Calendar of saints (Church of England)
The Church of England commemorates many of the same saints as those in the General Roman Calendar, mostly on the same days, but also commemorates various notable (often post-Reformation) Christians who have not been canonised by Rome, with a particular though not exclusive emphasis on those of English origin. There are differences in the calendars of other churches of the Anglican Communion (see Saints in Anglicanism). The only person canonised in a near-conventional sense by the Church of England since the English Reformation is King Charles the Martyr (King Charles I), although he is not widely recognised by Anglicans as a saint outside the Society of King Charles the Martyr. The Church of England has no mechanism for canonising saints, and unlike the Roman Catholic Church it makes no claims regarding the heavenly status of those whom it commemorates in its calendar. For this reason, the Church of England avoids the use of the prenominal title "Saint" with reference to uncanonised individuals and is restrained in what it says about them in its liturgical texts. In order not to seem to imply grades of sanctity, or to discriminate between holy persons of the pre- and post-Reformation periods, the title "Saint" is not used at all in the calendar, even with reference to those who have always been known by that title, for example the Apostles. No Old Testament figures are commemorated in the Church of England calendar, but the litany "Thanksgiving for the Holy Ones of God" (included in Common Worship: Times and Seasons on pp. 558–560, immediately after "The Eucharist of All Saints") includes ten names from before Christ, so they are presumably not excluded on principle, and could be considered among the saints. The ninth Lambeth Conference held in 1958 clarified the commemoration of Saints and Heroes of the Christian Church in the Anglican Communion. Resolution 79 stated: There is no single calendar for the various churches making up the Anglican Communion; each makes its own calendar suitable for its local situation. As a result, the calendar here contains a number of figures important in the history of the English church. Calendars in different provinces will focus on figures more important to those different countries. At the same time, different provinces often borrow important figures from each other's calendars as the international importance of different figures becomes clear. In this way the calendar of the Church of England has importance beyond the immediate purpose of supporting the liturgy of the English Church. It is, for example, one of the key sources of the calendar for the international daily office Oremus. Holy Days are variously categorised as Principal Feasts, Festivals, Lesser Festivals, or Commemorations. In order to minimise problems caused by the ambivalence regarding the manner of commemoration of uncanonised persons, all such days are Lesser Festivals or Commemorations only, whose observance is optional. The following table lists the Holy Days in the calendar of Common Worship, the calendar most generally followed in the Church of England (though the calendar of the Book of Common Prayer is still authorised for use). This calendar was finalised in 2000, with some further names added in 2010. Individual dioceses and societies may suggest additional observances for local use, but these are not included here. The table includes the feast date, the name of the person or persons being commemorated, their title, the nature and location of their ministry or other relevant facts, and year of death, all in the form in which they are set out in the authorised Common Worship calendar. The level of the observance is indicated as follows: boldface denotes Principal Feasts and Principal Holy Days a dagger (†) denotes Festivals an asterisk (*) denotes Lesser Festivals italics denote unclassified observances entries with none of the above are Commemorations. †The Baptism of Christ, the Sunday following the Epiphany (when