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Found 27 resource(s) in 'Holy Days', for February 2026.
High Days & Holy Days for February 2026
Sundays of the Month 1st February 4th Sunday of Epiphany 8th February 2nd Sunday before Lent 15th February Quinquagesima – Sunday next before Lent 22nd February 1st Sunday of Lent ** Editor: As saints’ days do not change, this material has appeared before on this site. The day with the asterisk, for Seiriol, is... (8014 words)1st February – Seiriol, saint of Puffin Island
You can find traces of old saints in most corners of the British Isles, but Seiriol is one of the only two saints connected to Anglesey, and certainly the ONLY saint connected to Puffin Island. It was back in the 6th century that this gentle abbot first settled in Penmon, and built a little church.... (261 words)1st February – Brigid of Ireland
– compassion and love Brigid, you could say, was the female Patrick of Ireland. Historical facts about this first abbess of Kildare (d.c. 525) may be scarce, but her ‘Lives’, written from the 7th century, tell many anecdotes and miracles which over the centuries have become deeply rooted in Irish folklore. Brigid came from a... (246 words)2nd February – Candlemas
– the Presentation of Christ in the Temple In bygone centuries, Christians said their last farewells to the Christmas season on Candlemas, 2nd February. This is exactly 40 days after Christmas Day itself. In New Testament times 40 days old was an important age for a baby boy: it was when they made their first... (244 words)3rd February – Anskar
– the busy evangelist Anskar (801-865) should be the patron saint of any Christian who loves doing mission… and who discovers that evangelists meet the most amazing people, and that their lives are full of surprises…. It was the 9th century, and Anskar had grown up in a noble family in Amiens. He decided to... (328 words)3rd February – Blaise
– the cure for sore throats St Blaise is the saint for you if you have a sore throat, or a pet who is ill. He was born in Sebastea, ancient Armenia, (now Sivas, in Turkey) sometime during the late 3rd century, and became a physician. But his compassion did not stop there: he went... (223 words)4th February – Phileas
– brave bishop and martyr of Egypt When did you first encounter Christianity? If it was as an adult, then Phileas is a saint for you. His life shows that Truth matters, whenever you encounter it, but is also a warning that you need to count the cost of becoming a Christian. Phileas was a... (398 words)6th February – The Martyrs of Japan
– courage in persecution Persecution of Christians in various countries is making the headlines these days. Believers facing such opposition might well find inspiration from the courage of the Japanese Christians of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The Jesuit Francis Xavier had first brought Christianity to Japan in 1549, when he persuaded Shimazu... (349 words)8th February – Kew
– and the wild boar St Kew has nothing to do with gardens or the ‘Q’ of James Bond fame. This Kew was a girl who lived in Cornwall in the 5th century, and who should be the patron saint of girls with difficult older brothers. Kew’s older brother was a hermit who felt his... (204 words)10th February – Scholastica
– the persuasive sister Scholastica (d.c. 543) should be the patron saint of any woman who can bend her brother to do her will – no matter how ‘powerful’ that brother might seem to other people. For Scholastica’s brother was no less than the great monk Benedict, who founded the famous Benedictine order and lived... (183 words)11th February – Caedmon
– the poetic shepherd Caedmon (d 680) should be the patron saint of all farmers who enjoy humming to themselves as they do the lambing this Spring. For Caedmon of Whitby was a bit like David in the Bible; he grew up as a simple herdsman out on the hills who enjoyed composing songs and... (238 words)13th February – Modomnoc and the bees of Ireland
Legend tells us that it was St Modomnoc who first brought bees to Ireland, in the early 540s AD. Although it’s more likely that the bees had drifted over from Britain after the last Ice Age all by themselves, certainly Modomnoc did his bit to help them. Modomnoc was a 6th century abbot, probably one... (196 words)*NEW 14th February – The Two Valentines
If you dig into the history of Valentine’s Day, you discover it has a complicated past. There seems to have been two Valentines: Valentine of Terni and Valentine of Rome. But there was only one road involved: the Via Flaminia, or Flaminian Way. According to some sources, Valetine of Terni was a third century bishop... (302 words)*NEW 14th February – Aspects of Romantic Love
God obviously approves of romance – after all, putting Adam and Eve alone together in the Garden of Eden was His idea. The history of the Israelites began with three great romances: Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Rachel. The on-going history of Israel was deeply affected by later romances: Esther and... (338 words)14th February – Valentine’s Day mystery
