Happy Feast of All Saints. On All Saints Day, the Catholic Church commemorates all those who have gone before us in faith and achieved their place in Heaven - those that are well known, little known or not known to us at all.
For those who have been my friends on FB for a year or more, you know that I am a Saint-ophile and celebrate All Saints Day for the whole month by memorializing a different Canonized Saint (or Blessed) each day. Today, I have chosen one of the lesser known Saints.
I always feel a bit sorry for all the St. Marys who get overlooked because they share their name with the Blessed Mother who kind of out ranks them all (I'm sure they are each too humble to think much of it themselves). So today I will introduce you to St. Mary the Slave. Mary lived in the late 3rd century and was the slave of a Roman patrician named Tertullus. She was charged with the crime of being a Christian. Despite her master's efforts to save her, she was subjected to terrible tortures. Spectators demanded her release, and the prefect turned her over to the custody of a soldier who then aided her in her escape. She ended up dying a natural death, but is considered a martyr due to her intense sufferings for her faith. Her feast day is November 1.
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