Calendar of saints (Lutheran)

The Lutheran Calendar of Saints is a listing which specifies the primary annual festivals and events that are celebrated liturgically by some Lutheran Churches in the United States. The calendars of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) are from the 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship and the 1982 Lutheran Worship. Elements unique to the ELCA have been updated from the Lutheran Book of Worship to reflect changes resulting from the publication of Evangelical Lutheran Worship in 2006. The elements of the calendar unique to the LCMS have also been updated from Lutheran Worship and the Lutheran Book of Worship to reflect the 2006 publication of the Lutheran Service Book.

The event commemorated is listed with the type of event afterwards in parentheses as well as the country where it is observed (if not commonly observed on that date in North America). For individuals, the date given is the date of their death or "heavenly birthday." The single letter listed after each event is the designated color for vestments and paraments: White (W), Red (R) or Purple (P). Commemorations are noted as being specific to the ELCA or LCMS following the particular entry. Commemorations and Festivals that are held in common are not annotated.

For further information on the development of the calendar, see Liturgical calendar (Lutheran).

January

Gregory of Nazianzus

1 Holy Name of Jesus (Lesser Festival) W
2 Johann Konrad Wilhelm Löhe, pastor, renewer of the church, 1872 (Commemoration) W
3
4
5
6 Epiphany of our Lord (Festival) W
7
8
9
10 Basil the Great, Bishop of Caesarea, 379; Gregory of Nazianzus, Bishop of Constantinople, c. 389; Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, c. 385 (Commemoration) W – LCMS
11
12
13
14 Eivind Berggrav, Norwegian Lutheran bishop (Commemoration) W - ELCA
15 Martin Luther King Jr., renewer of society, martyr, 1968 (Commemoration) R – ELCA
16
17 Antony of Egypt, renewer of the church, c. 356 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
- Pachomius, renewer of the church, 346 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
18 Confession of Saint Peter (Lesser Festival) W
- Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Begins
19 Henry, Bishop of Uppsala, missionary to Finland, martyr, 1156 (Commemoration) R – ELCA
20 Sarah, matriarch (Commemoration) W – LCMS
21 Agnes, martyr (Commemoration) R - ELCA
22
23
24 Saint Timothy, pastor (Lesser Festival) W - LCMS

Johann Konrad Wilhelm Löhe
25 Conversion of Saint Paul (Lesser Festival) W
- Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Ends
26 Timothy, Titus, and Silas, missionaries (Commemoration) W – ELCA
- Saint Titus, pastor (Lesser Festival) W - LCMS
27 Lydia, Dorcas, and Phoebe, witnesses to the faith (Commemoration) W – ELCA
- John Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople, 407 (Commemoration) W – LCMS
28 Thomas Aquinas, teacher, 1274 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
29
30
31

February

1
2 Presentation of our Lord (Lesser Festival) W
3 Ansgar, Archbishop of Hamburg, missionary to Denmark and Sweden, 865 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
4
5 The Martyrs of Japan, 1597 (Commemoration) R – ELCA
- Jacob, patriarch (Commemoration) W – LCMS
6
7
8
9
10 Silas, apostle (Commemoration) W – LCMS
11
12
13 Aquila, Priscilla, and Apollos (Commemoration) W – LCMS

Martin Luther's face and hands cast at his death.

14 Cyril, monk, 869; Methodius, bishop, 885; missionaries to the Slavs (Commemoration) W – ELCA
- Valentine, martyr, 270 (Commemoration) R – LCMS
15 Philemon and Onesimus (Commemoration) W – LCMS
16 Philipp Melanchthon, confessor, 1560 (Commemoration) R – LCMS
17
18 Martin Luther, doctor and confessor, renewer of the church, 1546 (Commemoration) W
19
20
21
22
23 Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, martyr 156 (Commemoration) R
24 Saint Matthias, Apostle (Lesser Festival) R – LCMS
25 Elizabeth Fedde, deaconess, 1921 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
26
27
28

March

Simon Ushakov, The Last Supper

1 George Herbert, priest, hymnwriter, 1633 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
2 John Wesley, 1791; Charles Wesley, 1788; priests, renewers of the church (Commemoration) W – ELCA
3
4
5
6
7 Perpetua and Felicity and companions, martyrs at Carthage, 202 (Commemoration) R
8
9
10 Harriet Tubman, 1913; Sojourner Truth, 1883; renewers of society (Commemoration) W – ELCA
11
12 Gregory the Great, Bishop of Rome, 604 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
13
14
15

