The Sixth Day of Christmas: Not No Saints – the Martyrology and Saint James

Happy sixth day of Christmas! Today is the first day of the Christmas Octave that is not otherwise also a solemnity, feast, or memorial. That does not mean, however, that there aren’t other saints we could celebrate today in the midst of our Christmas joy.

Today I’d like to talk about the Roman Martyrology, as well as the celebration of a saint dear to me that does occur on this date – just not on the universal calendar.

The Roman Martyrology

The Martyrology is one of those liturgical books that you don’t really hear much about – probably because the most recent edition of 2005 has never been translated from Latin into English. In fact, no version of this book has been translated, even quasi-officially, into English since 1963 as far as I can determine.

And that’s a shame because it provides an extensive (but not exhaustive) list of the saints recognized by the Church. It’s organized day by day throughout the year so that saints whose memorials are otherwise not on the calendar may be celebrated or commemorated.

Now, when I say it’s not been translated, I must give one caveat: the Third Edition of the Roman Missal does provide a single entry from the Martyrology in Appendix 1. You may have heard it at the Christmas Vigil Mass: the announcement of the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord.

So when will the rest of the Roman Martyrology be translated? Who knows?

Here is the entry for today in an older form of the Martyrology:

The Thirtieth Day of December

At Rome, the birthday of St. Felix I, pope and martyr. He governed the Church at the time of the Emperor Aurelius. His feast is celebrated on May 30.

At Spoleto, the birthday of the holy martyrs Sabinus, Bishop of Assisi, Exuperantius and Marcellus, deacons, and Venustian the governor, with his wife and children. They were martyred in the reign of the Emperor Maximian. Marcellus and Exuperantius were first stretched on the rack and grievously beaten with clubs. Next they were torn with iron claws and their sides roasted by fire until they gained their martyrdom. Shortly after, Venustian was killed by the sword, together with his wife and children. St. Sabinus had his hands cut off and was confined in prison for a long time; then he was flogged to death. Although the martyrdom of these saints took place at different times, they are all remembered on one day.

At Alexandria, Ss. Mansuetus, Severus, Appian, Donatus, Honorius, and their fellow martyrs.

At Thessalonica, St. Anysia, martyr.

At the same place, St. Anysius, bishop of that city.

At Milan, St. Eugene, bishop and confessor.

At Ravenna, St. Liberius, bishop.

At Aquila, among the Vestinian people, St. Rainer, bishop.

V. And elsewhere, many other holy martyrs, confessors, and holy virgins.

R. Thanks be to God.

Holy saints of God, pray for us!

The Translation of Saint James

Curiously missing from this edition of the Martyrology is the feast of the Translation of the Relics of Saint James, celebrated on this day in Spain and in many of her former colonies. Well, I say “feast”, but in Spain at least it’s celebrated as a Solemnity. At Santiago Cathedral, where the saint’s relics are kept, it’s celebrated with more fervour than the actual Feast of Saint James in July. Some years, the King of Spain attends Mass there on that day.

The Translation refers to the transfer of the body of the Apostle James from Jerusalem to the Port of Iria Flavia, in Padrón, on the northwest coast of Spain. According to scripture, the Apostle James was beheaded in Jerusalem. Legend has it that his body was cut into pieces and thrown outside the city walls for wild dogs to devour.

However, at night, his disciples, Athanasius and Theodore, picked up the pieces and brought the body to the port of Haffa, where they found a boat. They were determined to return the Saint’s body to Hispania, where he preached for many years.

The boat crossed the Mediterranean Sea and reached the Ría de Arousa. From here, they sailed upriver to the port of Iria Flavia. Numerous legends give conflicting accounts of what happened next, but the upshot is that the Apostle’s remains were buried in a Roman cemetery in an obscure village, well out of sight of the Roman authorities, who had now begun the suppression of the Church in earnest.

The obscurity was perhaps too complete, as the location of the Apostle’s body (and small monument) was lost over the centuries due to the collapse of Roman civilization in the area and the subsequent invasion of the Visigoths and then the Moors. Only the legend remained.

The burial place was rediscovered in the ninth century, and today the great cathedral stands atop the spot.

Fun fact: they lost the Apostle’s relics one more time when they were hidden in a wall during the depredations of Sir Francis Drake. Twenty or so years later, the Cathedral canons attempted to return the saint’s bones to the crypt, only to discover that they had not properly recorded the hiding place. They were lost for more than two centuries before being found again during a renovation of the Cathedral.