ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL

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April 1 

Sts. Caidoc and Fricor, 7th century. Irish missionaries in northern France. One of their converts was St Ricarius. Their relics are in the parish of Saint-Riquier near Amiens, France. In some lists Fricor is called Adrian.  

St. Cellach, 9th century. The abbot of lona, Scotland, and the archbishop of Armagh, Ireland. Also called Ceilach and Keilach, he was the founder of the monastery of Kells.  

April 3 

St. Richard of Wyche, 1253 A.D. Richard of Wyche, also known as Richard of Chichester, was born at Wyche (Droitwich), Worcestershire, England. He was orphaned when he was quite young. He retrieved the fortunes of the mismanaged estate he inherited when he took it over, and then turned it over to his brother Robert. Richard refused marriage and went to Oxford, where he studied under Grosseteste and met and began a lifelong friendship with Edmund Rich. Richard pursued his studies at Paris, received his M.A. from Oxford, and then continued his studies at Bologna, where he received his doctorate in Canon Law. After seven years at Bologna, he returned to Oxford, was appointed chancellor of the university in 1235, and then became chancellor to Edmund Rich, now archbishop of Canterbury, whom he accompanied to the Cistercian monastery at Pontigny when the archbishop retired there. After Rich died at Pontigny, Richard taught at the Dominican House of Studies at Orleans and was ordained there in 1243. After a time as a parish priest at Deal, he became chancellor of Boniface of Savoy, the new archbishop of Canterbury, and when King Henry III named Ralph Neville bishop of Chichester in 1244, Boniface declared his selection invalid and named Richard to the See. Eventually, the matter was brought to Rome and in 1245; Pope Innocent IV declared in Richard's favor and consecrated him. When he returned to England, he was still opposed by Henry and was refused admittance to the bishop's palace; eventually Henry gave in when threatened with excommunication by the Pope. The remaining eight years of Richard's life were spent in ministering to his flock. He denounced nepotism, insisted on strict clerical discipline, and was ever generous to the poor and the needy. He died at a house for poor priests in Dover, England, while preaching a crusade, and was canonized in 1262.  

April 4 

St. Tigernach. St. Tigernach died 549, bishop. Said to have been the godchild of St. Brigid, and educated in Scotland, he may have been a monk at Clones as well as a bishop of Clogher, but accounts are not too clear. He also is called Tierney and Tierry 

St. Guier. Hermit priest of Cornwall, England. A local church bears his name.  

April 5 

St. Ethelburga, 647 A.D. Wife of King St. Edwin of Northumbria, England, daughter of St. Ethelbert of Kent, also called Tate. St. Paulinus was her chaplain. Ethelburga converted King St. Edwin, and when he died, she founded a convent at Lyminge. Ethelburga served as abbess until her death.  

St. Derferl-Gadarn, 5th or 6th century. Welsh hermit, reported to have been in the battle of Camblan, where King Arthur died. He may have been a hermit before becoming a monk at Lianderfel, in Gwynedd, Wales. A carved-wood statue depicting Derfel-Gadarn as a mounted soldier was used to burn Blessed John Forest at Smithfield in 1538, by order of Thomas Cromwell. 

Martyrs of London. Three groups of martyrs who were put to death in the late sixteenth century in London by English authorities. (d. 1582) Martyrs executed for treason, by virtue of their supposed complicity in the entirely spurious plot known as the “Conspiracy of Reims and Rome.” (d. 1588) A group that suffered martyrdom following the defeat of the Spanish Armada and the increase of anti-Catholic feeling in Elizabethan England. (d. 1591) A group suffering martyrdom as a result of the British government’s enforcement of anti-Catholic policies.  

April 6 

St. Berthane, 840 A.D. A bishop of Scotland, called Ferda-Leithe , "the Man of Two Countries." Berthane was a monk of lona and the bishop of Kirkwall in the Orkneys, Scotland. He died in Ireland and was buried at Irishmore in Gaiway Bay, hence his name. He is sometimes listed as Berchan.  