Saint Joseph

16
17 Patrick, bishop, missionary to Ireland, 461 (Commemoration) W
18
19 Joseph, guardian of our Lord (Lesser Festival) W
20
21 Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, martyr, 1556 (Commemoration) R – ELCA
22 Jonathan Edwards, teacher, missionary to American Indians, 1758 (Commemoration) W - ELCA
23
24 Oscar Arnulfo Romero, Bishop of El Salvador, martyr, 1980 (Commemoration) R – ELCA
25 Annunciation of Our Lord (Festival) W
26
27
28
29 Hans Nielsen Hauge, renewer of the church, 1824 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
30
31 John Donne, priest, poet, 1631 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
- Joseph, patriarch (Commemoration) W – LCMS

April

Michelangelo

1 Amalie Sieveking, philanthropist and social activist – ELCA
2
3
4 Benedict the African, confessor, 1589 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
5
6 Albrecht Dürer, 1528; Lucas Cranach, 1553; artists (Commemoration) W
- Matthias Grünewald, artist, 1529 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
- Michelangelo, artist, (Commemoration) W – LCMS
7
8
9 Dietrich Bonhoeffer, theologian, martyr, 1945 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
10 Mikael Agricola, Bishop of Turku, 1557 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19 Olaus Petri, priest, 1552; Laurentius Petri, Archbishop of Uppsala, 1573; renewers of the church (Commemoration) W – ELCA
20 Johannes Bugenhagen, pastor, 1558 (Commemoration) – LCMS
21 Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, theologian, 1109 (Commemoration) W

Catherine of Siena

22 Caring for God's Creation [Earth Day] (Lesser Festival) W – ELCA
23 Toyohiko Kagawa, renewer of society, 1960 (Commemoration) W - ELCA
24 Johann Walter, musician, 1570 (Commemoration) W – LCMS
25 Saint Mark, Evangelist (Lesser Festival) R
26
27
28
29 Catherine of Siena, theologian, 1380 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
30

May

1 Saint Philip and Saint James, Apostles (Lesser Festival) R
2 Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, 373 (Commemoration) W
3
4 Monica, mother of Augustine, 387 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
- Friedrich Wyneken, pastor, missionary, 1864 (Commemoration) W – LCMS
5 Frederick the Wise, Christian ruler, 1525 (Commemoration) W – LCMS
6
7 Carl F. W. Walther, pastor, theologian, 1887 (Commemoration) W – LCMS
8 Victor the Moor, martyr, 303 (Commemoration) R – ELCA
- Julian of Norwich, renewer of the Church, c. 1416 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
9 Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, renewer of the church, hymnwriter, 1760 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
- Job, patriarch (Commemoration) W – LCMS

Sts. Constantine and Helen

10
11 Cyrill, 869 and Methodius, 885, missionaries to the Slavs (Commemoration) W – LCMS
12
13
14 Saint Matthias, apostle (Lesser Festival) R – ELCA
15
16
17
18 Erik, King of Sweden, martyr, 1160 (Commemoration) R – ELCA
19
20
21 Helena, mother of Constantine, c. 330 (Commemoration) W
- Emperor Constantine, Emperor of Rome, 337 (Commemoration) W – LCMS
22
23
24 Nicolaus Copernicus, 1543; Leonhard Euler, 1783; scientists (Commemoration) W – ELCA
- Esther, matriarch, (Commemoration) W – LCMS
25 Bede, theologian, 735 (Commemoration) R – LCMS
26
27 John Calvin, renewer of the church, 1564 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
28
29 Juraj Tranovský, hymnwriter, 1637 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
30
31 The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth (Lesser Festival) W

June

1 Justin, martyr at Rome, c. 165 (Commemoration) R
2
3 Martyrs of Uganda, 1886 (Commemoration) R – ELCA
- John XXIII, Bishop of Rome, 1963 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
4
5 Boniface, Archbishop of Mainz, missionary to Germany, martyr, 754 (Commemoration) R
6
7 Seattle, chief of the Duwamish Confederacy, 1866 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
8
9 Columba, 597; Aidan, 651; Bede, 735; teachers, renewers of the church (Commemoration) W – ELCA
10
11 Saint Barnabas, Apostle (Lesser Festival) R
12 First Ecumenical Council, 325 (Commemoration) W – LCMS
13
14 Basil the Great, Bishop of Caesarea, 379; Gregory of Nazianzus, Bishop of Constantinople, c. 389; Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, c. 385 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
- Macrina, theologian, c. 379 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
- Elisha, prophet (Commemoration) R – LCMS
15

Lucas Cranach the Elder, Philipp Melanchthon

16
17
18
19
20
21 Onesimos Nesib, translator, evangelist, 1931 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
22
23
24 The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist (Lesser Festival) W
25 Presentation of the Augsburg Confession, 1530 (Commemoration) W
- Philipp Melanchthon, renewer of the church, 1560 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
26 Jeremiah, prophet (Commemoration) R – LCMS
27 Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria, 444 ( Commemoration) W
28 Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, c. 202 (Commemoration) W
29 Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Apostles (Lesser Festival) R
30

