Monday of the Twenty-third Week of Ordinary Time

Saint Chiaffredo is traditionally remembered as a soldier-saint who, rather than offering sacrifice to pagan idols, fled into the valleys of Piedmont in northern Italy and there gave his life for Christ. Though his birthplace and historical details are uncertain, devotion to him took root beneath Monte Viso near Crissolo, where a tomb long honored by local Christians became the heart of a beloved sanctuary. A later legend linked him to the Theban Legion, and this association helped the faithful see in him the same steadfast courage shown by Saint Maurice and his companions. By the late Middle Ages his cult was well established: pilgrims sought grace at Crissolo, and the Church encouraged their devotion. In 1516 the bishop of Saluzzo formally proclaimed Chiaffredo patron of the diocese, and his relics were later solemnly translated to Revello and then to the cathedral of Saluzzo, where he is honored alongside Saint Constantius. Saint Chiaffredo is invoked especially in Isasca and Saluzzo. His feast day is celebrated on September 7.

Saint Gratus of Aosta, likely of Greek origin, was formed in the Church through a monastic style of life that echoed the Eastern communities then taking root in Italy. By 451 he was serving as a priest, and at the Synod of Milan he represented Bishop Eustasius of Aosta, signing the council’s letter to Pope Leo the Great and firmly rejecting the errors of Eutyches. Sometime after that synod, Gratus himself became bishop of Aosta, shepherding the local Church with fidelity and strengthening the faith of his people. Around 470 he presided over the solemn translation of revered relics in Aosta, including those of Saint Innocent, a martyr associated with the Theban Legion, an event witnessed by neighboring bishops and remembered as a sign of the Church’s communion and hope. After his death, devotion to him spread widely, and in the Middle Ages he was especially invoked for protection of crops and deliverance from floods, drought, hail, fire, and other calamities. He is honored as patron of Aosta and several surrounding communities. His feast day is September 7.

Saint Marko Stjepan Krizin was born around 1588 in Križevci, in the Kingdom of Croatia. Gifted in mind and spirit, he studied with the Jesuits in Vienna and continued at the University of Graz, earning a doctorate in philosophy. Preparing for the priesthood for the Diocese of Zagreb, he went to Rome and lived at the Collegium Germanicum et Hungaricum while studying at the Pontifical Gregorian University, where he openly identified himself as Croatian. After his ordination he returned briefly to his homeland, then was called north by Cardinal Péter Pázmány to serve the Church in troubled times, becoming rector of a seminary and a cathedral canon. In 1619 he was sent near Košice to administer former abbey lands, just as conflict flared between Catholic and Calvinist forces. When Košice fell to a Calvinist army, Marko was arrested with two Jesuit priests. Offered safety and reward if he renounced the Catholic faith, he refused. After days without food or water, the three were tortured and beheaded on September 7, 1619. He is venerated as a martyr and is patron of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bjelovar-Križevci. His feast day is September 7.