Sarah Mitchell
May 6 is a significant date in the Catholic calendar as it marks the feast day of several saints, including St. Peter Nolasco, St. Jacinto Vera y Duran, and St. Bartolomeo Pucci Franceschi. It is also observed as the Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter, with prayers and readings focused on the Resurrection and the Holy Spirit. Historically, May 6 has been associated with notable figures such as a Monk of Lindisfarne Abbey, who was noted for his personal sanctity and charity, and Rose Maria, a widow who dedicated her life to helping others despite her own misfortunes.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | 6 May 2025 |
| Day of the Week | Tuesday |
| Week | Third Week of Easter |
| Saint of the Day | St. Peter Nolasco |
| Prayer of the Day | Communion Antiphon, Rom 6:8 |
| Saint | St. Stephen |
| Saint | St. Benedict |
| Saint | St. Gregory |
| Saint | Monk of Lindisfarne Abbey |
| Saint | St. Bartholomew Pucci-Franceschi |
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St. Peter Nolasco
After a pilgrimage to Our Lady of Montserrat, Nolasco began practicing charity work in Barcelona. He dedicated himself to helping the poor and ransoming Christians captured by the Moors, using his inheritance and contributions to fund these efforts. In 1203, he began ransoming Christian captives, and in 1218, he founded a religious order in Barcelona dedicated to securing the release of captive Christians. This order was similar to that established by St. John de Matha and St. Felix de Valois a few years prior. Nolasco's order was called the Mercedarians, and it was approved by Pope Gregory IX in 1230 (some sources say 1235). The Mercedarians were bound by a special vow to use all their resources to ransom Christian captives and, if necessary, remain in captivity in their stead. During Nolasco's lifetime, the order freed 2,700 prisoners, and he is said to have travelled to Africa twice to liberate Christian captives and convert Moors to Christianity.
Nolasco resigned as Superior of the Mercedarians seven years before his death in Barcelona in 1256 (some sources state he died in 1259). Tradition holds that he died on December 25, but recent studies of the Royal Archives of Barcelona indicate that he died on May 6. He was canonized as a saint in 1628 by Pope Urban VIII and is the patron saint of captive people. His festival was initially celebrated on January 31 but was later moved to January 28 due to a change in the liturgical calendar. He is now commemorated in the Roman Martyrology, the official list of saints, on May 6, the day of his death.
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St. Raymond of Penafort
Raymond received an excellent education, obtaining doctorates in both civil and canon law from the University of Bologna. By the age of 20, he was already teaching philosophy. He joined the Dominicans in his early 40s and was later called to Rome by Pope Gregory IX to serve as his confessor. The Pope tasked him with compiling all the decrees of popes and councils made in the 80 years since the Decretum of Gratian. Raymond's collection, known as the "Decretals of Gregory IX" or simply the Decretals, became a standard for almost 700 years until the 1917 codification of canon law.
In addition to his work on canon law, Raymond played a significant role in the conversion of the Moors in Spain and Mallorca. He encouraged Thomas Aquinas to write "Against the Gentiles" and instituted the teaching of Arabic and Hebrew in several houses of friars. He also founded priories in Murcia and Tunis and helped establish the Church in Mallorca.
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St. Benedict
In the fifth century, the young Benedict was sent to Rome to finish his education with a nurse/housekeeper. The subject that dominated a young man's study at the time was rhetoric—the art of persuasive speaking. A successful speaker was not one who had the best argument or conveyed the truth, but one who used rhythm, eloquence, and technique to convince. The power of the voice without foundation in the heart was the goal of the student's education. Benedict was deeply affected by the loose morals of those in his community as he could see the damage that their actions were having on their souls and the souls of others.
He founded twelve communities for monks at Subiaco in present-day Lazio, Italy, before moving southeast to Monte Cassino in the mountains of central Italy. He left these monasteries abruptly when the envious attacks of another hermit made it impossible to continue the spiritual leadership he had taken. But it was in Monte Cassino that he founded the monastery that became the roots of the Church's monastic system. Instead of founding small separate communities, he gathered his disciples into one whole community.
His main achievement, the Rule of Saint Benedict, contains a set of rules for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot. The Rule comprises seventy-three short chapters and is still used by religious men and women today. St. Benedict is often depicted in art as an older man (usually with white/gray hair), wearing a black monastic robe. Sometimes seen with him are a cup, bread, and a raven, which tell the story of the poisoning attempts made on him. Other images seen with him are a book (the Rule of St. Benedict), and a crosier or cross, showing his role as abbot of the monastery.
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St. Stephen
The only source of information about St. Stephen is the New Testament book of the Acts of the Apostles. In it, Stephen is mentioned in Acts 6 as one of the Greek-speaking Hellenistic Jews selected to administer the daily charitable distribution of food to the Greek-speaking widows. His martyrdom inspired the early believers as they faced the first round of brutal persecution.
In the Eastern Orthodox Church and some Eastern Catholic Churches, St. Stephen's feast day is celebrated on December 27 due to the celebration of the Synaxis of the Theotokos on December 26. In the Armenian Apostolic and Armenian Catholic Churches, Saint Stephen's Day falls on December 25, the same day as the feast of the Nativity of Jesus (Christmas).
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St. Gregory
As Pope, St. Gregory "monasticized" papal administration by replacing clergy in the papal palace with monks and trusted clerics. He reformed the church's administration to emphasize justice and charity, seeing himself as "the servant of the servants of God." He is also known for his writings, including "Moralia in Job," where he enumerated the seven deadly sins and seven heavenly virtues, as well as "Pastoral Rule," "Dialogues," and "Homilies on the Gospel." St. Gregory played a pivotal role in shaping medieval spirituality and moral theology and was known as "the Father of Christian Worship" due to his revisions of Roman worship practices.
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Frequently asked questions
May 6 is the Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter.
The saint of the day on May 6 is St. Peter Nolasco.
The prayer of the day on May 6 is the Communion Antiphon, Rom 6:8.
May 6 is the day that St. Peter Nolasco is said to have had a vision of the Blessed Virgin, who instructed him to establish a religious order in her honour to deliver Christians held captive by the infidels.
