Saints of the Day & More

They were daughters of Dagobert II. Dagobert acceded to the throne of Austrasia at the age of seven, upon the death of Sigebert III, but was quickly deposed. Dagobert fled to Ireland and returned to Metz in 673 and claimed the throne. During exile, he married an Anglo-Saxon princess named Matilda and had five children, with saints Adela and Irmina among them. Both women were engaged to marriage to noblemen, but both became widows. Irmina was widowed before her marriage, and she founded a Benedictine convent at Horren in Trier. When a plague threatened her community, she gained the help of Saint Willibrord. When the pestilence passed by the convent, she gave Willibrord the lands for his abbey in Echternach. Adela was married and had a child by her husband, Alberic. Alberic died within a few years of the marriage. Despite multiple marriage offers, she chose to take up holy orders as well. She founded the convent of Palatiolum in lands that were then undeveloped outside of Trier. The site...

St. Eulalia and Julia of Merida, Virgins and Martyrs. Eulalia and Julia of Merida were born in Spain in the last decade of the third century. It is almost universally accepted that she and her sister suffered martyrdom for the Faith. What little else is known of her to date is based mostly on legend. It is believed that Eulalia, as a twelve year old girl, tried to remonstrate with Judge Dacian of Merida for forcing Christians to worship false gods in accord with the edict of Diocletian. Even though Dacian was at first amused and tried to flatter her, Eulalia would not deny Christ. St. Eulalia shouted out "Isis Apollo Venus nihil est,Maximianus et ipse nihil:illa nihil, quia facta manu;hic, manuum quia facta colit" which translates to "Isis, Apollo and Venus are naught,Nor is Maximian anything more;Nothing are they, for by hand they were wrought,He, for of hands he the work doth adore." Finally, Dacian ordered that her body be torn by iron hooks. Fire was applied to ...