There are two confusing things about this day of romance and anonymous love-cards strewn with lace, cupids and ribbon: firstly, there seems to have been two different Valentines in the 4th century – one a priest martyred on the Flaminian Way, under the emperor Claudius, the other a bishop of Terni martyred at Rome. And... (236 words)14th February – St Valentine’s Day poem
– a poem St Valentine’s Day, many believe, was named after one or more Christian martyrs and was established by Pope Gelasius 1 in 496 AD. Valentine of Rome was martyred about 269, and this day usually ‘belongs’ to him. The first recorded association of Valentine Day with romantic love (1382) is from Geoffrey Chaucer.... (170 words)14th February – Cyril and Methodius, helping the Slavs
Cyril and Methodius are saints for anyone with good secular qualifications, who now suspects that God may be calling them to use those skills in His service. Cyril and Methodius were brothers, born into a wealthy family in Thessalonica, in 826 and 815 respectively. Their upbringing destined them for lives of respect and influence. Methodius,... (346 words)15th February – Sigfrid , apostle of Sweden
If you have something big to forgive, Sigfrid may be the saint for you. This monk from Glastonbury was sent by King Ethelred to Norway and Sweden in 995. The King of Norway, King Olaf, had recently converted to Christianity, and wanted help in converting his people. Sigfrid went first to Vaxjo in Sweden, taking... (194 words)15th February – Thomas Bray
– founder of SPCK Thomas Bray was once called a ‘Great Small Man’, with good reason. This diminutive 18th century English clergyman (1658 – 1730) not only helped to establish the Church of England in Maryland, but he was also founder of the Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge (SPCK) in 1698 and the... (334 words)17th February – Janani Luwum
– Archbishop & martyr of Uganda The Most Reverend Janani Luwum (d 1977) was the Archbishop of Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi and Boga Zaire when 35 years ago this month he was murdered by the dictator Idi Amin. At the time the Church in Uganda was on the verge of centennial celebrations of its birth... (226 words)18th February – Fra Angelico
– patron of artists If you enjoy drawing or painting, Fra Angelico is the patron saint for you. This devout Dominican priest of the Early Renaissance (1387-1455) used his superlative talent to the glory of God to such an extent that even six centuries later we are inspired and blessed by his art. For while... (284 words)22nd February – Margaret of Cortona
– sad search for acceptance and love Did you have a miserable childhood? Were your parents more absorbed in themselves than in you? Later, looking for love, did you fall for the wrong man? Perhaps you now have children of your own, and struggle to raise them. If you feel your life has been ‘wrong-footed’... (477 words)23rd February – Polycarp
– faithful servant who would not deny his Lord Polycarp (c. 69 – c. 155) was one of the most important Christians in Roman Asia in the mid-2nd century, because of his link between the time of the Apostles and the earliest Christian Fathers. This disciple of John the Apostle became bishop of Smyrna and... (347 words)24th February – Matthias the Apostle
– the chosen one Have you ever been in the position where someone is desperately needed – and you fit the bill perfectly? It is almost as if all your miscellaneous qualifications that never made much sense before now make PERFECT sense. And you sense that you have been chosen by God for the... (310 words)27th February – Gabriel Possenti
– the enjoyment of romance If you have been hurt in your search for romantic love, Gabriel Possenti (1838-62) may be a good saint for you. Because Possenti, born to the governor of Assisi, began by having it all. He grew up doing the mid-19th century equivalent of eBay, nightclubs, cinema and online dating, only... (350 words)27th February – George Herbert, priest
– and poet If we were to name someone prominent from the 17th century, we might mention Rembrandt or Shakespeare. It is unlikely we would remember George Herbert. However, he was a prolific writer, a gifted speaker and musician. His hymns are still sung today. Herbert was born into a wealthy family in Mid-Wales on... (352 words)27th February – George Herbert
– vicar and poet On this day the Church Calendar celebrates George Herbert. For those who are muttering ‘never heard of him’, just think of the hymn ‘Let all the world/ In every corner sing’, which he wrote, along with several other hymns which are still popular, even if they are well over 300 years old.... (261 words)
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