Prayerbook, Holy Sacrifice of Mass, Old Latin Mass, Feastdays...MAR

Care should be taken always to consult the Proper of the local Diocese, as some Feasts are not celebrated by the Universal Church but are kept only in a particular diocese and by some religious Congregations.

The date is usually the date of the saint's death, known as a feast day because death was the beginning of life in heaven, or of the translation of his or her relics.

Feast Days are also known as Name Days and, in countries with a strong Catholic tradition, are sometimes celebrated instead of Birthdays.

4	St. Casimir, Confessor	St. Casimir was the son of King Casimir IV of Poland and Elizabeth of Austria. Amidst the moral dangers of the court, he was an example of piety and above all preserved his chastity. While on a journey to Lithuania, he died at the court of Grodno, March 4, 1484.
4	St. Lucius, Pope, Martyr	St. Lucius was martyred for upholding the name of Jesus in 254.
6	Sts. Perpetua and Felicitas, Martyrs	Perpetua, a noble lady of Carthage with a nursing child, and Felicitas, an expectant mother, were exposed to the ferocity of wild beasts. They were finally beheaded in the year 202 during the persecution of Severus.
7	St. Thomas Aquinas, Confessor	His undisputed mastery in scholastic theology gained for him the title of Angelic Doctor. He is one of the greatest glories of the Dominican Order. Pope Leo XIII declared him patron of all Catholic Schools. He left the great monument of his learning, the Summa Theologica, unfinished, for, on his way to the Council of Lyons, in 1274, he fell sick and died in the Cistercian monastery of Fossa Nuova, Italy.
8	St. John of God, Confessor	After a stormy youth, St. John listened to the word of God when he was forty years old, and lived thereafter a penitent life. He founded the Order of "Brothers Hospitallers of St. John of God," who devote themselves to the healing of sick bodies and souls. He died in 1550.
9	St. Frances of Rome, Widow	At eleven years of age, St. Frances married Lorenzo de Ponziani, with whom she had six children. She was the perfect Christian spouse. She founded the Benedictine Oblate Congregation of Tor di Specchi, and died in 1440.
10	The Forty Holy Martyrs	Under Emperor Licinius, in 320, forty soldiers of the garrison of Sebaste, Armenia, were exposed on a frozen pond for refusing to sacrifice to idols. All persevered but one, whose courage failed him, and who perished in a bath of tepid water prepared for him. Their guard, inspired by their fortitude, took his place amongst the remaining thirty-nine soldiers and expired with them, also meriting the crown of martyrdom.
12	St. Gregory the Great, Pope, Confessor	This Benedictine who was elected Pope by the unanimous voice of priests and people, is "Great," above all because of his magnificent contributions to the Liturgy of the Mass and Office. Plain chant which in holy humility accompanies our most sacred functions will for all time be named after him "Gregorian Chant." He is one of the four great Doctors of the Latin Church. He died in the year 604.
17	St. Patrick, Bishop, Confessor	St. Patrick, Apostle and Patron of Ireland, was born in Scotland in 387. Pope St. Celestine commissioned him to evangelize Ireland, and, in the thirty-three years of his apostolate, he succeeded in converting the whole country, which, in the Middle Ages, was known as "Island of Saints," resplendent with churches and monasteries. St. Patrick died in the year 464.
18	St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop, Confessor	When he was a simple priest, St. Cyril instructed the Catechumens during Lent. His instructions which are extant show conclusively that Catholic doctrine was the same then as now. The Arians exiled him three times. He died in 386.
19	St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Confessor, Patron of the Universal Church	Since the end of the 15th century, this feast was kept on March 19 and Gregory XV extended it to the whole Church in 1621. In 1870, Pius IX proclaimed St. Joseph Patron of the Universal Church.
21	St. Benedict, Abbot	St. Benedict was born at Nursia, Italy, in the year 480. He gave up his studies at Rome and retired to Subiaco and lived as a hermit. He founded twelve monasteries, the chief one being at Monte Cassino. He died in 543.
22	St. Isidore, Farm Laborer, Confessor	Pius farmer. Married to Saint Mary de la Cabeza. Their son died young. They became convinced it was the will of God that they not have children, and lived celibately together the rest of their lives, doing good works. Accused by fellow workers of shirking his duties by attending Mass each day, taking time out for prayers, etc., he claimed he had no choice but to follow the highest Master. His master came in the morning to chastise him for skipping work for church, he found angels plowing the fields in place of Isidore.
24	St. Gabriel, Archangel	St. Gabriel was chosen by God to announce to the Blessed Virgin Mary that she was to be the Mother of Christ.
25	The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary	The Feast of the Annunciation commemorates the announcement by the Archangel Gabriel to our Lady that the Divine Son of God, the Word, would assume human nature in her virginal womb.
27	St. John Damascene, Confessor	St. John distinguished himself against the Emperor of Constantinople for his defense of the veneration of sacred images. He was famous for his great knowledge and for his theological method, which later was a source of inspiration to St. Thomas Aquinas. After many persecutions he died in peace toward the latter part of the 8th century.
28	St. John Capistran, Confessor	St. John was born at Capistrano in 1385. He was ordained a Franciscan priest. He preached a crusade in which seventy thousand warriors enrolled. These crusades, with God's assistance, delivered Europe from the Mohammedans. St. John died in 1456.