July

Benedict of Nursia

1 Catherine Winkworth, 1878; John Mason Neale, 1866; hymn translators (Commemoration) W – ELCA
2
3 Saint Thomas, apostle (Lesser Festival) R – ELCA
4
5
6 Jan Hus, martyr, 1415 (Commemoration) R – ELCA
- Isaiah, prophet (Commemoration) R – LCMS
7
8
9
10
11 Benedict of Nursia, Abbot of Monte Cassino, c. 540 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
12 Nathan Söderblom, Archbishop of Uppsala, 1931 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
13
14
15
16 Ruth, matriarch (Commemoration) W – LCMS
17
18 Bartolomé de Las Casas, missionary to the Indies, 1566 (Commemoration) W – ELCA^[1]
19

Elias Gottlob Haussmann, Johann Sebastian Bach

20 Elijah, prophet (Commemoration) R – LCMS
21 Ezekiel, prophet (Commemoration) R – LCMS
22 Saint Mary Magdalene, Apostle (Lesser Festival) W
23 Birgitta of Sweden, renewer of the church, 1373 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
24
25 Saint James the Elder, Apostle (Lesser Festival) R
26
27
28 Johann Sebastian Bach, 1750 W
- Heinrich Schütz, 1672; George Frederick Handel, 1759; musicians (Commemoration) W – ELCA
29 Mary, Martha, and Lazarus of Bethany (Commemoration) W
- Olaf, King of Norway, martyr, 1030 (Commemoration) R – ELCA
30 Robert Barnes (martyr), confessor and martyr (Commemoration) R – LCMS
31 Joseph of Arimathea (Commemoration) W – LCMS

August

Florence Nightingale

1
2
3 Joanna, Mary, and Salome, myrrh-bearing women (Commemoration) W – LCMS
4
5
6 Transfiguration of Our Lord (Festival) W
7
8 Dominic, priest, founder of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans), 1221 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
9
10 Lawrence, deacon, martyr 258 (Commemoration) R
11 Clare, Abbess of San Damiano, renewer of the Church, 1253 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
12
13 Florence Nightingale, 1910; Clara Maass, 1901; renewers of society (Commemoration) W – ELCA
14 Maximilian Kolbe, 1941; Kaj Munk, 1944; martyrs (Commemoration) R – ELCA
15 Mary, Mother of Our Lord (Lesser Festival) W^[2]^[3]^[4]

Mary, Mother of Our Lord

16 Isaac, patriarch (Commemoration) W – LCMS
17 Johann Gerhard, theologian, 1637 (Commemoration) W – LCMS
18
19 Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux, hymnwriter, theologian 1153 (Commemoration) W – LCMS
20 Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux, hymnwriter, theologian, 1153 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
- Samuel, prophet (Commemoration) R – LCMS
21
22
23
24 Saint Bartholomew, Apostle (Lesser Festival) R
25
26
27 Monica, mother of Augustine 387 (Commemoration) W – LCMS
28 Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, 430 (Commemoration) W
- Moses the Black, monk, martyr, c. 400 (Commemoration) R - ELCA
29 The Martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist (Lesser Festival) R – LCMS
30
31

September

1 Joshua, prophet (Commemoration) R – LCMS
2 N. F. S. Grundtvig, bishop, renewer of the church, 1872 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
- Hannah, matriarch (Commemoration) W – LCMS
3 Gregory the Great, Bishop of Rome, 604 (Commemoration) W – LCMS
4 Moses, prophet (Commemoration)) R – LCMS
5 Zechariah, prophet
- Elizabeth, matriarch (Commemoration) W – LCMS
6
7
8
9 Peter Claver, priest, missionary to Colombia, 1654 (Commemoration) – ELCA
10
11
12
13 John Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople, 407 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
14 Feast of the Holy Cross (Lesser Festival) R
15
16 Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, martyr, c. 258 (Commemoration) R
17 Hildegard, Abbess of Bingen, 1179 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
18 Dag Hammarskjöld, renewer of society, 1961 (Commemoration) W – ELCA

Carlo Crivelli, St. Francis of Assisi

19
20 Nelson Wesley Trout, bishop, 1996 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
21 Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist (Lesser Festival) R
22 Jonah, prophet (Commemoration) R – LCMS
23
24
25
26
27
28
29 Saint Michael and All Angels (Lesser Festival) W
30 Jerome, translator, teacher, 420 (Commemoration) W