the Epiphany is kept on 6 January) Ash Wednesday, the Wednesday 46 days before Easter Day Maundy Thursday, the Thursday in the week before Easter Day Good Friday, the Friday in the week before Easter Day Easter Day, the first Sunday after the Paschal full moon Ascension Day, the Thursday forty days after Easter Day Day of Pentecost, the Sunday fifty days after Easter Day Trinity Sunday, the Sunday after Pentecost †The Day of Thanksgiving for the Institution of Holy Communion (Corpus Christi), the Thursday after Trinity Sunday †Dedication Festival, the first Sunday in October or the Last Sunday after Trinity, if date unknown †Christ the King, the Sunday next before Advent 1 †The Naming and Circumcision of Jesus 2 *Basil the Great and Gregory of Nazianzus, Bishops, Teachers of the Faith, 379 and 389 2 Seraphim, Monk of Sarov, Spiritual Guide, 1833 2 Vedanayagam Samuel Azariah, Bishop in South India, Evangelist, 1945 6 The Epiphany – may be celebrated on the Sunday between 2 and 8 January 10 William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1645 11 Mary Slessor, Missionary in West Africa, 1915 12 Aelred of Hexham, Abbot of Rievaulx, 1167 12 Benedict Biscop, Abbot of Wearmouth, Scholar, 689 13 *Hilary, Bishop of Poitiers, Teacher of the Faith, 367 13 Kentigern (Mungo), Missionary Bishop in Strathclyde and Cumbria, 603 13 George Fox, Founder of the Society of Friends (the Quakers), 1691 17 *Antony of Egypt, Hermit, Abbot, 356 17 Charles Gore, Bishop, Founder of the Community of the Resurrection, 1932 18–25 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 18 Amy Carmichael, Founder of the Dohnavur Fellowship, Spiritual Writer, 1951 19 *Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester, 1095 20 Richard Rolle of Hampole, Spiritual Writer, 1349 21 *Agnes, Child Martyr at Rome, 304 22 Vincent of Saragossa, Deacon, first Martyr of Spain, 304 24 *Francis de Sales, Bishop of Geneva, Teacher of the Faith, 1622 25 †The Conversion of Paul 26 *Timothy and Titus, Companions of Paul 28 *Thomas Aquinas, Priest, Philosopher, Teacher of the Faith, 1274 30 *Charles, King and Martyr, 1649 31 John Bosco, Priest, Founder of the Salesian Teaching Order, 1888 1 Brigid of Kildare, Abbess of Kildare, c.525 2 The Presentation of Christ in the Temple (Candlemas) – may be celebrated on the Sunday between 28 January and 3 February 3 *Anskar, Archbishop of Bremen, Missionary in Denmark and Sweden, 865 4 Gilbert of Sempringham, Founder of the Gilbertine Order, 1189 6 The Martyrs of Japan, 1597 10 Scholastica, sister of Benedict, Abbess of Plombariola, c.543 14 *Cyril and Methodius, Missionaries to the Slavs, 869 and 885 14 Valentine, Martyr at Rome, c.269 15 Sigfrid, Bishop, Apostle of Sweden, 1045 15 Thomas Bray, Priest, Founder of the SPCK and the SPG, 1730 17 *Janani Luwum, Archbishop of Uganda, Martyr, 1977 23 *Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, Martyr, c.155 27 *George Herbert, Priest, Poet, 1633 Alternative dates: Matthias may be celebrated on 24 February instead of 14 May. 1 *David, Bishop of Menevia, Patron of Wales, c.601 2 *Chad, Bishop of Lichfield, Missionary, 672 7 *Perpetua, Felicity and their Companions, Martyrs at Carthage, 203 8 Edward King, Bishop of Lincoln, 1910* 8 Felix, Bishop, Apostle to the East Angles, 647 8 Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy, Priest, Poet, 1929 17 *Patrick, Bishop, Missionary, Patron of Ireland, c.460 18 Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem, Teacher of the Faith, 386 19 †Joseph of Nazareth 20 *Cuthbert, Bishop of Lindisfarne, Missionary, 687 21 *Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, Reformation Martyr, 1556 24 Walter Hilton of Thurgarton, Augustinian Canon, Mystic, 1396 24 Paul Couturier, Priest, Ecumenist, 1953 24 Óscar Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador, Martyr, 1980 25 The Annunciation of Our Lord to the Blessed Virgin Mary 26 Harriet Monsell, Founder of the Community of St John the Baptist, 1883 31 John Donne, Priest, Poet, 1631 Alternative dates: Chad may be celebrated with Cedd on 26 October instead of 2 March. Cuthbert may be celebrated on 4 September instead of 20 March. 