St. Brychan, King of Wales, undocumented but popular saint. Brychan is credited with having twentyfour children, all saints.  

St. Ulehad. Patron saint of Liechulched church on Anglesey Island, Wales, also called Uchal in some lists.  

St. Elstan, 981 A.D. Bishop of Winchester, England, Benedictine, celebrated as a model of blind obedience. Elstan succeeded St. Ethelwold as bishop and as abbot.  

April 7 

St. Celsus. Celsus of Armagh was a layman named Ceallach mac Aedha. He succeeded to the bishopric of Armagh (it was a hereditary See) in 1105 when he was twenty-six, was consecrated bishop, put into effect many reforms in his diocese, and ruled well and effectively. He mediated between warring Irish factions, was a friend of St. Malachy, and ended the hereditary succession to his See by naming Malachy as his successor on his deathbed. He died on April at Ardpatrick, Munster 

St. Brynach, 5th century. A Celtic hermit in Wales. He built a hermitage at Carn-Englyi, near Nefyn, Gwynedd. He is identified by some with St. Brannock of Braunton.  

 

St. Finan, 6th century. Patron of monastery in Kinitty, Offaly, Ireland and Disciple of St. Brendan and founder abbot of a monastery in Kinitty, Offaly, Ireland. A native of Munster, he is also known as Finnian, and is the patron of the monastery. 

St. Goran, 6th century. Missionary of the district of Cornwall, England. Also called Woronus, he was in the area before St. Petrac. Goran lived in Bodmin.  

Bl. Alexander Rawlins, 1595 A.D. Martyr, missionary, and companion in death with Henry Walpole. Alexander was born in Worcestershire, England, where he was jailed twice for his fervent Catholicism. In 1589 he went to the English seminary in Reims and was ordained there in 1590. Returning to England the following year, Alexander was arrested. He was condemned to death and on April 7, 1595, and along with Henry Walpole was hanged, drawn, and quartered in York, England. He was beatified in 1929.  

Bl. Edward Oldcorne, 1606 A.D. English martyr allegedly involved in the Gunpowder Plot. He was born in York, England, and ordained in Rome. In 1587, he became a Jesuit. Returning to England, Edward worked in the Midlands from 1588 to 1606. He was then condemned to death at Worcester for alleged implicitly in the Gunpowder Plot He was beatified in 1929.  

St. Henry Walpole, 1558-1595 A.D. Jesuit and one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. He was born in Docking, Norfolk, England, and was educated at Cambridge and Day’s Inn. Converted to Catholicism, he went to Rome where he entered the Jesuits in 1584. Ordained in 1588, Henry was sent to York, England, where he was arrested and martyred. He was beatified in 1929 and canonized in 1970 

April 9 

St. Dotto, 6th century. Abbot of a monastery of the Orkney Islands of Scotland.

St. Hedda. 870 A.D. Martyred Benedictine abbot of Peterborough, England. He and eighty four monks were slain by Danes marauding along the English coast.  

St. Madrun. A Welsh or Cornish widow. No details of her life are extant, but some Welsh churches bear her name.  

Martyrs of Croyland. Benedictine monks who were slain by the Danes during an invasion of Croyland Abbey, England, and the surrounding area. The abbot was Theodore. Others suffering included Askega, the prior; Swethin, the sub prior; and Elfgete, Savinus, Egdred, Agamund, Grimkeld, and Ulrick.  

April 10 

St. Beocca, 870 A.D. A martyr of England, with Ethor, lledda,Torthred, and others.The Danes raided England, concentrating on Anglo-Saxon abbeys. Beocca, Ethor, and ninety monks died in Surrey. Hedda and others died at Peterborough, and Torthred and others died at Thorrey Abbey. All were venerated as martyrs.  

St. Malchus. Irish Benedictine bishop ordained by St. Anselm as the first bishop of Watefford, England. He was a monk at Winchester, England, and was a preceptor of St. Malachy O’More.  

