About Saint Eugene

About Saint Eugene

As indicated in our Church's stained glass window, our patron saint is Pope St. Eugene I - Feast Day (Memorial) on June 2nd.

Eugene, a Roman from the Aventine, was gentle and a holy man who had been a cleric from his youth. He was noted for his great charity to the poor. He was consecrated Pope on August 10, 645 with consent of Pope Martin who had been tortured and exiled by imperial officials representing Emperor Constantine at Constantinople. Because he would not submit to Byzantine dictation in the matter of Monothelitism, St. Martin I was forcibly carried off from Rome (18 June, 653) and kept in exile till his death (September, 655).

Did you know that the Roman Catholic Church has at least seven other Eugenes who have been canonized as saints and one Eugene who has been beatified and is awaiting canonization.

These other eight Eugenes are:

St. Eugene - Feast Day (Memorial) on November 15th

St. Eugene was a Bishop, martyr and a companion of St. Dionysius [note: St. Dionysius was converted by Saint Paul (Acts 17:34) and early writers say he became the first bishop of Athens and was martyred (c. 95).] St. Eugene was supposedly martyred near Paris, France. He was originally listed as a bishop of Toledo, Spain. His relics were reportedly translated to Toledo.

St. Eugene - Feast Day (Memorial) on January 24th

St. Eugene was martyred (c. 305) in Asia Minor (Turkish) at Neocaesarea in Mauritania, along with three other holy martyrs: Mardonius, Musonius, and Metellus. All were burned at the stake and their relics were scattered in a river.

St. Eugene - Feast Day (Memorial) on November 17th

St. Eugene was a disciple of St. Ambrose of Milan and deacon at Florence, Italy, under St. Zenobius. He died in 422.

St. Eugene - Feast Day (Memorial) on January 4th

St. Eugene was martyred (c. 484) by the Arian Hunneric, king of the Vandals, along with six other holy martyrs: Saint Aquilinus, Saint Geminus, Saint Marcian, Saint Quintus, Saint Theodotus, and Saint Tryphon. Blessed Bede had access to records about them, and wrote of their heroic deaths, but his sources have not survived.

St. Eugene of Milan - Feast Day (Memorial) on December 30th

St. Eugene was the Bishop of Milan (specific dates are unknown).

St. Eugene - Feast Day (Memorial) on August 23rd

St. Eugene was an Irish missionary to England who became the first bishop of Ardstraw, in Tyrone, Ireland, now Derry. He is also listed as Eoghan, Enny, and Owen. He was born in Leinster, Ireland, and was a relative of St. Kevin of Glendalough. Kidnapped as a child, he spent years as a slave before returning to Ireland. There he helped St. Tigernach found Clones Monastery in 576 .

St. Eugene de Mazenod - Feast Day (Memorial) on May 21st

Charles-Joseph-Eugene de Mazenod (1782-1861) was the bishop of the diocese of Marseilles in France. In 1815, he founded the Congregation of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate to evangelize the poorest populations of Provence that were being neglected. In a little more than forty years, the priests of his diocese increased in number from around a hundred and fifty to over four hundred. In equivalent numbers, the Oblates of Mary Immaculate were sent as missionaries to four continents. Pope John Paul II named him a Saint of the Church at the official canonization ceremony on December 3, 1995 in Rome.

Blessed Pope Eugene III - Memorial on July 8th

Also known as Peter dei Paganelli di Montemagno; Bernard of Pisa; Bernardo Pignatelli; he was Pope Eugene III from February 15, 1145 to July 8, 1151. He was a prominent Cistercian, a friend of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux and was the Abbot of the monastery of Tre Fontaine. He was chosen unanimously at the college of cardinals that met the day of his predecessor's funeral; the cardinals wanted a quick election to prevent the interference of secular authorities. Promoted the disastrous Second Crusade. In 1146, the agitation of Arnold of Brescia and the republicans drove the pope from Rome. In exile in 1146-1149 and 1150-1152, Eugene worked to reform clerical discipline. He was beatified on December 28, 1872 by Pope Pius IX.