Worship is a worship book and hymnal used by several Lutheran denominations in North America. It is often referred to by its initials as the LBW, and in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America the LBW is sometimes called the "green book" as opposed to With One Voice, a...
and the 1982 Lutheran Worship
Lutheran Worship
Lutheran Worship is one of the official hymnals of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. Published in 1982 by Concordia Publishing House in St. Louis, Missouri, it is the LCMS' third English-language hymnal and was intended to replace The Lutheran Hymnal...
. Elements unique to the ELCA have been updated from the Lutheran Book of Worship to reflect changes resulting from the publication of Evangelical Lutheran Worship
Evangelical Lutheran Worship
Evangelical Lutheran Worship or ELW is the current, primary liturgical and worship guidebook and hymnal for use in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, replacing its three predecessors, the Lutheran Book of Worship , the Hymnal Supplemental , and...
in 2006. The elements of the calendar unique to the LCMS have also been updated from Lutheran Worship and the Lutheran Book of Worship to reflect the 2006 publication of the Lutheran Service Book
Lutheran Service Book
Lutheran Service Book is the newest official hymnal of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod and the Lutheran Church–Canada . It was prepared by the LCMS Commission on Worship and published by Concordia Publishing House, the official publisher of the LCMS...
.
The event commemorated is listed with the type of event afterwards in parenthesis as well as the country where it is observed (if not commonly observed on that date in North America). For individuals, the date given is the date of their death or "heavenly birthday." The single letter listed after each event is the designated color
Liturgical colours
Liturgical colours are those specific colours which are used for vestments and hangings within the context of Christian liturgy. The symbolism of violet, white, green, red, gold, black, rose, and other colours may serve to underline moods appropriate to a season of the liturgical year or may...
for vestment
Vestment
Vestments are liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christian religion, especially among Latin Rite and other Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglicans, and Lutherans...
s and parament
Parament
A Parament or Parement; , a term applied by ancient writers to the hangings or ornaments of a room of state. Later it has referred to the liturgical hangings on and around the altar, as well as the cloths hanging from the pulpit and lectern, as well as the ecclesiastical vestments and mitres...
s: White (W), Red (R) or Purple (P). Commemorations are noted as being specific to the ELCA or LCMS following the particular entry. Commemorations and Festivals that are held in common are not annotated.
For further information on the development of the calendar, see Liturgical calendar (Lutheran)
Liturgical calendar (Lutheran)
The Lutheran liturgical calendar is a listing which details the primary annual festivals and events that are celebrated liturgically by various Lutheran churches...
.
January
- 1 Holy Name of JesusFeast of the Holy Name of JesusThe Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus is celebrated by a number of Christian denominations, on varying dates.The feast has been celebrated in the Roman Catholic calendar of saints, at least at local levels, since the end of the fifteenth century...
(Lesser Festival) W - 2 Johann Konrad Wilhelm LöheJohann Konrad Wilhelm LöheJohann Konrad Wilhelm Löhe was a pastor of the Lutheran Church, Neo-Lutheran writer, and is often regarded as being a founder of the deaconess movement in Lutheranism and a founding sponsor of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod . He was a pastor in nineteenth-century Germany...
, pastor, renewer of the church, 1872 (Commemoration) W - 3
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- 6 Epiphany of our LordEpiphany (Christian)Epiphany, or Theophany, meaning "vision of God",...
(Festival) W - 7
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- 10 Basil the GreatBasil of CaesareaBasil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great, was the bishop of Caesarea Mazaca in Cappadocia, Asia Minor . He was an influential 4th century Christian theologian...
, Bishop of Caesarea, 379; Gregory of NazianzusGregory of NazianzusGregory of Nazianzus was a 4th-century Archbishop of Constantinople. He is widely considered the most accomplished rhetorical stylist of the patristic age...
, Bishop of Constantinople, c. 389; GregoryGregory of NyssaSt. Gregory of Nyssa was a Christian bishop and saint. He was a younger brother of Basil the Great and a good friend of Gregory of Nazianzus. His significance has long been recognized in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Eastern Catholic and Roman Catholic branches of Christianity...
, Bishop of Nyssa, c. 385 (Commemoration) W – LCMS - 11
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- 14 Eivind BerggravEivind BerggravEivind Josef Berggrav was a Norwegian Lutheran bishop, primarily known as Primate of the Church of Norway and remembered for his unyielding resistance against the Nazi occupation of Norway during World War II.-Background:Berggrav was born in Stavanger, Norway...
, Norwegian Lutheran bishop - 15 Martin Luther King, Jr., renewer of societyRenewers of societyRenewers of society is a title given by the Lutheran Book of Worship to selected individuals commemorated in its Calendar of Saints whom it sees as having contributed dramatically to the development and vitality of society...
, martyr, 1968 (Commemoration) R – ELCA - 16
- 17 Antony of EgyptAnthony the GreatAnthony the Great or Antony the Great , , also known as Saint Anthony, Anthony the Abbot, Anthony of Egypt, Anthony of the Desert, Anthony the Anchorite, Abba Antonius , and Father of All Monks, was a Christian saint from Egypt, a prominent leader among the Desert Fathers...
, renewer of the church, c. 356 (Commemoration) W – ELCA- PachomiusPachomiusSaint Pakhom , also known as Pachome and Pakhomius , is generally recognized as the founder of Christian cenobitic monasticism. In the Coptic churches his feast day is celebrated on May 9...
, renewer of the church, 346 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
- Pachomius
- 18 Confession of Saint Peter (Lesser Festival) W
- Week of Prayer for Christian UnityWeek of Prayer for Christian UnityThe Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is an international Christian ecumenical observance kept annually between 18 January and 25 January. It is actually an octave, that is, an observance lasting eight days.-Beginnings:...
Begins
- Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
- 19 HenryBishop HenrySaint Henry was a medieval English clergyman...
, Bishop of Uppsala, missionary to Finland, martyr, 1156 (Commemoration) R – ELCA - 20 SarahSarahSarah or Sara was the wife of Abraham and the mother of Isaac as described in the Hebrew Bible and the Quran. Her name was originally Sarai...
, matriarch (Commemoration) W – LCMS - 21 AgnesSaint AgnesAgnes of Rome is a virgin–martyr, venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, and Lutheranism. She is one of seven women, excluding the Blessed Virgin, commemorated by name in the Canon of the Mass...
, martyr (Commemoration) R - ELCA - 22
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- 24 Saint Timothy, pastor (Lesser Festival) W - LCMS
- 25 Conversion of Saint Paul (Lesser Festival) W
- Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Ends
- 26 Timothy, TitusApostle TitusTitus was a companion of Saint Paul, mentioned in several of the Pauline epistles. Titus was with Paul and Barnabas at Antioch and accompanied them to the Council of Jerusalem, although his name occurs nowhere in the Acts of the Apostles....
, and SilasSilasSaint Silas or Saint Silvanus was a leading member of the Early Christian community, who later accompanied Paul in some of his missionary journeys....
, missionaries (Commemoration) W – ELCA- Saint Titus, pastor (Lesser Festival) W - LCMS
- 27 LydiaLydia of ThyatiraLydia of Thyatira is a character in the New Testament. She is regarded as the first recorded convert to Christianity in Europe.-Name:The name, "Lydia", meaning "the Lydian woman", by which she was known indicates that she was from Lydia in Asia Minor. Though she is commonly known as “St...
, DorcasDorcasDorcas was a disciple who lived in Joppa, referenced in the Book of Acts of the Bible. Acts recounts that when she died, she was mourned by "all the widows ... crying and showing the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them."...
, and PhoebePhoebe (Christian woman)Phoebe was a Christian woman mentioned by the Apostle Paul in Romans 16:1.Some have interpreted the Greek "diakonos" to relate Phoebe as a deacon, the most literal interpretation of the word is as a servant which is what all deacons...
, witnesses to the faith (Commemoration) W – ELCA- John ChrysostomJohn ChrysostomJohn Chrysostom , Archbishop of Constantinople, was an important Early Church Father. He is known for his eloquence in preaching and public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority by both ecclesiastical and political leaders, the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, and his ascetic...