April 11 

St. Machai. Abbot founder of a monastery on the isle of Bute in Ireland. He was a disciple of St. Patrick and he was a leader of the evangelical mission there.  

St. Mary Margaret d'Youville, 1771 A.D. Foundress of the Sisters of Charity, the Grey Nuns of Canada. She was born at Varennes, Quebec, and was baptized Marie Marguerite Dufrost de Ia Jemmerais. After being educated by the Ursulines, she was married to Francois d’Youville in 1722, becoming a widow eight years later. Mary Margaret worked to support herself and her children, aiding the Confraternity of the Holy Family as well. In 1737, she founded the Sisters of Charity, the Grey Nuns, with three companions. A formal declaration took place in 1745, and two years later she became directress of Montreal’s General Hospital, operated by her community. The Grey Nuns expanded to the United States, Africa, and South America. Mary Margaret died in Montreal on December 23. She was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1990.  

St. Maedhog. An Irish abbot also called Aedhan or Mogue. He ruled Clonmore Abbey, Ireland, and was associated with Sts. Oncho and Finan.  

April 12 

St. Wigbert, 690 A.D. Missionary. An Anglo-Saxon, he went to Ireland and became a disciple of St. Egbert before journeying to Friesland, the Netherlands, where he spent time as a missionary. He died in Ireland.  

April 13 

St. Caradoc, 1124 A.D. Welsh hermit and harpist. He served a local king in southern Wales before becoming a hermit at St. Cendydd Church in Gower, later taking up residence on Barry Island at St. Issels. Forced into exile by Henry I's invasion of the re-gion, Caradoc went to Haroldston, where he occupied the cell of St. Ismael.  

St. Gunioc, 838 A.D. Scottish bishop who is recorded in the Aberden Breviary.  

Bl. Edward Catheriek, 1642 A.D. English martyr. He was born at Carlton, near Richmond, Yorkshire, England, and educated at Douai, France. He returned to England in 1635 as a missionary priest and worked there until his martyrdom at York. Edward was beatified in 1929. 

Bl.. John Lockwood, 1642 A.D. English martyr, sometimes called John Lascelles. He was born in Sowerby, Yorkshire, and went to Rome to study for the priesthood as a mature man. He was ordained in 1597 returned to England the following year. He was arrested and banished in 1610 but returned to work until his arrest in 1642. At the age of eighty-one, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered at York with Blessed John Catherick. John was beatified in 1929.  

April 14 

St. Tassach, 495 A.D. Bishop, also known as Asicus. One of the first disciples of St. Patrick, he was a gifted artisan, creating for St. Patrick croziers, patens, and chalices. He was later appointed the first bishop of Rahoip, Ireland, and gave Patrick the last rites.  

April 15 

St. Paternus. The first 5th century saint. He followed his father's path by becoming a hermit in Wales. He founded the monastery at the great church of Paternus, and became a bishop of that region. He was known for his preaching, charity and mortifications. Scholars believe his story is an amalgam. 

St. Ruadan, 584 A.D. One of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland, an abbot founder. He was born in Leinster, Ireland, and was a disciple of St. Finian of Clonard. Ruadan was the founder of the monastery of Lothra, in Tipperary, which had 150 monks.  

St. Mundus, 962 A.D. Scottish abbot sometimes called Mund, Munde, or Mond. He founded abbeys in Argyle, Scotland.  

April 16 

St. Donan. A remarkable fact about the widespread work of the Celtic missionary saints from the fifth century onwards is that scarcely any cases of violent opposition or martyrdom are recorded until the Viking and Danish raids began at the end of the ninth century. The pagan Celts accepted the missionaries even when they did not accept their religion and pagan and Christian symbols are found side by side on the great Pictish stones. Donan (or Donnan) deserves a note in these pages not only because of the extent of his journeying but because he and his fellow monks on the island of Eigg provide the most dreadful case of martyrdom in the history of the Celtic Church. He and fifty-two of his followers were butchered within the refectory of the monastery. The only other martyrdoms recorded seem to be those of Constantine of Kintyre and of Kessog, and the latter is doubtful.  

