Found 25 resource(s) in 'Holy Days', for June 2019.
High Days & Holy Days for June 2019 (all articles)
Editor: This month includes the following special days. As saints’ days do not change from year to year, these have appeared on this site before. The one with the asterisk is new to the site this year. 1 Justin Martyr – first ever Christian philosopher 2 Erasmus – a good saint... (8385 words)1st June Justin Martyr, first ever Christian philosopher
Justin Martyr (c. 100 – 165), is regarded as the first ever Christian philosopher. He was born at Nablus, Samaria, to parents of Greek origin, and was well educated in rhetoric, poetry and history before he turned to philosophy. He studied at Ephesus and Alexandria and tried the schools of the Stoics, the Pythagoreans, and... (196 words)2nd June St Erasmus, a good saint when you’re all at sea
Do you like messing about in boats? If so, then you’ll have heard of St Elmo’s Fire. It is the light that is sometimes seen on mastheads of boats after storms at sea. St Elmo is another name for St Erasmus, a fourth century Syrian bishop who was not afraid of violent storms. Legend has... (226 words)3rd June The Martyrs of Uganda
The Ugandan Church had dozens of martyrs within just ten years of Christianity arriving there. At first, it had gone so well: the first Anglican missionaries arriving in Uganda in 1877 were welcomed by the Kabaka (king) of Buganda, Mutesa. Mutesa also welcomed the Roman Catholics and Muslim Arabs, and, being a natural diplomat, retained... (393 words)4th June St Petroc, the founder of Padstow
If you are going to Cornwall this summer in search of peace and quiet, Petroc is the saint for you. Especially if you find Padstow a bit too crowded for your liking! He would have sympathised. This 6th century abbot is Cornwall’s most famous saint. Petroc set sail from South Wales, landed at Haylemouth, and... (328 words)6th June St Gudwal, the first Christian in Brittany?
If you choose Brittany for your holiday destination this summer, then spare a thought for Gudwal, because this obscure 6th century Celtic abbot got there before you did. Indeed, Gudwal seems to have liked Brittany so much that he decided to stay on. When you visit Brittany today, you will find Catholic churches everywhere. Not... (238 words)8th June William of York, a victim of injustice
Have you ever been the victim of someone else’s malice and ambition? Then William of York (d 1154) is the saint for you. William Fitzherbert was born into a noble family, with royal connections. He was also smart – appointed treasurer of York at a young age, and also as a chaplain to King Stephen. ... (282 words)NEW 9th June Not a Ghost but a Gift
By Canon David Winter We used to call it Whitsun – White Sunday because long ago children marched to church in white on that day. No processions nowadays, and we’ve even changed its name. It’s now ‘Pentecost’, which is more accurate but needs explaining. This year Whitsun/Pentecost is on Sunday June 9th. Pentecost marks a... (312 words)9th June Day of Pentecost – Whit Sunday
Pentecost took place on the well-established Jewish festival of Firstfruits, which was observed at the beginning of the wheat harvest. It was seven weeks after Easter, or 50 days including Easter. A feast day to celebrate the country’s wheat harvest does not sound exactly world-changing, but that year, it became one of the most important... (355 words)9th June Pentecost in Jerusalem
On that long ago first morning of Pentecost, Jerusalem was crowded with thousands of visitors, for it was one of the most popular feast-days in the Jewish calendar – the Feast of Firstfruits, looking forward to the wheat harvest. In one small room of that great city, a small group of people who had followed... (249 words)9th June St Columba of Iona, missionary to the UK
2013 marked the 1450th anniversary of the arrival of Christianity in the UK. It was brought by St Columba from Ireland to Iona – a tiny island off Mull, in the Western Highlands. Columba (c. 521 -97) was born in Donegal of the royal Ui Neill clan, and trained as a monk. He founded the... (380 words)11th June Barnabas , Paul’s first missionary companion
Are you going to Cyprus on holiday this year? If so, spare a thought for the Cypriot who played such a key role in the New Testament. He was Joseph, a Jewish Cypriot and a Levite, who is first mentioned in Acts 4:36, when the early church was sharing a communal lifestyle. Joseph sold a... (302 words)13th June Antony of Padua, friend of St Francis of Assisi
