Saint Lawrence Ruiz and Companions, Martyrs
Saint Wenceslaus, Martyr

Saint Lawrence (Lorenzo) Ruiz was born on November 28, 1594, in Binondo, Manila, to a Chinese father and a Tagalog mother, both devoted Catholics. Formed by the Dominican friars, he served as an altar boy and later worked as a skilled scrivener for the local church, joining the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary. He married a woman named Rosario, and together they raised two sons and a daughter in a quiet, faith-filled home. In 1636, Lorenzo’s life changed suddenly when he was falsely accused of killing a Spaniard. Seeking refuge, he boarded a ship with Dominican missionaries and companions bound for Okinawa—only to be swept into Japan’s fierce persecution of Christians. Arrested and imprisoned, he endured brutal torture in Nagasaki. Offered freedom if he would deny Christ, Lorenzo instead professed his faith and surrendered his life, becoming the protomartyr of the Philippines. He is venerated as patron of the Philippines, the Filipino people, overseas Filipino workers, and altar servers. His feast day is September 28.

Saint Inan, also remembered as Evan, was a Celtic monk of the ninth century, traditionally said to have come from the monastic community of Iona off Scotland’s western coast. His birthplace is not known, but his life is closely bound to Ayrshire, where he is honored as the patron saint of Irvine. Tradition remembers him as a hermit and preacher who sought out the scattered people of the countryside, even visiting places long marked by older, pagan worship. Near Beith, local memory points to “St. Inan’s Chair,” a cleft in the hillside from which he is said to have proclaimed the Gospel, and to a once-famous holy well associated with prayer and healing. After journeys of pilgrimage to Rome and Jerusalem, he is said to have settled at Irvine, where he died. There his tomb became a place of devotion, reputed for miracles and drawing the faithful in hope and gratitude. Saint Inan’s feast day is September 28.

Saint Wenceslaus I was born around 907 into the Přemyslid dynasty of Bohemia. Raised in the Christian faith by his grandmother, Saint Ludmila, he was formed in prayer and the Church’s worship from an early age. After his father’s death in 921, Ludmila governed as regent until Wenceslaus’s mother, Drahomíra, had her murdered; in time, Wenceslaus took up leadership himself and restored support for the Christian nobles. Ruling Bohemia from 921 until his death, Wenceslaus sought to strengthen his people through the Gospel, welcoming clergy, fostering the Latin rite, and founding the church of Saint Vitus at Prague Castle, the seed of today’s great cathedral. He was remembered as a just and merciful ruler, known for humble devotion and generous care for the poor, widows, orphans, prisoners, and all in distress. In 935 he was betrayed and killed at Stará Boleslav in a plot linked to his brother, Boleslaus, and he was honored at once as a martyr. Venerated as patron of Bohemia and the Czech lands, his feast day is September 28.