Saints' Days July 28-August 3

 

 

Diversity abounds in the group this week: From the most oft-heard girl’s name, to underused (and under practiced) virtues, from reigning princesses to celebrity babes, this week runs the gamut.  They hail from all over– from Ireland to Vietnam, from Basque country to Sweden, and if you ask me, we could stand to see a few more of these names pop up in our country, too.

 

JULY 28

Innocent- “Innocent.” Became pope in 401, and heavily emphasized the supreme power of the papacy, as well as clerical celibacy.  These days, this name might wear better on a girl, but watch out– a little “Innocent” is sure to be anything but.

Peregrinus- “Traveller.”  Likely from Lyons, this second century priest survived the persecutions of Septimius Severus by becoming a hermit.  This name is sometimes seen in Britain in the form of Peregrine.  Perry is the more user-friendly derivation for these shores.  

Samson- Hebrew, “sun.”  Welsh bishop and disciple of St. Illtyd.  A missionary, he traveled to Ireland, England, Brittany, and Normandy, and is particularly venerated in Wales and Brittany.  Most will recall the Biblical Samson of Delilah notoriety, and a judge of ancient Israel with superhuman strength.  Samson is a darling alternative to Samuel when used in full.  Regina Spektor has a song entitled “Samson.”

JULY 29

Killian- May come from the Gaelic ceallach meaning “war, strife.” Seventh century abbot from Iniscaltra, Ireland, who wrote about St. Brigid.  I know it may be childish of me, but whenever I meet a Killian, and I have met precisely two, I always hope they never get into a scuffle with a little Ian– or worse.  Cillian Murphy is becoming well known, and is a very fine actor.

Martha- Means “lady of the house” in Aramaic.  Sister of Mary Magdalene and Lazarus, she hosted Jesus in her home and is the patron saint of housekeepers.  The story goes that she traveled to Aix, France, where there lived a frightening dragon.  Martha sprinkled holy water on the dragon, thereby weakening him, and the people were able to easily kill him.  Martha would work well on a modern child, following on the coattails of the “old lady chic” trend.  Martha Washington is the quintessential American forbearer.

Seraphina- Hebrew, from Seraphim, the highest order of angels, and meaning “fiery, ardent.”  Also known as St. Fina, Seraphina suffered as a child from a terrible disfiguring illness.  She prayed to Pope St. Gregory, asking that he should help her have the same patience through her suffering that he had with his.  She died on his feast day.  For those who like long, flowing, feminine names, this is one to strongly consider. 

JULY 30

Julitta- Diminutive of Julia, meaning “downy-bearded.”  Burned at the stake for being a Christian in what is now Turkey.  Marcia Gay Harden has a daughter named Julitta Dee.

Maxima- Latin, “great.” Martyred in North Africa under the Emporer Diocletian along with Secunda and Domitilla. Princess Maxima is married to the heir apparent of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange.  She is originally from Argentina. 

Olaf of Sweden- Tenth century Swedish king who attempted to spread Christianity throughout his kingdom.  He was met with strong opposition from the Pagans, and was martyred in Stockholm after he refused to make sacrifices to their gods. 

JULY 31

Helen- Greek, “torch, light.”  St. Helen of Skovde, Sweden was a noblewoman who gave all her possessions away to make a pilgrimage to Rome.  Upon her return, she was falsely accused of killing her son and was executed.  Miracles were reported at her tomb.

Emmanuel- Hebrew, “God is with us.”  Emmanuel Phung was a nineteenth century Vietnamese catechist who was canonized recently, in 1988.  Emmanuel was also the foretold name of the Messiah in the Old Testament.

Ignatius- May be of Etruscan origin, or related to the Latin ignis for “fire.”  San Iñigo de Oñaz y Loyola, also known as St. Ignatius, was the youngest of thirteen in his noble Basque family.  He went on to found the Jesuit order, famous for their exacting level of education.  One of his students was St. Francis Xavier.  Cate Blanchett, namer extraordinaire, startled the world when she bestowed this on her baby boy earlier this year.  I kind of like it.  

AUGUST 1

Charity, Faith, and Hope- Sisters tragically beheaded as children.  Charity is the most underused of these virtue names today, just as long as it’s not the bearer who is the charity case.  See Sofia, below.  

Exuperius- Fourth century Bishop of Bayeux, France, and the surname of the author/illustrator of Le Petit Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.  That’s mostly why he’s listed here.   

Sofia- Faith, Hope, and Charity were the daughters of “Wisdom”, or Sofia.   The daughters were all martyred as children under Hadrian’s persecution of the Christians.  Sofia died praying at their graves three days later.  With the combined spellings of Sophia and Sofia, this is now the most popular name for girls in the United States.  Not a bad choice considering its meaning, history, and melodious quality.  

AUGUST 2

Eusebius-  Greek, “pious.” During Constantine’s rule, there were different interpretations of the meaning of the new state religion, Christianity.  Eusebius was exiled three times before returning under Constantine’s successor.  

Theodota- Greek, “Gift of God.” Denounced by a prefect when she refused his hand in marriage, and was martyred with her son in Nicaea. No, Theodota is not a typo.  It’s an alternative to Theodora, with the appealing and spunky nickname “Dot.”

AUGUST 3

Lydia- Means “person from Lydia.”  St. Paul’s first convert.  I’m always surprised that Lydia is not more prevalent, as it seems like the perfect sister name to Sofia, Isabella, and Hannah. 

Trea- Irish hermitess who was converted to Christianity by St. Patrick.  

 

Pictured Above:  The Killian II