5 May -- St Angelus, O. Carm.

(You can click on this picture to see some of the exquisite detail.)

St Angelus was one of the earliest recognized saints of the Carmelite Order. As this paragraph on his life indicates, the details of his medieval biographies seem to have been greatly exaggerated. All of the versions indicate that he was of Jewish extraction and converted many Jews to Catholicism during his religious life. He was murdered by a nobleman he was attempting to reform. The illustration above shows him kneeling before Our Lady, the sword of his murderer still in his chest.

The old collect for his feast:

O Lord, let Thy people glorify Thee by honouring the Blessed Angelus, Thy Priest and Martyr, and through his intercession, may they deserve to be led by Thee. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Plebs tua te, Domine, beati Angeli sacerdotis et Martyris tui glorificatione sanctificet : et eodem intercedente te mereatur habere rectorem. Per Dominum nostrum. Amen.