1 Frederick Denison Maurice, Priest, Teacher of the Faith, 1872 9 Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Lutheran Pastor, Martyr, 1945 10 *William Law, Priest, Spiritual Writer, 1761 10 William of Ockham, Friar, Philosopher, Teacher of the Faith, 1347 11 George Selwyn, first Bishop of New Zealand, 1878 16 Isabella Gilmore, Deaconess, 1923 19 *Alphege, Archbishop of Canterbury, Martyr, 1012 21 *Anselm, Abbot of Le Bec, Archbishop of Canterbury, Teacher of the Faith, 1109 23 †George, Martyr, Patron of England, c.304 24 Mellitus, Bishop of London, first Bishop at St Paul's, 624 24 The Seven Martyrs of the Melanesian Brotherhood, Solomon Islands, 2003 25 †Mark the Evangelist 27 Christina Rossetti, Poet, 1894 28 Peter Chanel, Missionary in the South Pacific, Martyr, 1841 29 *Catherine of Siena, Teacher of the Faith, 1380 30 Pandita Mary Ramabai, Translator of the Scriptures, 1922 1 †Philip and James, Apostles 2 *Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, Teacher of the Faith, 373 4 *English Saints and Martyrs of the Reformation Era 8 *Julian of Norwich, Spiritual Writer, c.1417 12 Gregory Dix, Priest, Monk, Scholar, 1952 14 †Matthias the Apostle 16 Caroline Chisholm, Social Reformer, 1877 19 *Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury, Restorer of Monastic Life, 988 20 *Alcuin of York, Deacon, Abbot of Tours, 804 21 Helena, Protector of the Holy Places, 330 24 *John and Charles Wesley, Evangelists, Hymn Writers, 1791 and 1788 25 *The Venerable Bede, Monk at Jarrow, Scholar, Historian, 735 25 Aldhelm, Bishop of Sherborne, 709 26 *Augustine, first Archbishop of Canterbury, 605 26 John Calvin, Reformer, 1564 26 Philip Neri, Founder of the Oratorians, Spiritual Guide, 1595 28 Lanfranc, Prior of Le Bec, Archbishop of Canterbury, Scholar, 1089 30 *Josephine Butler, Social Reformer, 1906 30 Joan of Arc, Visionary, 1431 30 Apolo Kivebulaya, Priest, Evangelist in Central Africa, 1933 31 †The Visit of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Elizabeth Alternative dates: Matthias may be celebrated on 24 February instead of 14 May. The Visit of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Elizabeth may be celebrated on 2 July instead of 31 May. 1 *Justin, Martyr at Rome, c.165 3 The Martyrs of Uganda, 1885–7 and 1977 4 Petroc, Abbot of Padstow, 6th century 5 *Boniface (Wynfrith) of Crediton, Bishop, Apostle of Germany, Martyr, 754 6 Ini Kopuria, Founder of the Melanesian Brotherhood, 1945 8 *Thomas Ken, Bishop of Bath and Wells, Nonjuror, Hymn Writer, 1711 9 *Columba, Abbot of Iona, Missionary, 597 9 Ephrem of Syria, Deacon, Hymn Writer, Teacher of the Faith, 373 11 †Barnabas the Apostle 14 Richard Baxter, Puritan Divine, 1691 15 Evelyn Underhill, Spiritual Writer, 1941 16 *Richard, Bishop of Chichester, 1253 16 Joseph Butler, Bishop of Durham, Philosopher, 1752 17 Samuel and Henrietta Barnett, Social Reformers, 1913 and 1936 18 Bernard Mizeki, Apostle of the MaShona, Martyr, 1896 19 Sundar Singh of India, Sadhu (holy man), Evangelist, Teacher of the Faith, 1929 22 *Alban, first Martyr of Britain, c.250 23 *Etheldreda, Abbess of Ely, c.678 24 †The Birth of John the Baptist 27 Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria, Teacher of the Faith, 444 28 *Irenæus, Bishop of Lyon, Teacher of the Faith, c.200 29 †Peter and Paul, Apostles Alternative dates: Peter the Apostle may be celebrated alone, without Paul, on 29 June. 1 Henry, John, and Henry Venn the younger, Priests, Evangelical Divines, 1797, 1813 and 1873 3 †Thomas the Apostle 6 Thomas More, Scholar, and John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, Reformation Martyrs, 1535 11 *Benedict of Nursia, Abbot of Monte Cassino, Father of Western Monasticism, c.550 14 *John Keble, Priest, Tractarian, Poet, 1866 15 *Swithun, Bishop of Winchester, c.862 15 Bonaventure, Friar, Bishop, Teacher of the Faith, 1274 