, Bishop of Constantinople, 407 (Commemoration) W – LCMS
- John Chrysostom
- 28 Thomas AquinasThomas AquinasThomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...
, teacher, 1274 (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 29
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February
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- 2 Presentation of our LordPresentation of Jesus at the TempleThe Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, which falls on 2 February, celebrates an early episode in the life of Jesus. In the Eastern Orthodox Church and some Eastern Catholic Churches, it is one of the twelve Great Feasts, and is sometimes called Hypapante...
(Lesser Festival) W - 3 AnsgarAnsgarSaint Ansgar, Anskar or Oscar, was an Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen. The see of Hamburg was designated a "Mission to bring Christianity to the North", and Ansgar became known as the "Apostle of the North".-Life:After his mother’s early death Ansgar was brought up in Corbie Abbey, and made rapid...
, Archbishop of Hamburg, missionary to Denmark and Sweden, 865 (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 4
- 5 The Martyrs of JapanMartyrs of JapanThe refers to a group of Christians who were executed by crucifixion on February 5, 1597 at Nagasaki. Their martyrdom is especially significant in the history of Roman Catholicism in Japan....
, 1597 (Commemoration) R – ELCA- JacobJacobJacob "heel" or "leg-puller"), also later known as Israel , as described in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud, the New Testament and the Qur'an was the third patriarch of the Hebrew people with whom God made a covenant, and ancestor of the tribes of Israel, which were named after his descendants.In the...
, patriarch (Commemoration) W – LCMS
- Jacob
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- 10 SilasSilasSaint Silas or Saint Silvanus was a leading member of the Early Christian community, who later accompanied Paul in some of his missionary journeys....
, apostle(Commemoration) W – LCMS - 11
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- 13 Aquila, PriscillaPriscilla (Christian)Priscilla and Aquila were a first century Christian missionary couple described in the New Testament and traditionally listed among the Seventy Disciples. They lived, worked, and traveled with the Apostle Paul, becoming his honored, much-loved friends and coworkers in Christ Jesus...
, and ApollosApollosSaint Apollos is an apostle who is also a 1st century Alexandrian Jewish Christian mentioned several times in the New Testament...
(Commemoration) W – LCMS
- 14 CyrilSaints Cyril and MethodiusSaints Cyril and Methodius were two Byzantine Greek brothers born in Thessaloniki in the 9th century. They became missionaries of Christianity among the Slavic peoples of Bulgaria, Great Moravia and Pannonia. Through their work they influenced the cultural development of all Slavs, for which they...
, monk, 869; Methodius, bishop, 885; missionaries to the Slavs (Commemoration) W – ELCA- ValentineSaint ValentineSaint Valentine is the name of several martyred saints of ancient Rome. The name "Valentine", derived from valens , was popular in Late Antiquity...
, martyr, 270 (Commemoration) R – LCMS
- Valentine
- 15 PhilemonPhilemon (New Testament character)Philemon was an early Christian in Asia Minor who was the recipient of a private letter from Paul of Tarsus. This letter is known as Epistle to Philemon in the New Testament...
and OnesimusOnesimusSaint Onesimus |churches]]) was a slave to Philemon of Colossae, a man of Christian faith. Eventually, Onesimus transgressed against Philemon and fled to the site of Paul the Apostle's imprisonment to escape punishment for a theft he was said to have committed, there, he heard the Gospel from...
(Commemoration) W – LCMS - 16 Philipp MelanchthonPhilipp MelanchthonPhilipp Melanchthon , born Philipp Schwartzerdt, was a German reformer, collaborator with Martin Luther, the first systematic theologian of the Protestant Reformation, intellectual leader of the Lutheran Reformation, and an influential designer of educational systems...
, confessor, 1560 (Commemoration) R – LCMS - 17
- 18 Martin LutherMartin LutherMartin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
, doctor and confessor, renewer of the church, 1546 (Commemoration) W - 19
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- 23 PolycarpPolycarpSaint Polycarp was a 2nd century Christian bishop of Smyrna. According to the Martyrdom of Polycarp, he died a martyr, bound and burned at the stake, then stabbed when the fire failed to touch him...
, Bishop of Smyrna, martyr 156 (Commemoration) R - 24 Saint MatthiasSaint MatthiasMatthias , according to the Acts of the Apostles, was the apostle chosen by the remaining eleven apostles to replace Judas Iscariot following Judas' betrayal of Jesus and his suicide.-Biography:...
, Apostle (Lesser Festival) R – LCMS - 25 Elizabeth FeddeElizabeth FeddeElisabeth Fedde was a Norwegian Lutheran Deaconess who established the Norwegian Relief Society to better served the Norwegian-American immigrant community.-Biography:...
, deaconess, 1921 (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 26
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March
- 1 George HerbertGeorge HerbertGeorge Herbert was a Welsh born English poet, orator and Anglican priest.Being born into an artistic and wealthy family, he received a good education that led to his holding prominent positions at Cambridge University and Parliament. As a student at Trinity College, Cambridge, Herbert excelled in...
, priest, hymnwriter, 1633 (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 2 JohnJohn WesleyJohn Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
, 1791; Charles WesleyCharles WesleyCharles Wesley was an English leader of the Methodist movement, son of Anglican clergyman and poet Samuel Wesley, the younger brother of Anglican clergyman John Wesley and Anglican clergyman Samuel Wesley , and father of musician Samuel Wesley, and grandfather of musician Samuel Sebastian Wesley...
, 1788; priests, renewers of the church (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 3
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- 7 Perpetua and Felicity and companions, martyrs at Carthage, 202 (Commemoration) R
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- 10 Harriet TubmanHarriet TubmanHarriet Tubman Harriet Tubman Harriet Tubman (born Araminta Harriet Ross; (1820 – 1913) was an African-American abolitionist, humanitarian, and Union spy during the American Civil War. After escaping from slavery, into which she was born, she made thirteen missions to rescue more than 70 slaves...
, 1913; Sojourner TruthSojourner TruthSojourner Truth was the self-given name, from 1843 onward, of Isabella Baumfree, an African-American abolitionist and women's rights activist. Truth was born into slavery in Swartekill, New York, but escaped with her infant daughter to freedom in 1826. After going to court to recover her son, she...
, 1883; renewers of society (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 11
- 12 Gregory the GreatPope Gregory IPope Gregory I , better known in English as Gregory the Great, was pope from 3 September 590 until his death...
, Bishop of Rome, 604 (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 13
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- 17 PatrickSaint PatrickSaint Patrick was a Romano-Briton and Christian missionary, who is the most generally recognized patron saint of Ireland or the Apostle of Ireland, although Brigid of Kildare and Colmcille are also formally patron saints....
, bishop, missionary to Ireland, 461 (Commemoration) W - 18
- 19 JosephSaint JosephSaint Joseph is a figure in the Gospels, the husband of the Virgin Mary and the earthly father of Jesus Christ ....
, guardian of our Lord (Lesser Festival) W - 20
- 21 Thomas CranmerThomas CranmerThomas Cranmer was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I. He helped build a favourable case for Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon which resulted in the separation of the English Church from...
, Archbishop of Canterbury, martyr, 1556 (Commemoration) R – ELCA - 22 Jonathan Edwards, teacher, missionary to American Indians, 1758 (Commemoration) W - ELCA
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- 24 Oscar Arnulfo RomeroÓscar RomeroÓscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez was a bishop of the Catholic Church in El Salvador. He became the fourth Archbishop of San Salvador, succeeding Luis Chávez. He was assassinated on 24 March 1980....
, Bishop of El Salvador, martyr, 1980 (Commemoration) R – ELCA - 25 Annunciation of Our LordAnnunciationThe Annunciation, also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary or Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel to Virgin Mary, that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus the Son of God. Gabriel told Mary to name her...
(Festival) W - 26
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- 29 Hans Nielsen HaugeHans Nielsen HaugeHans Nielsen Hauge was a noted revivalist Norwegian lay minister who spoke up against the Church establishment in Norway. Hauge is considered an influential personality in the industrialization of Norway...