Unfortunately the mediaeval Life of Donan is lost, and what little we know of him is limited to the brief comments in such ancient martyrologies as Tallaght, Donegal and Oengus. The date of his birth is not known but he was contemporary with, or a little younger, than Columba. We presume that he was Irish and early in adult life crossed to Galloway. Thereafter we only know him through a chain of Kildonans up the west coast of Scotland, beginning with a Kildonan at Kirkmaiden and a Chapel Donan at Kirkcolm, and terminating at Kildonan on the island of Little Bernera in the Outer Hebrides.  

The story of Donan's martyrdom was by no means unknown in mediaeval Scotland and some commemorations might be due to later interest and veneration. But the plotting of the place-names suggests a logical route of missionary progression northwards. The only St Donnan's east of the Great Glen is at Auchterless in Aberdeenshire, and it has been suggested that Donan had a special connection with this parish-there are several place-names and we know his 'bachail' or staff was kept there till the Reformation. Perhaps for this very reason the saint's personal connection with Auchterless is more open to doubt, as the possession of the bachail in mediaeval days might well lead to the name instead of vice versa. Only one incident is recorded as happening during these missionary years. He crossed to lona to meet Columba, and according to the story, asked that saint to act as his 'anamchara' or 'soul- friend', which took the place of the Roman Church's 'confessor'. Strangely enough, Columba refused to act as anamchara, saying, 'I shall not be a soul-friend to a company of red-martyrdom.' Obviously some explanation must be sought for this abrupt refusal. Dr A. B. Scott, who disliked Columba, saw in it the Goidheal's refusal to have any friendly intercourse with a Pict, but there could be quite different reasons, such as Columba's unwillingness to accept the additional responsibility which the duty entailed.  

Donan eventually formed his community on the small island of Eigg, with the monastic buildings on the side facing Arisaig. It had become a large community by the date of the massacre-fifty-two is the number of monks given in the record, although for some unknown reason only fifty names are listed. It has been suggested that the monks are fictional but Dr Scott was sure he had traced local place-names deriving from them. Did Donan cross from lreland with the nucleus of such a group ready formed? Did he start with one or two and build to over fifty? Any answer to such questions would be as vague as the reason for the sudden unprecedented attack. On this subject scholars have made much of an obscure statement in the martyrologies that the monks' keeping sheep on the island had angered a local woman of importance. Scott draws the unwarranted conclusion that when the local folk refused to take action she deliberately bribed a group of pirates to make the attack. It cannot, of course, be proved that she did not do so, so the reason for the brutality must remain conjectural. Pirates were by no means unknown but it is doubtful that they would take time to raid an obscure, penniless and inoffensive group of monks. It is more likely to have been a very early group of 'Black Gentiles' from Jutland or Denmark.  

Details of the raid differ. Donan, it is said, was celebrating the Sacrament when the intruders broke in. When he begged for respite till mass was completed, they agreed and he led the monks across to the refectory 'that the place where God had been worshipped in spiritual joy might not be polluted with their blood'. The Martyrology of Donegal then states that 'he was beheaded and 52 of the monks with him' while that of Oengus suggests that the building was set on fire and they all perished in the flames. The traditional year of the massacre was 618. Donan's festival is 16 or 17 April. From the book SAINTS OF SCOTLAND by Edwin Sprott Towill, publishers: St. Andrew's Press.  

April 18 

St. Cogitosus, 8th century. Monk of Kildare, Ireland, and the biographer of St. Brigid. This work is invaluable because of its details of St. Brigid in the era in which she lived.  

