About 670, St. Fiacre. Legend has it that he was born in Ireland and went to France where he became a hermit, planted a garden, and opened a hospice. His hermitage was long a pilgrimage spot. He is the patron saint of gardeners and of the taxicab drivers of Paris.
In 1588, in England, St. Margaret Ward. After she helped a missionary priest escape from prison, she was arrested and tortured. She would not tell where the priest was hiding or renounce her faith and so was hanged.
In 1954, Blessed Ildephonse Schuster, Benedictine abbot, and cardinal bishop of Milan. He became a Benedictine and devoted himself to historical studies, particularly regarding the liturgy. He taught at St. Anselmo and was elected abbot of St. Paul Outside the Walls. He was made bishop of Milan and a cardinal in 1929. In the tradition of St. Charles Borromeo, he emphasized pastoral visitations; when he died he was on his fifth round of visits to the 900 parishes in his diocese. He denounced profane activities, promoted housing for poor immigrants who came to Milan from the south of Italy, and emphasized the Eucharist. He was at first a supporter of the Fascists, but vigorously opposed the entry of Italy into the Second World War. He aided Jews fleeing from Germany and as the war was coming to and end, tried to arrange a surrender that would spare Milan from further destruction.
Our daily martyrology was written by Fr. Hugh Feiss, OSB. Copyright © 2008 by the Monastery of the Ascension, Jerome, ID 83338.