, renewer of the church, 1824 (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 30
- 31 John DonneJohn DonneJohn Donne 31 March 1631), English poet, satirist, lawyer, and priest, is now considered the preeminent representative of the metaphysical poets. His works are notable for their strong and sensual style and include sonnets, love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs,...
, priest, poet, 1631 (Commemoration) W – ELCA- JosephJoseph (Hebrew Bible)Joseph is an important character in the Hebrew bible, where he connects the story of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in Canaan to the subsequent story of the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt....
, patriarch (Commemoration) W – LCMS
- Joseph
April
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- 4 Benedict the AfricanBenedict the MoorSaint Benedict was an Italian saint who is venerated in the Catholic Church and Lutheran Church.-Life:He was born to Christopher and Diana Manasseri, Africans who were taken to San Fratello , a small town near Messina, Sicily, as slaves and later were converted to Christianity...
, confessor, 1589 (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 5
- 6 Albrecht DürerAlbrecht DürerAlbrecht Dürer was a German painter, printmaker, engraver, mathematician, and theorist from Nuremberg. His prints established his reputation across Europe when he was still in his twenties, and he has been conventionally regarded as the greatest artist of the Northern Renaissance ever since...
, 1528; Lucas CranachLucas Cranach the ElderLucas Cranach the Elder , was a German Renaissance painter and printmaker in woodcut and engraving...
, 1553; artists (Commemoration) W- Matthias GrünewaldMatthias GrünewaldMatthias Grünewald or "Mathis" , "Gothart" or "Neithardt" , , was a German Renaissance painter of religious works, who ignored Renaissance classicism to continue the expressive and intense style of late medieval Central European art into the 16th century.Only ten paintings—several consisting...
, artist, 1529 (Commemoration) W – ELCA - MichelangeloMichelangeloMichelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni , commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art...
, artist, (Commemoration) W – LCMS
- Matthias Grünewald
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- 9 Dietrich BonhoefferDietrich BonhoefferDietrich Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and martyr. He was a participant in the German resistance movement against Nazism and a founding member of the Confessing Church. He was involved in plans by members of the Abwehr to assassinate Adolf Hitler...
, theologian, martyr, 1945 (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 10 Mikael AgricolaMikael AgricolaMikael Agricola was a clergyman who became the de facto founder of written Finnish and a prominent proponent of the Protestant Reformation in Sweden . He is often called the "father of the Finnish written language". Agricola was consecrated as the bishop of Turku in 1554, without papal approval...
, Bishop of Turku, 1557 (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 11
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- 19 Olavus PetriOlaus PetriOlof Persson , better known under the Latin form of his name, Olaus Petri , was a clergyman, writer, and a major contributor to the Protestant Reformation in Sweden...
, priest, 1552; Laurentius PetriLaurentius PetriLaurentius Petri Nericius was a Swedish clergyman and the first Evangelical Lutheran Archbishop of Sweden. He and his brother Olaus Petri are, together with the King Gustav Vasa, regarded as the main Protestant reformers of Sweden...
, Archbishop of Uppsala, 1573; renewers of the church (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 20 Johannes BugenhagenJohannes BugenhagenJohannes Bugenhagen , also called Doctor Pomeranus by Martin Luther, introduced the Protestant Reformation in the Duchy of Pomerania and Denmark in the 16th century. Among his major accomplishments was organization of Lutheran churches in Northern Germany and Scandinavia...
, pastor, 1558 (Commemoration) – LCMS - 21 AnselmAnselm of CanterburyAnselm of Canterbury , also called of Aosta for his birthplace, and of Bec for his home monastery, was a Benedictine monk, a philosopher, and a prelate of the church who held the office of Archbishop of Canterbury from 1093 to 1109...
, Archbishop of Canterbury, theologian, 1109 (Commemoration) W
- 22 Día de la Creación (Lesser Festival) W – ELCA
- 23 Toyohiko KagawaToyohiko Kagawathumb|right|200px|At Princeton Theological Seminarythumb|right|200px|Great Kantō earthquake, 1923thumb|right|200px|In America, 1935 was a Japanese Christian pacifist, Christian reformer, and labour activist. Kagawa wrote, spoke, and worked at length on ways to employ Christian principles in the...
, renewer of society, 1960 (Commemoration) W - ELCA - 24 Johann WalterJohann WalterJohann Walter was a Lutheran composer and poet during the Reformation period.-Life:Walter was born in Kahla, Thuringia in 1496...
, musician, 1570 (Commemoration) W – LCMS - 25 Saint MarkMark the EvangelistMark the Evangelist is the traditional author of the Gospel of Mark. He is one of the Seventy Disciples of Christ, and the founder of the Church of Alexandria, one of the original four main sees of Christianity....
, Evangelist (Lesser Festival) R - 26
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- 29 Catherine of SienaCatherine of SienaSaint Catherine of Siena, T.O.S.D, was a tertiary of the Dominican Order, and a Scholastic philosopher and theologian. She also worked to bring the papacy of Gregory XI back to Rome from its displacement in France, and to establish peace among the Italian city-states. She was proclaimed a Doctor...
, theologian, 1380 (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 30
May
- 1 Saint PhilipPhilip the ApostlePhilip the Apostle was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. Later Christian traditions describe Philip as the apostle who preached in Greece, Syria, and Phrygia....
and Saint JamesJames the LessJames the Less is a figure of early Christianity. He is also called "the minor", "the little", "the lesser", or "the younger", according to translation. He is often confused with James the Great and may or may not be James the Just.- Sources :...
, Apostles (Lesser Festival) R - 2 AthanasiusAthanasius of AlexandriaAthanasius of Alexandria [b. ca. – d. 2 May 373] is also given the titles St. Athanasius the Great, St. Athanasius I of Alexandria, St Athanasius the Confessor and St Athanasius the Apostolic. He was the 20th bishop of Alexandria. His long episcopate lasted 45 years Athanasius of Alexandria [b....
, Bishop of Alexandria, 373 (Commemoration) W - 3
- 4 MonicaMonica of HippoSaint Monica is a Christian saint and the mother of Augustine of Hippo, who wrote extensively of her virtues and his life with her in his Confessions.-Life:...
, mother of Augustine, 387 (Commemoration) W – ELCA- Friedrich WynekenF. C. D. WynekenFriedrich Conrad Dietrich Wyneken was a missionary, pastor and the second president of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod....
, pastor, missionary, 1864 (Commemoration) W – LCMS
- Friedrich Wyneken
- 5 Frederick the WiseFrederick III, Elector of SaxonyFrederick III of Saxony , also known as Frederick the Wise , was Elector of Saxony from 1486 to his death. Frederick was the son of Ernest, Elector of Saxony and his wife Elisabeth, daughter of Albert III, Duke of Bavaria...
, Christian ruler, 1525 (Commemoration) W – LCMS - 6
- 7 Carl F. W. WaltherC. F. W. WaltherCarl Ferdinand Wilhelm Walther was the first President of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod and its most influential theologian...
, pastor, theologian, 1887 (Commemoration) W – LCMS - 8 Victor the MoorVictor MaurusVictor the Moor was a Christian martyr and is venerated as a saint. Victor, born into a Christian family, was a soldier in the Roman Praetorian Guard...
, martyr, 303 (Commemoration) R – ELCA- Julian of NorwichJulian of NorwichJulian of Norwich is regarded as one of the most important English mystics. She is venerated in the Anglican and Lutheran churches, but has never been canonized, or officially beatified, by the Catholic Church, probably because so little is known of her life aside from her writings, including the...
, renewer of the Church, c. 1416 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
- Julian of Norwich
- 9 Nicolaus Ludwig von ZinzendorfNicolaus Ludwig ZinzendorfNikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf und Pottendorf, Imperial Count of Zinzendorf and Pottendorf, , German religious and social reformer and bishop of the Moravian Church, was born at Dresden....
, renewer of the church, hymnwriter, 1760 (Commemoration) W – ELCA- JobJob (Biblical figure)Job is the central character of the Book of Job in the Hebrew Bible. Job is listed as a prophet of God in the Qur'an.- Book of Job :The Book of Job begins with an introduction to Job's character — he is described as a blessed man who lives righteously...
, patriarch (Commemoration) W – LCMS
- Job
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- 11 Cyrill, 869 and Methodius, 885, missionaries to the Slavs (Commemoration) W – LCMS
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- 14 Saint MatthiasSaint MatthiasMatthias , according to the Acts of the Apostles, was the apostle chosen by the remaining eleven apostles to replace Judas Iscariot following Judas' betrayal of Jesus and his suicide.-Biography:...
, apostle (Lesser Festival) R – ELCA - 15
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- 18 ErikEric IX of SwedenEric "IX" of Sweden, , also called Eric the Lawgiver, Erik the Saint, Eric the Holy and in Sweden Sankt Erik meaning Saint Eric was a Swedish king c.1155 – 1160...
, King of Sweden, martyr, 1160 (Commemoration) R – ELCA - 19
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- 21 HelenaHelena of ConstantinopleSaint Helena also known as Saint Helen, Helena Augusta or Helena of Constantinople was the consort of Emperor Constantius, and the mother of Emperor Constantine I...
, mother of Constantine, c. 330 (Commemoration) W- Emperor ConstantineConstantine IConstantine the Great , also known as Constantine I or Saint Constantine, was Roman Emperor from 306 to 337. Well known for being the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, Constantine and co-Emperor Licinius issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which proclaimed religious tolerance of all...
, Emperor of Rome, 337 (Commemoration) W – LCMS
- Emperor Constantine
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- 24 Nicolaus CopernicusNicolaus CopernicusNicolaus Copernicus was a Renaissance astronomer and the first person to formulate a comprehensive heliocentric cosmology which displaced the Earth from the center of the universe....
, 1543; Leonhard EulerLeonhard EulerLeonhard Euler was a pioneering Swiss mathematician and physicist. He made important discoveries in fields as diverse as infinitesimal calculus and graph theory. He also introduced much of the modern mathematical terminology and notation, particularly for mathematical analysis, such as the notion...
, 1783; scientists (Commemoration) W – ELCA- EstherEstherEsther , born Hadassah, is the eponymous heroine of the Biblical Book of Esther.According to the Bible, she was a Jewish queen of the Persian king Ahasuerus...
, matriarch, (Commemoration) W – LCMS
- Esther
- 25 BedeBedeBede , also referred to as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede , was a monk at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth, today part of Sunderland, England, and of its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow , both in the Kingdom of Northumbria...
, theologian, 735 (Commemoration) R – LCMS - 26
- 27 John CalvinJohn CalvinJohn Calvin was an influential French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism. Originally trained as a humanist lawyer, he broke from the Roman Catholic Church around 1530...
, renewer of the church, 1564 (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 28
- 29 Juraj TranovskýJirí TranovskýJiří Třanovský , was a hymnwriter from the Cieszyn Silesia. He was sometimes called the father of Slovak hymnody and the "Luther of the Slavs." His name is sometimes anglicized to George.Třanovský was born in Teschen, and studied at Guben and Kolberg...
, hymnwriter, 1637 (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 30
- 31 The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth (Lesser Festival) W
June
- 1 JustinJustin MartyrJustin Martyr, also known as just Saint Justin , was an early Christian apologist. Most of his works are lost, but two apologies and a dialogue survive. He is considered a saint by the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church....
, martyr at Rome, c. 165 (Commemoration) R - 2
- 3 John XXIIIPope John XXIII-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...
, Bishop of Rome, 1963 (Commemoration) W – ELCA- Martyrs of UgandaMartyrs of UgandaThe Uganda Martyrs were Christian converts who were murdered for their faith in the historical kingdom of Buganda, now part of Uganda.-Charles Lwanga and his companions:...
, 1886 (Commemoration) R – ELCA
- Martyrs of Uganda
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- 5 BonifaceSaint BonifaceSaint Boniface , the Apostle of the Germans, born Winfrid, Wynfrith, or Wynfryth in the kingdom of Wessex, probably at Crediton , was a missionary who propagated Christianity in the Frankish Empire during the 8th century. He is the patron saint of Germany and the first archbishop of Mainz...
, Archbishop of Mainz, missionary to Germany, martyr, 754 (Commemoration) R - 6
- 7 SeattleChief SeattleChief Seattle , was a Dkhw’Duw’Absh chief, also known as Sealth, Seathle, Seathl, or See-ahth. A prominent figure among his people, he pursued a path of accommodation to white settlers, forming a personal relationship with David Swinson "Doc" Maynard. Seattle, Washington was named after him...
, chief of the Duwamish Confederacy, 1866 (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 8
- 9 ColumbaColumbaSaint Columba —also known as Colum Cille , Colm Cille , Calum Cille and Kolban or Kolbjørn —was a Gaelic Irish missionary monk who propagated Christianity among the Picts during the Early Medieval Period...
, 597; AidanAidan of LindisfarneKnown as Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne, Aidan the Apostle of Northumbria , was the founder and first bishop of the monastery on the island of Lindisfarne in England. A Christian missionary, he is credited with restoring Christianity to Northumbria. Aidan is the Anglicised form of the original Old...
, 651; BedeBedeBede , also referred to as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede , was a monk at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth, today part of Sunderland, England, and of its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow , both in the Kingdom of Northumbria...
, 735; teachers, renewers of the church (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 10
- 11 Saint BarnabasBarnabasBarnabas , born Joseph, was an Early Christian, one of the earliest Christian disciples in Jerusalem. In terms of culture and background, he was a Hellenised Jew, specifically a Levite. Named an apostle in , he and Saint Paul undertook missionary journeys together and defended Gentile converts...
, Apostle (Lesser Festival) R - 12 First Ecumenical CouncilFirst Council of NicaeaThe First Council of Nicaea was a council of Christian bishops convened in Nicaea in Bithynia by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in AD 325...
, 325 (Commemoration) W – LCMS - 13
- 14 Basil the GreatBasil of CaesareaBasil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great, was the bishop of Caesarea Mazaca in Cappadocia, Asia Minor . He was an influential 4th century Christian theologian...
, Bishop of Caesarea, 379; Gregory of NazianzusGregory of NazianzusGregory of Nazianzus was a 4th-century Archbishop of Constantinople. He is widely considered the most accomplished rhetorical stylist of the patristic age...
, Bishop of Constantinople, c. 389; GregoryGregory of NyssaSt. Gregory of Nyssa was a Christian bishop and saint. He was a younger brother of Basil the Great and a good friend of Gregory of Nazianzus. His significance has long been recognized in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Eastern Catholic and Roman Catholic branches of Christianity...
, Bishop of Nyssa, c. 385 (Commemoration) W – ELCA- MacrinaSaint Macrina the YoungerSaint Macrina the Younger was born at Caesarea, Cappadocia. Her parents were Basil the Elder and Emmelia, and her grandmother was Saint Macrina the Elder. Among her nine siblings were two of the three Cappadocian Fathers, her younger brothers Basil the Great and Saint Gregory of Nyssa, as well as...
, theologian, c. 379 (Commemoration) W – ELCA - ElishaElishaElisha is a prophet mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an. His name is commonly transliterated into English as Elisha via Hebrew, Eliseus via Greek and Latin, or Alyasa via Arabic.-Biblical biography:...
, prophet (Commemoration) R – LCMS
- Macrina
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- 21 Onesimos NesibOnesimos NesibOnesimos Nesib , was a native Oromo who converted to Lutheran Christianity and translated the Christian Bible into the Oromo language...
, translator, evangelist, 1931 (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 22
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- 24 The Nativity of Saint John the BaptistNativity of St. John the BaptistThe Nativity of St. John the Baptist is a Christian feast day celebrating the birth of John the Baptist, a prophet who foretold the coming of the Messiah in the person of Jesus and who baptized Jesus.-Significance:Christians have long interpreted the life of John the Baptist as a preparation for...
(Lesser Festival) W - 25 Presentation of the Augsburg ConfessionAugsburg ConfessionThe Augsburg Confession, also known as the "Augustana" from its Latin name, Confessio Augustana, is the primary confession of faith of the Lutheran Church and one of the most important documents of the Lutheran reformation...
, 1530 (Commemoration) W- Philipp MelanchthonPhilipp MelanchthonPhilipp Melanchthon , born Philipp Schwartzerdt, was a German reformer, collaborator with Martin Luther, the first systematic theologian of the Protestant Reformation, intellectual leader of the Lutheran Reformation, and an influential designer of educational systems...
, renewer of the church, 1560 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
- Philipp Melanchthon
- 26 JeremiahJeremiahJeremiah Hebrew：יִרְמְיָה , Modern Hebrew:Yirməyāhū, IPA: jirməˈjaːhu, Tiberian:Yirmĭyahu, Greek:Ἰερεμίας), meaning "Yahweh exalts", or called the "Weeping prophet" was one of the main prophets of the Hebrew Bible...
, prophet (Commemoration) R – LCMS - 27 CyrilCyril of AlexandriaCyril of Alexandria was the Patriarch of Alexandria from 412 to 444. He came to power when the city was at its height of influence and power within the Roman Empire. Cyril wrote extensively and was a leading protagonist in the Christological controversies of the later 4th and 5th centuries...
, Bishop of Alexandria, 444 ( Commemoration) W - 28 IrenaeusIrenaeusSaint Irenaeus , was Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul, then a part of the Roman Empire . He was an early church father and apologist, and his writings were formative in the early development of Christian theology...
, Bishop of Lyons, c. 202 (Commemoration) W - 29 Saint PeterSaint PeterSaint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
and Saint PaulPaul of TarsusPaul the Apostle , also known as Saul of Tarsus, is described in the Christian New Testament as one of the most influential early Christian missionaries, with the writings ascribed to him by the church forming a considerable portion of the New Testament...
, Apostles (Lesser Festival) R - 30
July
- 1 Catherine WinkworthCatherine WinkworthCatherine Winkworth was an English translator. She is best known for bringing the German chorale tradition to English speakers with her numerous translations of hymns.-Biography:...
, 1878; John Mason NealeJohn Mason NealeJohn Mason Neale was an Anglican priest, scholar and hymn-writer.-Life:Neale was born in London, his parents being the Revd Cornelius Neale and Susanna Neale, daughter of John Mason Good...
, 1866; hymn translators (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 2
- 3 Saint ThomasThomas the ApostleThomas the Apostle, also called Doubting Thomas or Didymus was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He is best known for questioning Jesus' resurrection when first told of it, then proclaiming "My Lord and my God" on seeing Jesus in . He was perhaps the only Apostle who went outside the Roman...
, apostle (Lesser Festival) R – ELCA - 4
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- 6 Jan HusJan HusJan Hus , often referred to in English as John Hus or John Huss, was a Czech priest, philosopher, reformer, and master at Charles University in Prague...
, martyr, 1415 (Commemoration) R – ELCA- IsaiahIsaiahIsaiah ; Greek: ', Ēsaïās ; "Yahu is salvation") was a prophet in the 8th-century BC Kingdom of Judah.Jews and Christians consider the Book of Isaiah a part of their Biblical canon; he is the first listed of the neviim akharonim, the later prophets. Many of the New Testament teachings of Jesus...
, prophet (Commemoration) R – LCMS
- Isaiah
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- 11 Benedict of NursiaBenedict of NursiaSaint Benedict of Nursia is a Christian saint, honored by the Roman Catholic Church as the patron saint of Europe and students.Benedict founded twelve communities for monks at Subiaco, about to the east of Rome, before moving to Monte Cassino in the mountains of southern Italy. There is no...
, Abbot of Monte Cassino, c. 540 (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 12 Nathan SöderblomNathan SöderblomLars Olof Jonathan Söderblom was a Swedish clergyman, Archbishop of Uppsala in the Church of Sweden, and recipient of the 1930 Nobel Peace Prize...
, Archbishop of Uppsala, 1931 (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 13
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- 16 RuthBook of RuthThe Book of Ruth is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible, Tanakh, or Old Testament. In the Jewish canon the Book of Ruth is included in the third division, or the Writings . In the Christian canon the Book of Ruth is placed between Judges and 1 Samuel...
, matriarch (Commemoration) W – LCMS - 17 Bartolomé de Las CasasBartolomé de Las CasasBartolomé de las Casas O.P. was a 16th-century Spanish historian, social reformer and Dominican friar. He became the first resident Bishop of Chiapas, and the first officially appointed "Protector of the Indians"...
, missionary to the Indies, 1566 (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 18
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- 20 ElijahElijah (prophet)Elijah also Elias ; , meaning "Yahweh is my God";Arabic:إلياس, Ilyās), was a prophet in the Kingdom of Samaria during the reign of Ahab , according to the Books of Kings....
, prophet (Commemoration) R – LCMS - 21 EzekielBook of EzekielThe Book of Ezekiel is the third of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, following the books of Isaiah and Jeremiah and preceding the Book of the Twelve....
, prophet (Commemoration) R – LCMS - 22 Saint Mary MagdaleneMary MagdaleneMary Magdalene was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons", conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses...
, Apostle (Lesser Festival) W - 23 Birgitta of SwedenBridget of SwedenBridget of Sweden Bridget of Sweden Bridget of Sweden (1303 – 23 July 1373; also Birgitta of Vadstena, Saint Birgitta , was a mystic and saint, and founder of the Bridgettines nuns and monks after the death of her husband of twenty years...
, renewer of the church, 1373 (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 24
- 25 Saint James the Elder, Apostle (Lesser Festival) R
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- 28 Johann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
, 1750; Heinrich SchützHeinrich SchützHeinrich Schütz was a German composer and organist, generally regarded as the most important German composer before Johann Sebastian Bach and often considered to be one of the most important composers of the 17th century along with Claudio Monteverdi...
, 1672; George Frederick Handel, 1759; musicians (Commemoration) W - 29 MaryMary, sister of LazarusMary of Bethany is a biblical figure described in the Gospels of John and Luke in the Christian New Testament...
, MarthaMarthaMartha of Bethany is a biblical figure described in the Gospels of Luke and John. Together with her siblings Lazarus and Mary, she is described as living in the village of Bethany near Jerusalem...
, and LazarusLazarus of BethanyLazarus of Bethany, also known as Saint Lazarus or Lazarus of the Four Days, is the subject of a prominent miracle attributed to Jesus in the Gospel of John, in which Jesus restores him to life four days after his death...
of Bethany (Commemoration) W- OlafOlaf II of NorwayOlaf II Haraldsson was King of Norway from 1015 to 1028. He was posthumously given the title Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae and canonised in Nidaros by Bishop Grimkell, one year after his death in the Battle of Stiklestad on 29 July 1030. Enshrined in Nidaros Cathedral...
, King of Norway, martyr, 1030 (Commemoration) R – ELCA
- Olaf
- 30 Robert Barnes (martyr), confessor and martyr (Commemoration) R – LCMS
- 31 Joseph of ArimatheaJoseph of ArimatheaJoseph of Arimathea was, according to the Gospels, the man who donated his own prepared tomb for the burial of Jesus after Jesus' Crucifixion. He is mentioned in all four Gospels.-Gospel references:...
(Commemoration) W – LCMS
August
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- 3 JoannaSaint JoannaSaint Joanna was one of the women associated with the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth, often considered to be one of the disciples who later became an apostle . In the Bible, she is one of the women recorded in the Gospel of Luke as accompanying Jesus and the twelve: "Mary, called Magdalene, .....
, Mary, and SalomeSalome (disciple)Salome , sometimes venerated as Mary Salome, was a follower of Jesus who appears briefly in the canonical gospels and in more detail in apocryphal writings...
