Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter

Saint Dominic Savio was born on April 2, 1842, in Riva near Chieri in Piedmont, northern Italy, the son of Carlo, a blacksmith, and Brigitta, a seamstress. Raised in a poor but deeply Christian home, Dominic showed an early love for prayer, Mass, and the sacraments. Allowed to receive First Communion at just seven, he treasured the Eucharist and made simple, ardent resolutions: frequent Confession and Communion, friendship with Jesus and Mary, and “death rather than sin.” As he grew, Dominic’s faith took on a quiet courage. He worked hard at school, resisted wrongdoing, and was remembered for peacemaking—once stepping between boys ready to fight, holding up a crucifix and urging them to see Christ in one another. In 1854 he met Saint John Bosco and entered the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales in Turin, hoping to become a priest. His holiness shone in ordinary obedience, joy, and charity. He died in 1857 at only fourteen, and was canonized in 1954 for heroic virtue. He is patron of Pueri Cantores and Savio Preparatory High School. His feast day is May 6.

Germanus of Normandy, remembered also as Germanus the Scot, is a saint especially honored in Normandy, though the details of his birth and early homeland are not preserved with certainty. Tradition holds that he became a disciple of Saint Germanus of Auxerre and, receiving baptism from him, took the name Germanus as a sign of new life in Christ and devotion to his spiritual father. His memory in Normandy is wrapped in vivid legends that point to a life of courageous faith. In sacred art he is often shown with a wheel, recalling the story that he crossed the English Channel in a miraculous way and came ashore near Flamanville. He is also depicted with a dragon, echoing the tale that he overcame a fearsome seven-headed beast at Trou Baligan in the Cotentin—an image of the Gospel’s triumph over evil. The faithful have long invoked Saint Germanus for relief from fevers and for the healing of children. He is also honored as patron of Orzivecchi. His feast day is May 2.

Saint Peter Nolasco was born in 1189, though tradition differs on whether his birthplace was in France or Spain. As a young man he was in Barcelona, where he took part in campaigns against the Moors in the Iberian Peninsula and was entrusted with the care of the young James I of Aragon as his tutor. After a pilgrimage to Our Lady of Montserrat, Peter’s heart turned decisively toward works of mercy, especially for Christians seized in raids and sold into slavery. Beginning in 1203 he devoted himself to ransoming captives, and in time he helped shape this charity into a lasting vocation. With the encouragement of Raymond of Penyafort and under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary, he founded the Order of Our Lady of Mercy, later approved by Pope Gregory IX in 1235. The Mercedarians bound themselves by a special vow to give even their own freedom to redeem prisoners, sometimes offering themselves as hostages for others. Peter died in Barcelona in 1256, and the Church honors his feast on May 6. He is venerated as patron of Algar de Palància, El Viso del Alcor, and San Antonio Huista.