Found 28 resource(s) in 'Holy Days', for July 2025.
*NEW 16th July – St Osmund, bishop with a genius for cathedrals
Osmund is the saint for you if you like cathedrals, or if you have ever met the dean, precentor, chancellor or treasurer of one. Why? Because nearly 1,000 years ago, it was St Osmund who first invented all those roles, and it was he who also decreed that a cathedral is to be the ‘mother... (296 words)High Days & Holy Days (all) for July 2025
Sundays of the Month Editor: We thought you might find it helpful to know what the Sundays of each month are called… 6th July Third Sunday after Trinity 13th July Fourth Sunday after Trinity 20th July Fifth Sunday after Trinity 27th July Sixth Sunday after Trinity ** High Days and Holy Days for July As... (8709 words)1st July – Henry Venn of the CMS
Most Christians in the UK have heard of the Church Mission Society or CMS. Far fewer have heard of the Revd Henry Venn (1796-1873), whose father, the rector of Clapham, founded CMS in 1799, and who himself became the greatest missionary strategist of the 19th century. Not that Henry Venn ever became a missionary himself;... (401 words)2nd July – St John Francis Regis, patron saint for relief workers
Do you ever admire relief workers? Those hardy folk who regularly appear on our TV screens, actively seeking out the disease-ridden, starving, destitute people of the world, instead of avoiding them, as most of us try and do. John Francis Regis (1597 – 1640) could be a patron saint of relief workers. It all began... (222 words)3rd July – St Thomas the Apostle, confused and doubting
Thomas, one of Jesus’ 12 apostles, was an impulsive, confused, honest sceptic. Jesus could understand and work with such a man. Thomas’ impulsiveness was evident when Jesus prepared to visit Lazarus in Bethany. It was a dangerous trip to make, because of the Jews, but Thomas urged his fellow disciples: “Let us also go, that... (289 words)4th July – St Elizabeth of Portugal, compassion for prostitutes
St. Elizabeth of Portugal (1271 – 1336) could be the patron saint of all well-to-do women who have compassionate hearts. As wife of Denis, the King of Portugal, Elizabeth became a byword for her acts of piety and charity to the poor. She founded convents, hospitals, and shelters for prostitutes. After Denis died she became... (60 words)6th July – Thomas More, Reformation martyr
These days, lawyers and politicians are held in the lowest esteem by the public, along with tabloid journalists and estate agents. St Thomas More was both a lawyer and politician, who is today much admired for holding steadfastly to his faith-based principles. He lived in dangerous times, when anyone, even queens, who displeased King Henry... (354 words)7th July – St Boisil of Melrose, patron saint for ordinands?
Have you ever noticed how life-enhancing good ministers are? St Boisil (d.c.661) should be their patron saint. He did nothing spectacular, but he did everything that mattered. Boisil was a monk who became abbot of Melrose, in the Irish monastic tradition. Boisil knew about God – he had spent years in study, and this earned... (199 words)7th July – St Willibald, the first ever Anglo-Saxon travel writer
Where do you go on your summer travels? If you enjoy including a Christian element to your trips, such as making a pilgrimage, or visiting places rich in Christian history, then St. Willibald (d. 876) is the saint for you this month. He was one of the most widely travelled Anglo-Saxons of his time. Willibald... (280 words)11th July – St Benedict, author of the famous Rule
St Benedict (c.480 – c.550) was an abbot and author of the famous Rule that bears his name. Because of his Rule, Benedict is also the Patriarch of Western Monasticism, and Patron Saint of Europe. Surprisingly little is known about his life. Born at Nursia, Benedict studied at Rome, which he then left before completing... (252 words)14th July – St Camillus de Lellis, patron of the sick
Sometimes those who suffer are best at helping others in a similar situation. Discharged from the Venetian army with an incurable leg wound, St Camillus (1550 – 1614) founded a religious order called the Ministers of the Sick (the Camellians). Both in their Holy Ghost Hospital in Rome, and by travelling to plague-stricken parts of... (74 words)14th July – Phocus of Sinope, the brave gardener
Many of us are gardeners, but not many of us are buried in our gardens. Phocus was a fourth century Christian gardener who ran a little guest house in Sinope, on the Black Sea (now part of modern Turkey). He used the produce from his garden to welcome and feed any visitors who came by,... (267 words)15th July – St Swithun (or Swithin), saint for a rainy day
St Swithun is apparently the saint you can blame for rainy summers. It is said that if it rains on his special day, 15th July, it will then rain for 40 days after that. It all began when Swithun was made Bishop of Winchester in 852 by King Ethelwulf of Wessex. It was an important... (290 words)16th July – St Helier, losing a loved one to violence
Take the book of Samuel in the Bible, add a bit of Luke Skywalker father/son conflict from Star Wars, stir in a dash of Pirates of the Caribbean, and you sort of have the story of St Helier – the first saint and martyr of Jersey. According to the legend, it all began in 6th... (609 words)19th July – St Macrina the Younger, a sister in a million
