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Saint of the day.

A curated calendar of about 100 of the most-commemorated saints across the Western Christian tradition. Pick any date in the year and see whose feast falls on it. The dates follow the Roman Catholic / Anglican calendar (mostly aligned); Orthodox calendars use different dates for some saints.

What is a feast day?

In Christian tradition, each major saint is remembered on a particular date — most often the date of their death (their dies natalis, "birthday into heaven"), occasionally a different significant date in their life. On that date the church remembers their witness in the liturgy and in private prayer.

The Roman Catholic and Anglican calendars overlap heavily on the major saints (the apostles, the Gospel writers, the great early martyrs, doctors of the church). Different traditions add their own commemorations — Lutherans remember the Reformers; Anglicans add their own English saints; Orthodox calendars retain many early saints under different dates because of the Julian/Gregorian calendar split.

FAQ

Why does the church remember saints?

The historic Christian tradition has always honoured those who lived the faith conspicuously well — apostles, martyrs, teachers, missionaries — as a way of holding their lives up as examples and asking for their prayers (in traditions that hold the doctrine of the communion of saints). Protestant traditions vary: most Lutherans and Anglicans retain a calendar of commemorations; most Reformed and Baptist traditions don't.

Why isn't [my favourite saint] in this calendar?

This is a curated subset of ~100 of the most-commemorated saints — the apostles, evangelists, doctors of the church, great martyrs, founders of religious orders, and a few modern figures. The full Roman Martyrology lists about 7,000 saints. Some traditions celebrate many more. For exhaustive lookup, consult vaticannews.va/en/saint-of-the-day or the relevant denomination\'s calendar.

Do Protestants observe feast days?

It varies. Anglicans (and many Methodists in the Anglican tradition) maintain a calendar of feast days similar to Catholic practice. Lutherans observe the major feasts. Reformed and Baptist traditions historically reject the practice, though many individual congregations note major figures like Reformation Day (October 31). The "communion of saints" article of the Apostles\' Creed is held across traditions but understood differently.

What\'s the difference between feast, memorial, and commemoration?

In the modern Roman Catholic calendar: solemnities are the highest rank (Christmas, Easter, Mary major feasts); feasts the next (the apostles, the Lord\'s baptism); memorials the most numerous (most saints in this calendar); commemorations the lowest. Anglican use is similar but with different terminology. The ranks affect liturgical practice but not which saint is remembered.

Why do some saints have multiple feast days?

Some saints are commemorated more than once — Mary, for instance, has many feasts (Annunciation, Visitation, Assumption, Immaculate Conception, etc.). Major apostles like Peter and Paul each have multiple commemorations. This calendar shows the primary date for each saint.

Related tools

Remember the saint. Then learn the story.

Kerygma\'s Saints & Martyrs category covers the lives behind these dates — Augustine, Athanasius, Patrick, Francis, Teresa of Ávila, Bonhoeffer, and many more. Free for seven days.

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