, myrrh-bearing women (Commemoration) W – LCMS - 4
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- 6 Transfiguration of Our LordTransfiguration of JesusThe Transfiguration of Jesus is an event reported in the New Testament in which Jesus is transfigured and becomes radiant upon a mountain. The Synoptic Gospels describe it, and 2 Peter 1:16-18 refers to it....
(Festival) W - 7
- 8 DominicSaint DominicSaint Dominic , also known as Dominic of Osma, often called Dominic de Guzmán and Domingo Félix de Guzmán was the founder of the Friars Preachers, popularly called the Dominicans or Order of Preachers , a Catholic religious order...
, priest, founder of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans), 1221 (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 9
- 10 Lawrence, deacon, martyr 258 (Commemoration) R
- 11 ClareClare of AssisiClare of Assisi , born Chiara Offreduccio, is an Italian saint and one of the first followers of Saint Francis of Assisi...
, Abbess of San Damiano, renewer of the Church, 1253 (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 12
- 13 Florence NightingaleFlorence NightingaleFlorence Nightingale OM, RRC was a celebrated English nurse, writer and statistician. She came to prominence for her pioneering work in nursing during the Crimean War, where she tended to wounded soldiers. She was dubbed "The Lady with the Lamp" after her habit of making rounds at night...
, 1910; Clara MaassClara MaassClara Louise Maass was an American nurse who died as a result of volunteering for medical experiments to study yellow fever.-Early life:...
, 1901; renewers of society (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 14 Maximilian KolbeMaximilian KolbeSaint Maximilian Maria Kolbe OFM Conv was a Polish Conventual Franciscan friar, who volunteered to die in place of a stranger in the Nazi German concentration camp of Auschwitz, located in German-occupied Poland during World War II.He was canonized on 10 October 1982 by Pope John Paul II, and...
, 1941; Kaj MunkKaj MunkKaj Harald Leininger Munk was a Danish playwright and Lutheran pastor, known for his cultural engagement and his martyrdom during the Occupation of Denmark of World War II...
, 1944; martyrs (Commemoration) R – ELCA - 15 MaryMary (mother of Jesus)Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
, Mother of Our Lord (Lesser Festival) W
- 16 IsaacIsaacIsaac as described in the Hebrew Bible, was the only son Abraham had with his wife Sarah, and was the father of Jacob and Esau. Isaac was one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites...
, patriarch (Commemoration) W – LCMS - 17 Johann GerhardJohann GerhardJohann Gerhard was a Lutheran church leader and Lutheran Scholastic theologian during the period of Orthodoxy.-Biography:He was born in the German city of Quedlinburg...
, theologian, 1637 (Commemoration) W – LCMS - 18
- 19 BernardBernard of ClairvauxBernard of Clairvaux, O.Cist was a French abbot and the primary builder of the reforming Cistercian order.After the death of his mother, Bernard sought admission into the Cistercian order. Three years later, he was sent to found a new abbey at an isolated clearing in a glen known as the Val...
, Abbot of Clairvaux, hymnwriter, theologian 1153 (Commemoration) W – LCMS - 20 Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux, hymnwriter, theologian, 1153 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
- Samuel, prophet (Commemoration) R – LCMS
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- 27 Monica, mother of Augustine 387 (Commemoration) W – LCMS
- 28 AugustineAugustine of HippoAugustine of Hippo , also known as Augustine, St. Augustine, St. Austin, St. Augoustinos, Blessed Augustine, or St. Augustine the Blessed, was Bishop of Hippo Regius . He was a Latin-speaking philosopher and theologian who lived in the Roman Africa Province...
, Bishop of Hippo, 430 (Commemoration) W- Moses the BlackMoses the BlackSaint Moses the Black , was an ascetic monk and priest in Egypt in the fourth century AD.-Early life:...
, monk, martyr, c. 400 (Commemoration) R - ELCA
- Moses the Black
- 29 The Martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist (Lesser Festival) R – LCMS
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September
- 1 JoshuaJoshuaJoshua , is a minor figure in the Torah, being one of the spies for Israel and in few passages as Moses's assistant. He turns to be the central character in the Hebrew Bible's Book of Joshua...
, prophet (Commemoration) R – LCMS - 2 Nikolaj Frederik Severin GrundtvigNikolaj Frederik Severin GrundtvigNikolaj Frederik Severin Grundtvig , most often referred to as simply N. F. S. Grundtvig, was a Danish pastor, author, poet, philosopher, historian, teacher, and politician. He was one of the most influential people in Danish history, as his philosophy gave rise to a new form of nationalism in...
, bishop, renewer of the church, 1872 (Commemoration) W – ELCA- HannahHannah (Bible)Hannah is the wife of Elkanah mentioned in the Books of Samuel. According to the Hebrew Bible she was the mother of Samuel...
, matriarch (Commemoration) W – LCMS
- Hannah
- 3 Gregory the Great, Bishop of Rome, 604 (Commemoration) W – LCMS
- 4 MosesMosesMoses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
, prophet (Commemoration)) R – LCMS - 5 ZechariahZechariah (priest)In the Bible, Zechariah , is the father of John the Baptist, a priest of the sons of Aaron, a prophet in , and the husband of Elisabeth who is the cousin of Mary the mother of Jesus.In the Qur'an, Zechariah plays a similar role as the father of John the Baptist and ranks him as a prophet alongside...
, prophet - 6
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- 9 Peter ClaverPeter ClaverPeter Claver was a Jesuit who, due to his life and work, became the patron saint of slaves, Colombia and African Americans...
, priest, missionary to Colombia, 1654 (Commemoration) – ELCA - 10
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- 13 John ChrysostomJohn ChrysostomJohn Chrysostom , Archbishop of Constantinople, was an important Early Church Father. He is known for his eloquence in preaching and public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority by both ecclesiastical and political leaders, the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, and his ascetic...
, Bishop of Constantinople, 407 (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 14 Feast of the Holy CrossFeast of the CrossIn the Christian liturgical calendar, there are several different Feasts of the Cross, all of which commemorate the cross used in the crucifixion of Jesus....
(Lesser Festival) R - 15
- 16 CyprianCyprianCyprian was bishop of Carthage and an important Early Christian writer, many of whose Latin works are extant. He was born around the beginning of the 3rd century in North Africa, perhaps at Carthage, where he received a classical education...
, Bishop of Carthage, martyr, c. 258 (Commemoration) R - 17 HildegardHildegard of BingenBlessed Hildegard of Bingen , also known as Saint Hildegard, and Sibyl of the Rhine, was a German writer, composer, philosopher, Christian mystic, Benedictine abbess, visionary, and polymath. Elected a magistra by her fellow nuns in 1136, she founded the monasteries of Rupertsberg in 1150 and...
, Abbess of Bingen, 1179 (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 18 Dag HammarskjöldDag HammarskjöldDag Hjalmar Agne Carl Hammarskjöld was a Swedish diplomat, economist, and author. An early Secretary-General of the United Nations, he served from April 1953 until his death in a plane crash in September 1961. He is the only person to have been awarded a posthumous Nobel Peace Prize. Hammarskjöld...
, renewer of society, 1961 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
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- 20 Nelson Wesley TroutNelson Wesley TroutNelson Wesley Trout was the first African American bishop in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Trout was born in Columbus, Ohio, USA....
, bishop, 1996 (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 21 Saint MatthewMatthew the EvangelistMatthew the Evangelist was, according to the Bible, one of the twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the four Evangelists.-Identity:...
, Apostle and Evangelist (Lesser Festival) R - 22 JonahJonahJonah is the name given in the Hebrew Bible to a prophet of the northern kingdom of Israel in about the 8th century BC, the eponymous central character in the Book of Jonah, famous for being swallowed by a fish or a whale, depending on translation...