16 Osmund, Bishop of Salisbury, 1099 18 Elizabeth Ferard, first Deaconess of the Church of England, Founder of the Community of St Andrew, 1883 19 *Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, and his sister Macrina, Deaconess, Teachers of the Faith, c.394 and c.379 20 Margaret of Antioch, Martyr, 4th century 20 Bartolomé de las Casas, Apostle to the Indies, 1566 22 †Mary Magdalene 23 Bridget of Sweden, Abbess of Vadstena, 1373 25 †James the Apostle 26 Anne and Joachim, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary 27 Brooke Foss Westcott, Bishop of Durham, Teacher of the Faith, 1901 29 *Mary, Martha and Lazarus, Companions of Our Lord 30 *William Wilberforce, Social Reformer, Olaudah Equiano and Thomas Clarkson, Anti-Slavery Campaigners, 1833, 1797 and 1846 31 Ignatius of Loyola, Founder of the Society of Jesus, 1556 Alternative dates: The Visit of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Elizabeth may be celebrated on 2 July instead of 31 May. Thomas the Apostle may be celebrated on 21 December instead of 3 July. Thomas Becket may be celebrated on 7 July instead of 29 December. 4 Jean-Baptiste Vianney, Curé d'Ars, Spiritual Guide, 1859 5 *Oswald, King of Northumbria, Martyr, 642 6 †The Transfiguration of Our Lord 7 John Mason Neale, Priest, Hymn Writer, 1866 8 *Dominic, Priest, Founder of the Order of Preachers, 1221 9 *Mary Sumner, Founder of the Mothers' Union, 1921 10 *Laurence, Deacon at Rome, Martyr, 258 11 *Clare of Assisi, Founder of the Minoresses (Poor Clares), 1253 11 John Henry Newman, Priest, Tractarian, 1890 13 *Jeremy Taylor, Bishop of Down and Connor, Teacher of the Faith, 1667 13 Florence Nightingale, Nurse, Social Reformer, 1910 13 Octavia Hill, Social Reformer, 1912 14 Maximilian Kolbe, Friar, Martyr, 1941 15 †The Blessed Virgin Mary 20 *Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux, Teacher of the Faith, 1153 20 William and Catherine Booth, Founders of the Salvation Army, 1912 and 1890 24 †Bartholomew the Apostle 27 *Monica, mother of Augustine of Hippo, 387 28 *Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, Teacher of the Faith, 430 29 *The Beheading of John the Baptist 30 *John Bunyan, Spiritual Writer, 1688 31 *Aidan, Bishop of Lindisfarne, Missionary, 651 Alternative dates: The Blessed Virgin Mary may be celebrated on 8 September or 8 December instead of 15 August. 1 Giles of Provence, Hermit, c.710 2 The Martyrs of Papua New Guinea, 1901 and 1942 3 *Gregory the Great, Bishop of Rome, Teacher of the Faith, 604 4 Birinus, Bishop of Dorchester (Oxon), Apostle of Wessex, 650 6 Allen Gardiner, Missionary, Founder of the South American Mission Society, 1851 8 *The Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary 9 Charles Fuge Lowder, Priest, 1880 13 *John Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople, Teacher of the Faith, 407 14 †Holy Cross Day 15 *Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, Martyr, 258 16 *Ninian, Bishop of Galloway, Apostle of the Picts, c.432 16 Edward Bouverie Pusey, Priest, Tractarian, 1882 17 *Hildegard, Abbess of Bingen, Visionary, 1179 19 Theodore of Tarsus, Archbishop of Canterbury, 690 20 *John Coleridge Patteson, First Bishop of Melanesia, and his Companions, Martyrs, 1871 21 †Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist 25 *Lancelot Andrewes, Bishop of Winchester, Spiritual Writer, 1626 25 Sergei of Radonezh, Russian Monastic Reformer, Teacher of the Faith, 1392 26 Wilson Carlile, Founder of the Church Army, 1942 27 *Vincent de Paul, Founder of the Congregation of the Mission (Lazarists), 1660 29 †Michael and All Angels 30 Jerome, Translator of the Scriptures, Teacher of the Faith, 420 Alternative dates: Cuthbert may be celebrated on 4 September instead of 20 March. 