St. Laserian, 639 A.D. Bishop and papal legate, brother of St. Goban, also listed as Molaisse. Laserian was born in Ireland and was a monk on lona, Scotland. He went to Rome and was ordained by Pope St. Gregory I the Great. Returning to Ireland, Laserian supported Roman liturgical images, and he went back to Rome with a group to have Pope Honorius I settle the dispute. Laserian was made a bishop and papal legate to Ireland. In 637, he succeeded his brother, St. Goban, as abbot of Leighlin.

April 19 

St. Alphege, 1012 A.D. Archbishop and "the First Martyr of Canterbury." He was born in 953 and became a monk in the Deerhurst Monastery in Gloucester, England, asking after a few years to become a hermit. He received permission for this vocation and retired to a small hut near Somerset, England. In 984 Alphege assumed the role of abbot of the abbey of Bath, founded by St. Dunstan and by his own efforts. Many of his disciples from Somerset joined him at Bath. In that same year, Alphege succeeded Ethelwold as bishop of Winchester. He served there for two decades, famed for his care of the poor and for his own austere life. King Aethelred the Unready used his abilities in 994, sending him to mediate with invading Danes. The Danish chieftain Anlaf converted to Christianity as a result of his meetings with Alphege, although he and the other chief, Swein, demanded tribute from the Anglo-Saxons of the region. 

 Anlaf vowed never to lead his troops against Britain again. In 1005 Alphege became the successor to Aleric as the archbishop of Canterbury, receiving the pallium in Rome from Pope John XVIII. He returned to England in time to be captured by the Danes pillaging the southern regions. The Danes besieged Canterbury and took Alphege captive. The ransom for his release was about three thousand pounds and went unpaid. Alphege refused to give the Danes that much, an act which infuriated them. He was hit with an ax and then beaten to death. Revered as a martyr, Alphege's remains were placed in St. Paul's Church in London. The body, moved to Canterbury in 1023, was discovered to be incorrupt in 1105. Relics of St. Alphege are also in Bath, Glastonbury, Ramsey, Reading, Durham, Yorkminster and in Westminster Abbey. His emblem is an ax, and he is depicted in his pontifical vestments or as a shepherd defending his flock.  

St. Ursmar, 713 A.D. Benedictine abbot-bishop and missionary. A native of Ireland, he served as abbotbishop of the abbey of Lobbes, on the Sambre, in Flanders, Belgium, from which he organized exceedingly successful missionary efforts in the region.  

St. James Duckett, Blessed, 1602 A.D. Martyr of England, hanged at Tybum. James was born in Gilfortriggs, Westmoreland, England. After being drawn to Catholicism, he refused to attend Protestant services and passed two terms in prison. He then took instructions and was baptized. James went to London, where he spent more time in prison and distributed Catholic materials. Arrested for his faith, he was imprisoned for nine years before his execution at Tyburn. He was beatified in 1929.  

April 20 

Bl. Francis Page, 1602 A.D. Jesuit martyr of England. Born in Antwerp, Belgium, Francis was a member of an English Protestant family of Harrow-on-the-Hill, in England. Reconciled to the Catholic faith, he was ordained in 1600 and sent from Douai, France, to England. He was arrested there two years later. While in prison, Francis entered the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits. He was martyred at Tyburn, England, and was beatified in 1929.  

Bl. John Finch, 1584 A.D. Martyr of England. He was a yeoman farmer of Eccleston, Lancashire, who returned to the Church. He harbored priests and acted as a clerk and catechist. John was arrested and tried with Blessed James Bell. They were executed at Lancaster. Both were beatified in 1929.  

Bl. Robert Watkinson, 1579-1602 A.D. English martyr. Born at Hemingborough, Yorkshire, he left England and studied at Douai, France, and then Rome in preparation for his ordination in 1602 in Arras, France. Sent home to work for the reconversion of England, he was arrested almost immediately and executed at Tyburn. Robert was hanged, drawn, and quartered on April 20, with Blessed Francis Page. He was beatified in 1929.  