, prophet (Commemoration) R – LCMS - 23
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- 29 Saint MichaelMichael (archangel)Michael , Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl; , Mikhaḗl; or Míchaël; , Mīkhā'īl) is an archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic teachings. Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans refer to him as Saint Michael the Archangel and also simply as Saint Michael...
and All Angels (Lesser Festival) W - 30 JeromeJeromeSaint Jerome was a Roman Christian priest, confessor, theologian and historian, and who became a Doctor of the Church. He was the son of Eusebius, of the city of Stridon, which was on the border of Dalmatia and Pannonia...
, translator, teacher, 420 (Commemoration) W
October
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- 4 Francis of AssisiFrancis of AssisiSaint Francis of Assisi was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher. He founded the men's Franciscan Order, the women’s Order of St. Clare, and the lay Third Order of Saint Francis. St...
, renewer of the church, 1226 (Commemoration) W – ELCA- Theodor FliednerTheodor FliednerTheodor Fliedner was a German Lutheran minister and founder of Lutheran deaconess training. He is commemorated as a renewer of society in the Calendar of Saints of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America on October 4....
, renewer of society, 1864 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
- Theodor Fliedner
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- 6 William TyndaleWilliam TyndaleWilliam Tyndale was an English scholar and translator who became a leading figure in Protestant reformism towards the end of his life. He was influenced by the work of Desiderius Erasmus, who made the Greek New Testament available in Europe, and by Martin Luther...
, translator, martyr, 1536 (Commemoration) R – ELCA - 7 Henry Melchior MuhlenbergHenry MuhlenbergHenry Melchior Muhlenberg , was a German Lutheran pastor sent to North America as a missionary, requested by Pennsylvania colonists....
, pastor in North America, 1787 (Commemoration) W - 8
- 9 AbrahamAbrahamAbraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
, patriarch (Commemoration) W – LCMS - 10 Massie L. KennardMassie L. KennardMassie L. Kennard was an African-American Lutheran pastor who would later become secretary for program personnel for the Lutheran Church in America's Board of American Missions....
, renewer of the church, 1996 (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 11 Saint PhillipPhilip the EvangelistSaint Philip the Evangelist appears several times in the Acts of the Apostles. He was one of the Seven Deacons chosen to care for the poor of the Christian community in Jerusalem . He preached and performed miracles in Samaria, converted Simon Magus, and met and baptised an Ethiopian man, an...
, deacon (Commemoration) W – LCMS - 12
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- 15 Teresa of ÁvilaTeresa of ÁvilaSaint Teresa of Ávila, also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, baptized as Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada, was a prominent Spanish mystic, Roman Catholic saint, Carmelite nun, and writer of the Counter Reformation, and theologian of contemplative life through mental prayer...
, teacher, renewer of the church, 1582 (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 16
- 17 IgnatiusIgnatius of AntiochIgnatius of Antioch was among the Apostolic Fathers, was the third Bishop of Antioch, and was a student of John the Apostle. En route to his martyrdom in Rome, Ignatius wrote a series of letters which have been preserved as an example of very early Christian theology...
, Bishop of Antioch, martyr, c. 115 (Commemoration) R - 18 Saint LukeLuke the EvangelistLuke the Evangelist was an Early Christian writer whom Church Fathers such as Jerome and Eusebius said was the author of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles...
, Evangelist (Lesser Festival) R - 19
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- 23 James of JerusalemJames the JustJames , first Bishop of Jerusalem, who died in 62 AD, was an important figure in Early Christianity...
,brother of Jesus and martyr, c. 62 (Lesser Festival) R
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- 25 LydiaLydia of ThyatiraLydia of Thyatira is a character in the New Testament. She is regarded as the first recorded convert to Christianity in Europe.-Name:The name, "Lydia", meaning "the Lydian woman", by which she was known indicates that she was from Lydia in Asia Minor. Though she is commonly known as “St...
, DorcasDorcasDorcas was a disciple who lived in Joppa, referenced in the Book of Acts of the Bible. Acts recounts that when she died, she was mourned by "all the widows ... crying and showing the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them."...
(Tabitha), and Phoebe, faithful women (Commemoration) – LCMS - 26 Philipp NicolaiPhilipp NicolaiPhilipp Nicolai was a German Lutheran pastor, poet, and composer, author of two famous hymns: Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme and Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern...
, 1608; Johann HeermannJohann HeermannJohann Heermann was a German poet and hymn-writer. He is commemorated in the Calendar of Saints of the Lutheran Church on 26 October with Philipp Nicolai and Paul Gerhardt.- Life :...
, 1647; Paul GerhardtPaul GerhardtPaul Gerhardt was a German hymn writer.-Biography:Gerhardt was born into a middle-class family at Gräfenhainichen, a small town between Halle and Wittenberg. At the age of fifteen, he entered the Fürstenschule in Grimma. The school was known for its pious atmosphere and stern discipline...
, 1676; hymnwriters (Commemoration) W - 27
- 28 Saint SimonSimon the ZealotThe apostle called Simon Zelotes, Simon the Zealot, in Luke 6:15 and Acts 1:13; and Simon Kananaios or Simon Cananeus , was one of the most obscure among the apostles of Jesus. Little is recorded of him aside from his name...
and Saint Jude, Apostles (Lesser Festival) R - 29
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- 31 Reformation DayReformation DayReformation Day is a religious holiday celebrated on October 31 in remembrance of the Reformation, particularly by Lutheran and some Reformed church communities...
(Lesser Festival) R
November
- 1 All SaintsAll SaintsAll Saints' Day , often shortened to All Saints, is a solemnity celebrated on 1 November by parts of Western Christianity, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity, in honour of all the saints, known and unknown...
(Festival) W - 2 Daniel PayneDaniel PayneDaniel Alexander Payne was an American bishop, educator, college administrator and author. He became a bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and was a major shaper of it in the 19th century. He was one of the founders of Wilberforce University in Ohio...
, teacher, 1893 (Commemoration) - 3 Martín de PorresMartin de PorresMartin de Porres was a lay brother of the Dominican Order who was beatified in 1837 by Pope Gregory XVI and canonized in 1962 by Pope John XXIII. He is the patron saint of mixed-race people and all those seeking interracial harmony.He was noted for work on behalf of the poor, establishing an...
, renewer of society, 1639 (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 4
- 5 ElizabethElizabeth (Biblical person)Elizabeth is also spelled Elisabeth or Elisheva...
, matriarch (Commemoration) R – LCMS - 6
- 7 John Christian Frederick HeyerJohn Christian Frederick HeyerJohn Christian Frederick Heyer was the first missionary sent abroad by Lutherans in the United States. He founded the Guntur Mission in Andhra Pradesh, India...
, 1873; Bartholomaeus ZiegenbalgBartholomaeus ZiegenbalgBartholomäus Ziegenbalg was a member of the Lutheran clergy and the first Pietist missionary to India.-Early life:...
, 1719; Ludwig Ingwer NommensenLudwig Ingwer NommensenLudwig Ingwer Nommensen was a German Lutheran missionary to Sumatra who also translated the New Testament into the native Batak language. Stephen Neill, a historian of missions, considered Nommensen one of the greatest missionaries of all time...
, 1918; missionaries (Commemoration) W – ELCA
- 8 Johann von StaupitzJohann von StaupitzJohann von Staupitz was a theologian, university preacher, Vicar-General of the Augustinian Order in Germany who supervised Martin Luther during a critical period in that man's spiritual life. Martin Luther himself remarked, "If it had not been for Dr...
, priest 1524 (Commemoration) W – LCMS - 9 Martin ChemnitzMartin ChemnitzMartin Chemnitz was an eminent second-generation Lutheran theologian, reformer, churchman, and confessor...
, pastor and confessor, 1586 (Commemoration) W – LCMS - 10
- 11 MartinMartin of ToursMartin of Tours was a Bishop of Tours whose shrine became a famous stopping-point for pilgrims on the road to Santiago de Compostela. Around his name much legendary material accrued, and he has become one of the most familiar and recognizable Christian saints...
, Bishop of Tours, 397 (Commemoration) W- Søren Aabye KierkegaardSøren KierkegaardSøren Aabye Kierkegaard was a Danish Christian philosopher, theologian and religious author. He was a critic of idealist intellectuals and philosophers of his time, such as Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling and Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel...