Antony of Padua knew St Francis of Assisi. Both men were true followers of Christ in a time of great religious confusion and social turmoil. Like Francis, Antony (1193 – 1231) was born into a wealthy family. Antony’s father was a nobleman of Lisbon, Portugal, who sent his son at 16 to study the Bible... (378 words)14th June Richard Baxter, English Puritan church leader
If Richard Baxter were alive today, he would probably be contributing to the Thought for the Day on Radio 4, because he had a gift for the sound-bite. Try these memorable quotes: Preaching a man a sermon with a broken head, and telling him to be right with God is equal to telling a man... (332 words)15th June Evelyn Underhill, mystical writer of the 20th century
For anyone interested in Christian mysticism, Evelyn Underhill may be a good place to begin. She died on 10th June 1941 after a life full of remarkable achievements: author of more than 30 books that explored the intersection between the spiritual and the physical, the first woman ever to lecture to the CofE clergy, the... (340 words)16th June Trinity Sunday, celebrating our God who is Three Persons
Trying to explain the doctrine of the Trinity has kept many a theologian busy down the centuries. One helpful picture is to imagine the sun shining in the sky. The sun itself – way out there in space, and unapproachable in its fiery majesty – is the Father. The light that flows from it, and... (309 words)16th June Richard of Chichester
Wanting God more clearly, dearly and nearly Ever wonder where the prayer … ‘May I know thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, and follow thee more nearly, day by day’ comes from? Richard of Chichester, a bishop in the 13th century, wrote it. He began life as Richard de Wych of Droitwich, the son... (368 words)16th June Fathers’ Day, a time to celebrate male role models
In the UK, USA and Canada, the third Sunday in June is Father’s Day. It’s a good time for sons and daughters to take their father to his favourite restaurant, or to watch a favoured sport, or whatever else he enjoys doing. How will you celebrate it this year? If your own father cannot be... (454 words)21st June Summer Solstice – longest day of the year
June, of course is the month of the summer solstice, the month of the Sun. Sol + stice come from two Latin words meaning ‘sun’ and ‘to stand still’. As the days lengthen, the sun rises higher and higher until it seems to stand still in the sky. The Summer Solstice results in the longest... (217 words)22nd June St Alban, Britain’s first Christian martyr
Alban was the very first Christian martyr in Britain – or at least the first we know of. A ‘martyr’ is someone who has died for the faith – the word literally means ‘witness’. He was probably killed during the persecution under the emperor Diocletian in the early years of the fourth century, in the... (438 words)22nd June St Alban, British martyr under the Romans
On June 22nd the Church remembers St Alban, who was put to death on that day in 250AD, on the site of the town in Hertfordshire that now bears his name and has a splendid cathedral which houses his shrine. Christianity was struggling to survive in third century Britain under Roman rule. In the middle... (251 words)22nd June St Alban, helping a stranger in need
St Alban should be the patron saint of anyone who impulsively offers to help a stranger in need… and finds their own life turned upside down as a result. The story goes that Alban was a Roman citizen quietly living in England in the third century. Then, miles away in Rome, the emperor, Diocletian ordered... (231 words)24th June John the Baptist, preparing the way for the Messiah
John the Baptist is famous for baptising Jesus, and for losing his head to a woman. He was born to Zechariah, a Temple priest, and Elizabeth, who was a cousin of Mary, the mother of Jesus. John was born when his mother was advanced in years, and after the foretelling of his birth and the... (227 words)29th June St Peter, the ‘rock’
The two most famous apostles are remembered this month, for they share a feast day. St Peter (d. c. 64AD), originally called Simon, was a married fisherman from Bethsaida, near the Sea of Galilee. He met Jesus through his brother, Andrew. Jesus gave him the name of Cephas (Peter) which means rock. Peter is always... (603 words)29th June St Paul, apostle to the Gentiles
Like Peter, Paul (d. c. 65) also started life with another name: Saul. This great apostle to the Gentiles was a Jew born in Tarsus and brought up by Gamaliel as a Pharisee. So keen was he to defend the god of his fathers that he became a persecutor of Christianity, and even took part... (568 words)
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