April 21 

St. Beuno. Beuno's legend has him a monk in Wales who founded his own community and performed numerous miracles, among them, restoring St. Winifred's head after she was beheaded. However, he does seem to have been an effective preacher who evangelized much of North Wales and founded a monastery at Clynnog Fawr (Carnavonshire).  

April 22 

St. Arwald, 686 A.D. Martyrs, sons of Arwald, the prince of the Isle of Wight, just off the English coast. The martyrs are called Arwald because their proper names are not known. They were slain after Baptism by King Cadwall, who was a pagan.  

April 23 

St. George, Patron of England & Catalonia. Pictures of St. George usually show him killing a dragon to rescue a beautiful lady. The dragon stands for wickedness. The lady stands for God's holy truth. St. George was a brave martyr who was victorious over the devil. He was a soldier in the army of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, and he was one of the Emperor's favorite soldiers. Now Diocletian was a pagan and a bitter enemy to the Christians. He put to death every Christian he could find. George was a brave Christian, a real soldier of Christ. Without fear, he went to the Emperor and sternly scolded him for being so cruel. Then he gave up his position in the Roman army. For this he was tortured in many terrible ways and finally beheaded.  

So boldly daring and so cheerful was St. George in declaring his Faith and in dying for it that Christians felt courage when they heard about it. Many songs and poems were written about this martyr. Soldiers, especially, have always been devoted to him. We all have some "dragon" we have to conquer. It might be pride, or anger, or laziness, or greediness, or something else. Let us make sure we fight against these "dragons", with God's help. Then we can call ourselves real soldiers of Christ. .  

 

April 24 

St. Egbert. Egbert IS A 8th. Century an English monk of Lindisfarne, he was anxious to go on the mission to Germany. His destiny, however, was less heroic but quite important. Settling on Iona, he succeeded in persuading the monks to adopt the roman usage over the celebration of Easter - a task which took thirteen years of gentle persuasion.  

St. Diarmaid, 851 A.D. Irish bishop of Armagh known for his learning. He was named bishop in 834 but was driven from his see by a usurper, Forau. Diarmaid went to Connacht, where he ruled as primate. During his reign, Norsemen destroyed churches in Armagh in 841. 

St. Dyfnan. Founder at Anglesey, Wales. He was the son of the Welsh chieftain Brychan of Brecknock.  

St. Mellitus of Canterbury, 624 A.D. Archbishop of Canterbury from 619. In 601, he was sent from St. Andrew’s Monastery, Rome, to England by Pope St. Gregory I the Great. Mellitus spent three years as a missionary in Kent, England, aiding St. Augustine. He also became the first bishop of London and was responsible for converting the King of the East Saxons. The Saxons, however, exiled him in 616 over some conflict, but Mellitus returned to England and was named archbishop of Canterbury, in succession to St. Lawrence. Tradition states that he saved Canterbury from a disastrous fire with his prayers.  

April 25 

St. Macaille, 489 A.D. Bishop of Croghan, Offaly, Ireland, a disciple of St. Mel. He was one of the prelates receiving the vows of St. Brigid.  

Bl. William Marsden, 1586 A.D. Martyr of England. A native of Lancashire, he studied at Oxford and then departed the island for Reims, France, where he was ordained in 1585 with Blessed Robert Anderson. They were sent to England but were forced to land on the Isle of Wight in a storm. They were arrested, and then condemned and hanged on April 25 on Wight. Both were beatified in 1929, and share the feast.  

St. Mella, 780 A.D. Widow and abbess. She was the mother of St. Cannech and Tigernach, and lived in Connaught, Ireland. She became the abbess of Doire-Melle, Leitrim. 

April 26 

St. Riquier, 645 A.D. Abbot and hermit, also called Richarius. Born at Celles, near Amiens, France, he became a priest after rescuing two Irish missionaries from a murderous band of local pagans. After studying in England, he was ordained and returned home, where he founded an abbey at Celles over which he presided as abbot. He later resigned from his office and spent his remaining days as a hermit on the site of Forest Montiers Monastery. Abbeville is the modern site of Riquier’s foundation.  