, teacher, 1855 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
- Søren Aabye Kierkegaard
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- 14 Emperor JustinianJustinian IJustinian I ; , ; 483– 13 or 14 November 565), commonly known as Justinian the Great, was Byzantine Emperor from 527 to 565. During his reign, Justinian sought to revive the Empire's greatness and reconquer the lost western half of the classical Roman Empire.One of the most important figures of...
, confessor, Emperor of New Rome, 565 (Commemoration) W – LCMS - 15
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- 17 ElizabethElisabeth of HungaryElizabeth of Hungary, T.O.S.F., was a princess of the Kingdom of Hungary, Countess of Thuringia, Germany and a greatly-venerated Catholic saint. Elizabeth was married at the age of 14, and widowed at 20. She then became one of the first members of the newly-founded Third Order of St. Francis,...
, renewer of society, 1231 (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 18
- 19 ElizabethElisabeth of HungaryElizabeth of Hungary, T.O.S.F., was a princess of the Kingdom of Hungary, Countess of Thuringia, Germany and a greatly-venerated Catholic saint. Elizabeth was married at the age of 14, and widowed at 20. She then became one of the first members of the newly-founded Third Order of St. Francis,...
, Princess of Hungary, 1231 (Commemoration) W – LCMS - 20
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- 23 ClementPope Clement IStarting in the 3rd and 4th century, tradition has identified him as the Clement that Paul mentioned in Philippians as a fellow laborer in Christ.While in the mid-19th century it was customary to identify him as a freedman of Titus Flavius Clemens, who was consul with his cousin, the Emperor...
, Bishop of Rome, c. 100 (Commemoration) W- Miguel Agustín ProMiguel ProMiguel Agustín Pro Juárez , also known as Blessed Miguel Pro, was a Mexican Jesuit priest, executed without trial during the persecution of the Catholic Church under the presidency of Plutarco Elías Calles after trumped up charges of involvement in an assassination attempt against former President...
, priest, martyr, 1927 (Commemoration) R – ELCA
- Miguel Agustín Pro
- 24 Justus FalcknerJustus FalcknerJustus Falckner was a Lutheran minister and the first Lutheran pastor to be ordained within the United States. He is commemorated in the Calendar of Saints of the Lutheran Church on November 24 together with Jehu Jones and William Passavant.-Background:Falckner was the fourth son of Daniel...
, 1723; Jehu JonesJehu JonesJehu Jones, Jr. was a Lutheran minister. He founded one of the first African-American Lutheran congregations in the United States, and was actively involved in improving the social welfare of blacks. He is commemorated as a priest in the Calendar of Saints of the Lutheran Church on November 24...
, 1852; William PassavantWilliam PassavantWilliam A. Passavant was a Lutheran minister noted for bringing the Lutheran Deaconess movement to the United States. He is commemorated in the Calendar of Saints of the Lutheran Church on November 24 with Justus Falckner and Jehu Jones...
, 1894; pastors in North America (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 25 Isaac WattsIsaac WattsIsaac Watts was an English hymnwriter, theologian and logician. A prolific and popular hymnwriter, he was recognised as the "Father of English Hymnody", credited with some 750 hymns...
, hymnwriter, 1748 (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 26
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- 29 NoahNoahNoah was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the tenth and last of the antediluvian Patriarchs. The biblical story of Noah is contained in chapters 6–9 of the book of Genesis, where he saves his family and representatives of all animals from the flood by constructing an ark...
, prophet (Commemoration) R – LCMS - 30 Saint AndrewSaint AndrewSaint Andrew , called in the Orthodox tradition Prōtoklētos, or the First-called, is a Christian Apostle and the brother of Saint Peter. The name "Andrew" , like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews from the 3rd or 2nd century BC. No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him...
, Apostle (Lesser Festival) R
December
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- 3 Francis XavierFrancis XavierFrancis Xavier, born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta was a pioneering Roman Catholic missionary born in the Kingdom of Navarre and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. He was a student of Saint Ignatius of Loyola and one of the first seven Jesuits, dedicated at Montmartre in 1534...
, missionary to Asia, 1552 (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 4 John of DamascusJohn of DamascusSaint John of Damascus was a Syrian monk and priest...
, theologian and hymnwriter, c. 749 (Commemoration) W - 5
- 6 NicholasSaint NicholasSaint Nicholas , also called Nikolaos of Myra, was a historic 4th-century saint and Greek Bishop of Myra . Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker...
, Bishop of Myra, c. 342 (Commemoration) W - 7 AmbroseAmbroseAurelius Ambrosius, better known in English as Saint Ambrose , was a bishop of Milan who became one of the most influential ecclesiastical figures of the 4th century. He was one of the four original doctors of the Church.-Political career:Ambrose was born into a Roman Christian family between about...
, Bishop of Milan, 397 (Commemoration) W - 8
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- 13 LucySaint LucySaint Lucy , also known as Saint Lucia, was a wealthy young Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint by Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and Orthodox Christians. Her feast day in the West is 13 December; with a name derived from lux, lucis "light", she is the patron saint of those who are...
, martyr, 304 (Commemoration) R - 14 John of the CrossJohn of the CrossJohn of the Cross , born Juan de Yepes Álvarez, was a major figure of the Counter-Reformation, a Spanish mystic, Catholic saint, Carmelite friar and priest, born at Fontiveros, Old Castile....
, renewer of the church, 1591 (Commemoration) W – ELCA - 15
- 16 Las Posadas, (Lesser Festival) P – ELCA
- 17 DanielDanielDaniel is the protagonist in the Book of Daniel of the Hebrew Bible. In the narrative, when Daniel was a young man, he was taken into Babylonian captivity where he was educated in Chaldean thought. However, he never converted to Neo-Babylonian ways...
and the Three Young MenShadrach, Meshach, and AbednegoShadrach, Meshach and Abednego are characters in the biblical Hebrew book of Daniel Chapters 1 – 3, known for their exclusive devotion to God. In particular, they are known for being saved by divine intervention from the Babylonian execution of being burned alive in a fiery furnace...
, prophets, (Commemoration) R – LCMS - 18
- 19 Adam, patriarch, and EveEve (Bible)Eve was, according to the creation of Abrahamic religions, the first woman created by God...
, matriarch (Commemoration) W – LCMS - 20 Katharina von BoraKatharina von BoraKatharina von Bora, referred to as "die Lutherin", was the wife of Martin Luther, Germanleader of the Protestant Reformation. Beyond what is found in the writings of Luther and some of his contemporaries, little is known about her...
Luther, renewer of the church, 1552 (Commemoration) W - 21 St. Thomas, Apostle (Lesser Festival) R – LCMS
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- 24 Christmas EveChristmas EveChristmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
(Festival) W - 25 The Nativity of our LordChristmasChristmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
(Festival) W - 26 StephenSaint StephenSaint Stephen The Protomartyr , the protomartyr of Christianity, is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox Churches....
, Deacon and Martyr (Lesser Festival) R - 27 Saint JohnJohn the ApostleJohn the Apostle, John the Apostle, John the Apostle, (Aramaic Yoħanna, (c. 6 - c. 100) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of James, another of the Twelve Apostles...
, Apostle and Evangelist (Lesser Festival) W - 28 The Holy InnocentsMassacre of the InnocentsThe Massacre of the Innocents is an episode of infanticide by the King of Judea, Herod the Great. According to the Gospel of Matthew Herod orders the execution of all young male children in the village of Bethlehem, so as to avoid the loss of his throne to a newborn King of the Jews whose birth...
, martyrs (Lesser Festival) R - 29 DavidDavidDavid was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible and, according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, an ancestor of Jesus Christ through both Saint Joseph and Mary...
, prophet (Commemoration) R – LCMS - 30
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See also
- Moveable feastMoveable feastIn Christianity, a moveable feast or movable feast is a holy day – a feast day or a fast day – whose date is not fixed to a particular day of the calendar year but moves in response to the date of Easter, the date of which varies according to a complex formula...
- List of saints