Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Easter

Saint Celestine V was born as Pietro Angelerio around 1209–1215 in the rural region of Molise in the Kingdom of Sicily, likely at Sant’Angelo Limosano. Drawn early to prayer and learning, he entered the Benedictine life as a young man, yet his heart longed for greater solitude. Retreating to the mountains of Morrone and later the remote Maiella, he lived as a hermit of striking austerity, gathering disciples and gaining a reputation for holiness. From this hidden life he founded the Celestines, a reforming branch of the Benedictines marked by simplicity and strict observance. After a long papal deadlock, the cardinals unexpectedly elected the humble hermit pope in 1294. Crowned Celestine V, he granted a plenary indulgence to pilgrims at Santa Maria di Collemaggio and confirmed that a pope may resign. Recognizing his own limitations, he abdicated after five months, desiring to return to prayer. Imprisoned to prevent political misuse, he died on May 19, 1296, and was later canonized. He is patron of Isernia, Pratola Peligna, Sant’Angelo Limosano, and Villamiel. His feast day is May 19.

Saint Ivo of Kermartin was born on October 17, 1253, at the manor of Kermartin near Tréguier in Brittany, the son of Helori, lord of Kermartin, and Azo du Kenquis. Sent to Paris to study civil law and later to Orléans for canon law, he lived with striking discipline—prayerful, austere, and attentive to the sick—while preparing to serve both Church and neighbor. Returning to Brittany, Ivo became an ecclesiastical judge, renowned for integrity, refusing bribes and defending widows, orphans, prisoners, and the poor with fearless impartiality. Ordained a priest in 1284 and associated with the Third Order of St. Francis, he united legal wisdom with pastoral charity. As a parish priest at Tredrez and later Louannec, he preached simply to ordinary people, built a hospital, and personally cared for the suffering, earning the title “advocate of the poor.” He died on May 19, 1303, and was canonized in 1347. Saint Ivo is venerated as patron of Brittany, lawyers, and abandoned children. His feast day is May 19.

Saint Pudentiana was born in Rome in the early centuries of the Church, remembered in tradition as the daughter of Saint Pudens, a friend of the Apostles, and the sister of Saint Praxedes. As a young Christian virgin, she is honored for her steadfast love of Christ amid a culture that demanded worship of the emperors Marcus Aurelius and Antoninus Pius as gods. Ancient accounts tell that, together with Praxedes and Pope Pius I, she helped establish a baptistry in the church within her father’s house, welcoming converts and assisting in the baptism of pagans who sought the light of the Gospel. Pudentiana is said to have died at only sixteen years of age, revered as a martyr or faithful witness, and was buried near her father in the Catacombs of Priscilla along the Via Salaria. Her name lives on in Rome’s Basilica of Santa Pudenziana and in local devotion, including her patronage of Gerenzago. Her feast day is May 19.

Saint Theophilus of Corte was born as Biagio Arrighi on October 30, 1676, in Corsica, to the noble family of Giovanni Antonio and Maddalena. Educated by the Franciscans, he entered the Order of Friars Minor on September 21, 1693, taking the name Theophilus. From the beginning, he cherished silence and solitude, convinced that quiet prayer opened the heart to deeper communion with God; he urged his fellow friars to embrace the same spirit. After distinguished theological studies, he made his solemn profession in Salerno in 1694 and was ordained a priest in Naples on November 30, 1700. His priesthood was marked by joyful preaching, patient evangelization, and practical reform. With permission from his superiors, he restored neglected convents and helped establish new Franciscan houses in northern Italy and across Corsica, including in places such as Zuani and Fucecchio. Known for a cheerful, generous manner, he combined active ministry with a steadfast call to interior renewal. He died on June 17, 1740, and is venerated as patron of Corte, Saint-Théophile, and Zuani. His feast day is May 19.