April 27 

St. Asicus, 490 A.D. Abbot-Bishop of Ireland and disciple of St. Patrick, also called Ascicus and Tassach. Asicus was a coppersmith and was married when he first met St. Patrick. In time he was made the first abbot-bishop of Elphim Monastery in Roscommon, Ireland. Humble and not believing he was worthy of the office, Asicus went to an island in Donegal Bay, where he resigned his rank and became a hermit. After seven years the monks of Elphin found him and persuaded him to return to the monastery. He died at Raith Cungilor on the return journey.  

St. Winewald, 731 A.D. Winewald, Second abbot of Beverley monastery in England succeeding St. Berchtun. He was successful in his efforts to make Beverley a center for English cultural and spiritual growth.  

St. Enoder, 6th century. Grandson of Welsh chieftain Brychan of Brecknock, also called Cnydr, Keneder, and Quidic. There is considerable dispute as to his identity, as he could be St. Enoder or Enodoc of Cornwall, England. Llangynidir of Powys wrote of him. Enoder was an abbot.  

April 28 

St. Cronan of Roscrea, 626 A.D. Founder and hermit in Ireland. He was the son of Odran, born in Munster, or possibly Ely O’Carroll, Offaly, Ireland. Cronan founded fifty monasteries, the first at Puay and the most famous at Roscrea. He ended his life as a blind hermit.  

April 29 

St. Wilfrid the Younger, 744 A.D. Benedictine abbot and bishop of York, England. A monk and disciple of St. John of Beverley, he studied at Whitby Abbey and received ordination. He became John's chaplain when John was named bishop of York, and received appointment as abbot of the cathedral community in the city. Soon after, he was appointed John's coadjutor and succeeded to the see at York at his benefactor's passing in 721. He eventually retired to a monastery, most likely Ripon, where he died.  

St. Senan, 7th century. Welsh hermit. Owing to the confusion of records and traditions of this time and region, it is difficult to determine precise details of his life, but he is known to have labored in the northern districts of Wales.  

St. Dichu, 5th century. First convert of St. Patrick in Ulster, Ireland. He is listed as a swineherd in some lists and in others as the son of an Ulster chieftain. Opposed to Patrick originally, Dichu converted and gave Patrick a church in Saul, the capital of Lecale in County Down.  

St. Endellion, 6th century. Virgin recluse honored at St. Endellion, in Cornwall, England. She was the sister of St. Nectan of Hartland, and the daughter of Brychan of Brecknock.  

St. Fiachan, 7th century. Disciple of St. Carthage the Younger, a native of Munster, Ireland. He was a monk in Lismore Abbey.  

 

April 30 

St. Cynwl, 6th century. A hermit, the brother of St. Deinoil, noted fir his austere life in southern Wales. Several churches in the region were dedicated to Cynwl.  

St. Forannan, 932 A.D. Irish bishop of Domhnach-Mor, Ireland, no longer listed as a diocese. With twelve companions he went to Belgium and founded an abbey at Waulsort, on the Meuse River, becoming 

abbot in 962. Forannan introduced the Benedictine rule to Waulsort. Forannan went to Belgium in response to a dream.  

Bl. Francis Dickenson, 1590 A.D. English martyr. He was born in Yorkshire, England, and was a convert to the Church. After being ordained at Reims, France, in 1589, he returned to England and was promptly arrested. Francis was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Rochester. He was beatified in 1929.  

St. Gerard Miles, 1590 A.D. Martyr of England with Blessed Francis Dickinson. He was born in Lancashire, England, and went to Douai and Reims where he was ordained in 1583. Returning from England, he was arrested when the ship that he and Francis were using wrecked at Kent. They were arrested and hanged, drawn, and quartered at Rochester in April. They were beatified in 1929.