October

1
2
3
4 Francis of Assisi, renewer of the church, 1226 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
- Theodor Fliedner, renewer of society, 1864 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
5
6 William Tyndale, translator, martyr, 1536 (Commemoration) R – ELCA
7 Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, pastor in North America, 1787 (Commemoration) W
8
9 Abraham, patriarch (Commemoration) W – LCMS
10 Massie L. Kennard, renewer of the church, 1996 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
11 Saint Phillip, deacon (Commemoration) W – LCMS
12
13
14
15 Teresa of Ávila, teacher, renewer of the church, 1582 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
16
17 Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, martyr, c. 115 (Commemoration) R
18 Saint Luke, Evangelist (Lesser Festival) R
19
20
21
22
23 James of Jerusalem, brother of Jesus and martyr, c. 62 (Lesser Festival) R

Gianlorenzo Bernini The Ecstasy of St. Teresa

24
25 Lydia, Dorcas (Tabitha), and Phoebe, faithful women (Commemoration) – LCMS
26 Philipp Nicolai, 1608; Johann Heermann, 1647; Paul Gerhardt, 1676; hymnwriters (Commemoration) W
27
28 Saint Simon and Saint Jude, Apostles (Lesser Festival) R
29
30
31 Reformation Day (Lesser Festival) R

November

1 All Saints (Festival) W – ELCA
2 Daniel Payne, teacher, 1893 (Commemoration) – ELCA
- Commemoration of the Faithful Departed W – LCMS
3 Martín de Porres, renewer of society, 1639 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
4
5
6
7 John Christian Frederick Heyer, 1873; Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg, 1719; Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen, 1918; missionaries (Commemoration) W – ELCA

Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg

8 Johann von Staupitz, priest, 1524 (Commemoration) W – LCMS
9 Martin Chemnitz, pastor and confessor, 1586 (Commemoration) W – LCMS
10
11 Martin, bishop of Tours, 397 (Commemoration) W
- Søren Aabye Kierkegaard, teacher, 1855 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
12
13
14 Emperor Justinian, confessor, emperor of New Rome, 565 (Commemoration) W – LCMS
15
16
17 Elizabeth, renewer of society, 1231 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
18
19 Elizabeth, princess of Hungary, 1231 (Commemoration) W – LCMS
20
21
22
23 Clement, bishop of Rome, c. 100 (Commemoration) W
- Miguel Agustín Pro, priest, martyr, 1927 (Commemoration) R – ELCA
24 Justus Falckner, 1723; Jehu Jones, 1852; William Passavant, 1894; pastors in North America (Commemoration) W – ELCA
25 Isaac Watts, hymnwriter, 1748 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
26
27
28
29 Noah, prophet (Commemoration) R – LCMS
30 Andrew, apostle (Lesser Festival) R

December

1
2 Dorothy Kazel, Ita Ford, Maura Clarke and Jean Donovan, martyrs of El Salvador, 1980 (Commemoration) R - ELCA
3 Francis Xavier, missionary to Asia, 1552 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
4 John of Damascus, theologian and hymnwriter, c. 749 (Commemoration) W
5
6 Nicholas, bishop of Myra, c. 342 (Commemoration) W
7 Ambrose, bishop of Milan, 397 (Commemoration) W
8
9
10
11
12

Domenico di Pace Beccafumi, Saint Lucy

13 Lucy, martyr, 304 (Commemoration) R
14 John of the Cross, renewer of the church, 1591 (Commemoration) W – ELCA
15
16 Las Posadas, (Lesser Festival) P – ELCA
17 Daniel and the Three Young Men, prophets, (Commemoration) R – LCMS
18
19 Adam and Eve, patriarch and matriarch (Commemoration) W – LCMS
20 Katharina von Bora Luther, renewer of the church, 1552 (Commemoration) W
21 Thomas, apostle (Lesser Festival) R – LCMS
22
23
24 Christmas Eve (Festival) W
25 Nativity of our Lord (Festival) W
26 Stephen, deacon and martyr (Lesser Festival) R
27 John, apostle and evangelist (Lesser Festival) W
28 Holy Innocents, martyrs (Lesser Festival) R
29 David, prophet (Commemoration) R – LCMS
30
31

References

^ "The Church Year" (PDF). Renewing Worship. January 2006. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 8, 2006. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
^ "Mary, Mother of Our Lord". www.liturgybytlw.com. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
^ Liebster, Karin I. (August 15, 2010). "Mary, the Mother of God". Christ the King Lutheran Church. Archived from the original on October 13, 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
^ Collver, Albert B. (August 15, 2011). "St. Mary, Mother of Our Lord". Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013. Retrieved May 30, 2012.

Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (1978). Lutheran Book of Worship. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress Press. ISBN 9780800633301.
Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (1978). Lutheran Book of Worship: Minister's Desk Edition. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress Press. ISBN 978-9991472546.
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Evangelical Lutheran Worship - