Martyr and Apologist · Feast day June 1
St. Justin Martyr
The feast day of St. Justin Martyr is June 1, a memorial in the US Catholic calendar. Traditionally invoked as patron of philosophers and apologists. Below: a short life and 1 sourced quotation in their own words.
| Feast day | June 1 |
|---|---|
| In the US calendar | Memorial |
| Title | Martyr and Apologist |
| Died | c. 165 |
| Patron of | philosophers, apologists |
| In their own words | 1 sourced quotation |
| Next on Bless’s Today screen | None left in the published calendar (through December 31, 2028) |
Life
A Samaritan-born philosopher who tried Stoics, Peripatetics, Pythagoreans, and Platonists before an old man by the sea pointed him to the prophets and to Christ, in whom he found the only sure and worthy philosophy. He kept the philosopher’s cloak and opened a school at Rome.
His two Apologies, addressed to the emperors, describe the Eucharist and Sunday worship of the second-century Church with startling clarity; his Dialogue with Trypho reasons from the Scriptures with a Jewish interlocutor. Denounced, he refused to sacrifice and was beheaded about 165 with six companions.
Patron of
Tradition invokes St. Justin Martyr as patron of philosophers and apologists.
Saints with the same patronage
- St. Albert the Greatphilosophers · November 15
- St. Catherine of Alexandriaphilosophers · November 25
Patronages are traditional, not an official list. All patron saints in Bless, A to Z.
In their own words
Each quotation names the work it comes from. Bless quotes these in the comments beside the verses listed under In Scripture.
Whatever things were rightly said among all men are the property of us Christians.
In Scripture
In Bless, St. Justin Martyr’s words appear in the comments beside these verses. This page’s labels say how each is linked: “on this verse” means the saint wrote about that very verse; “on this theme” means the quotation shares its theme. Scripture is quoted from the Catholic Public Domain Version.
On this theme
Concerning the rest, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is chaste, whatever is just, whatever is holy, whatever is worthy to be loved, whatever is of good repute, if there is any virtue, if there is any praiseworthy discipline: meditate on these.
Philippians 4:8 · CPDV Beside their words: “Whatever things were rightly said among all men are the property of us Christians.”
In the calendar
The upcoming dates, through December 31, 2028, when Bless’s Today screen shows St. Justin Martyr. Where the US calendar keeps another celebration that day, it is named instead and no rank is given.
Readings
No dates are left in Bless’s published calendar, which runs through December 31, 2028. St. Justin Martyr keeps June 1 in Bless’s calendar of saints: see the saints of June.
All the saints of June Born on June 1? A saint for every day
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