Do you have a sister? Is she ‘good news’ in your life? Macrina the Younger (c. 327 -79) should be the patron saint of all ‘sisters’ whose generosity helps their siblings to succeed. Macrina the Younger was the eldest of 10 children. Their father was Basil the Elder, a leader in the church in 4th... (263 words)22nd July – The ‘Other’ Mary
As the traditional Easter story is remembered again this month, you may notice that there is one name that frequently occurs. It is that of the ‘other’ Mary – not the mother of Jesus but Mary of Magdala, who stood by her at the cross and became the first human being, male or female, actually... (360 words)22nd July – St Mary Magdalene, the woman with a past
Later this month Christians all over the world will commemorate probably the most unlikely saint in the Bible, Mary Magdalene. There was something in her background that has always fascinated people. All we are told about her ‘past’ is that Jesus had cast ‘seven devils’ out of her, but on that slender if intriguing evidence... (311 words)22nd July – St Mary Magdalene, patron of repentant sinners
It is easy to understand the popularity of Mary Magdalene over the centuries: she is the patron saint both of repentant sinners and of the contemplative life. Jesus drove seven demons from Mary, who came from near Tiberius in Galilee. She became His follower to the bitter end. She followed Him to Jerusalem and was... (188 words)22nd July – What do we really know about Mary Magdalene?
Fake news is not new. Perhaps one old example is the assertion that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. Back in the 6th Century, Pope Gregory is said to have confused her with two other women in the Bible. Medieval Bible scholars also attempted to name an unidentified sinful woman who had washed and anointed the... (374 words)25th July – St James the Apostle, apostle to Spain
James and his brother John were sons of Zebedee and fishermen from Galilee – the ‘sons of thunder’, as the gospel writers describe their impetuous characters and fiery tempers. James stands out on three accounts: he was one of the three disciples who witnessed the Transfiguration of Christ. Jesus took him, along with Peter and... (180 words)25th July – St James the Great
Jesus, fresh from His baptism and fired with His new calling, bursts into Galilee. Coming upon four fishermen working on the shore of the lake, He says to them, ‘Follow me’. Without further ado or even a second thought, they abandon what they’re doing (and in the case of two of them, James and John,... (426 words)25th July – St Christopher, patron saint of motorists
The legend goes that St Christopher was a Canaanite who lived in the 3rd century. He was a giant of a man, of fearsome appearance. At first he decided to serve the devil, but when he discovered that the devil was afraid of Christ and His Cross, Christopher decided to serve Christ instead. A nearby... (445 words)26th July – Anne and Joachim, parents of Blessed Virgin Mary
One thing is certain – Mary the mother of Jesus must have had parents. Beyond that, nothing is certain – but church tradition offers some details. The first mention of Anne and Joachim as being Mary’s parents was found in the apocryphal Gospel of James (second century) which has no historical validity. James says that... (192 words)27th July – The Seven Sleepers of Ephesus, proving a nap is good for you!
Do you tend to avoid conflict? When you feel stressed, do you crave sleep? Then the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus would be good patron saints for you. But – you may find it hard to copy their successful method of avoiding trouble! Legend has it that The Seven Sleepers were third century Christians who lived... (252 words)29th July – Olaf, king & patron saint of Norway
If you led a wild life before your conversion, then Olaf is the saint for you. Indeed, anything you have done could hardly match him, for he was a brigand and pirate who roamed the Baltic and Normandy around 1015 AD, maiming and killing, stealing and destroying, feared by all. Then on one particular raid... (324 words)30th July – William Wilberforce, Olaudah Equiano & Thomas Clarkson
During the 18th century many people in England were involved in the campaign to abolish the slave trade. The CofE remembers especially William Wilberforce, Olaudah Equiano and Thomas Clarkson – three very different but all tireless campaigners against the evil practice. Thomas Clarkson (1760-1846) was an Anglican clergyman and one of the most prominent of... (251 words)31st July – St Joseph of Arimathea, the man who buried Jesus
Have you ever suffered from gossip? Ever discovered that people are saying some really wild things about you? If so, Joseph of Arimathea would understand – and sympathise with you. This decent, godly man of the gospels seems to have fired the imaginations of all sorts of odd people down the centuries. Joseph was a... (324 words)31st July – St Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus
Ignatius came from a noble Basque family in north-east Spain. Born in 1491 in his family’s castle near Loyala, he was sent to serve as a page at the court of King Ferdinand V of Castile. Ignatius entered military service, but was wounded in 1521, at the French siege of Pamplona. While convalescing, he read... (390 words)
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