21 September
THE birthday of St. Matthew, apostle and evangelist, who suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia, while engaged in preaching. The Gospel written by him in Hebrew was, by his own revelation, found in the time of the emperor Zeno, together with the relics of the blessed apostle Barnabas.—In the land of Saar, the holy prophet Jonas, who was buried in Geth.—At Rome, St. Pamphilus, martyr.—At twenty miles from Rome, on the Claudian way, the martyrdom of St. Alexander, bishop, in the time of the emperor Antoninus. For the faith of Christ he was loaded with fetters scourged, tortured, burned with torches, torn with iron hooks, exposed to the beasts and cast into the flames, but having overcome all these torments, he was finally beheaded, and so attained the glory of eternal life. His body was afterwards carried into the city by the blessed pope Damasus, on the 26th of November, on which day his feast is to be celebrated by order of the same Pontiff.—In Phoenicia, St. Eusebius, martyr, who, of his own accord, went to the prefect, and declaring himself a Christian, was subjected by him to many torments, and finally beheaded.—In Cyprus, St. Isacius, bishop and martyr.—In the same place, St. Meletius, bishop and confessor.—In Ethiopia, St. Iphigenia, virgin, who being baptized and consecrated to God by the blessed apostle Matthew, ended her holy life in peace.
And elsewhere many other holy martyrs, confessors and holy virgins.
Thanks be to God.