1 Remigius, Bishop of Rheims, Apostle of the Franks, 533 1 Anthony Ashley Cooper, Earl of Shaftesbury, Social Reformer, 1885 3 George Bell, Bishop of Chichester, Ecumenist, Peacemaker, 1958 4 *Francis of Assisi, Friar, Deacon, Founder of the Friars Minor, 1226 6 *William Tyndale, Translator of the Scriptures, Reformation Martyr, 1536 9 Denys, Bishop of Paris, and his Companions, Martyrs, c.250 9 Robert Grosseteste, Bishop of Lincoln, Philosopher, Scientist, 1253 10 *Paulinus, Bishop of York, Missionary, 644 10 Thomas Traherne, Poet, Spiritual Writer, 1674 11 Ethelburga, Abbess of Barking, 675 11 James the Deacon, companion of Paulinus, 7th century 12 *Wilfrid of Ripon, Bishop, Missionary, 709 12 Elizabeth Fry, Prison Reformer, 1845 12 Edith Cavell, Nurse, 1915 13 *Edward the Confessor, King of England, 1066 15 *Teresa of Avila, Teacher of the Faith, 1582 16 Nicholas Ridley, Bishop of London, and Hugh Latimer, Bishop of Worcester, Reformation Martyrs, 1555 17 *Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, Martyr, c.107 18 †Luke the Evangelist 19 *Henry Martyn, Translator of the Scriptures, Missionary in India and Persia, 1812 25 Crispin and Crispinian, Martyrs at Rome, c.287 26 *Alfred the Great, King of the West Saxons, Scholar, 899 26 Cedd, Abbot of Lastingham, Bishop of the East Saxons, 664 28 †Simon and Jude, Apostles 29 *James Hannington, Bishop of Eastern Equatorial Africa, Martyr in Uganda, 1885 31 Martin Luther, Reformer, 1546 Alternative dates: Chad may be celebrated with Cedd on 26 October instead of 2 March. 1 All Saints' Day 2 *Commemoration of the Faithful Departed (All Souls' Day) 3 *Richard Hooker, Priest, Anglican Apologist, Teacher of the Faith, 1600 3 Martin of Porres, Friar, 1639 6 Leonard, Hermit, 6th century 6 William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury, Teacher of the Faith, 1944 7 *Willibrord of York, Bishop, Apostle of Frisia, 739 8 *The Saints and Martyrs of England 9 Margery Kempe, Mystic, c.1440 10 *Leo the Great, Bishop of Rome, Teacher of the Faith, 461 11 *Martin, Bishop of Tours, c.397 13 *Charles Simeon, Priest, Evangelical Divine, 1836 14 Samuel Seabury, first Anglican Bishop in North America, 1796 16 *Margaret, Queen of Scotland, Philanthropist, Reformer of the Church, 1093 16 Edmund Rich of Abingdon, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1240 17 *Hugh, Bishop of Lincoln, 1200 18 *Elizabeth of Hungary, Princess of Thuringia, Philanthropist, 1231 19 *Hilda, Abbess of Whitby, 680 19 Mechthild, Béguine of Magdeburg, Mystic, 1280 20 *Edmund, King of the East Angles, Martyr, 870 20 Priscilla Lydia Sellon, a Restorer of the Religious Life in the Church of England, 1876 22 Cecilia, Martyr at Rome, c.230 23 *Clement, Bishop of Rome, Martyr, c.100 25 Catherine of Alexandria, Martyr, 4th century 25 Isaac Watts, Hymn Writer, 1748 29 Day of Intercession and Thanksgiving for the Missionary Work of the Church 30 †Andrew the Apostle 1 Charles de Foucauld, Hermit in the Sahara, 1916 3 Francis Xavier, Jesuit Missionary, Apostle of the Indies, 1552 4 John of Damascus, Monk, Teacher of the Faith, c.749 4 Nicholas Ferrar, Deacon, Founder of the Little Gidding community, 1637 6 *Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, c.326 7 *Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, Teacher of the Faith, 397 8 †The Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary 13 Lucy, Martyr at Syracuse, 304 13 *Samuel Johnson, Moralist, 1784 14 *John of the Cross, Poet, Teacher of the Faith, 1591 17 O Sapientia 17 Eglantine Jebb, Social Reformer, Founder of 'Save The Children', 1928 24 *Christmas Eve 25 Christmas Day 26 †Stephen, Deacon, First Martyr 27 †John, Apostle and Evangelist 28 †The Holy Innocents 29 *Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, Martyr, 1170 31 John Wyclif, Reformer, 1384 Alternative dates: Thomas the Apostle may be celebrated on 21 December instead of 3 July. Thomas Becket may be celebrated on 7 July instead of 29 December. Calendar of saints (Episcopal Church in the United States of America) Coptic Orthodox calendar of saints List of saints Movable feasts Name days General Roman Calendar Calendar of saints "Holy Days". Liturgical Calendar. Church of England. Archived from the original on 9 April 2010. Retrieved 22 October 2006.