Saints

St Simon Stock Carmelite friar. According to tradition, Simon Stock was born somewhere in Kent, possibly the village of Stockbury, and lived in Aylesford. The surname 'Stock' appears in some documents but not in others, and is related to a story that the Saint lived for a time in a hollow tree ('stock' meant tree trunk) before the arrival of the Carmelites in England. Little is known of his earl... Read More

St Dympna Martyr. Possibly seventh century. Patron of the mentally ill. Few facts are known about this ancient saint but her memory has been very influential. According to legend, she was the daughter of a British or Celtic king. When his wife died, he developed an incestuous attraction for Dympna. In an effort to escape his attentions, she fled with her confessor St Gerebernus, to Antwerp, and... Read More

Franciscan laybrother. Patron of Eucharistic devotions. Paschal was born in 1540 at Torre Hermosa, in Aragon. He came from a poor shepherd family. In 1564 he joined the reformed Friars Minor of Peter of Alcantara at the convent of Loreto. Paschal worked very hard with the sick and poor and was known for his good humour. One day he was observed performing an elaborate dance before a statue of Our... Read More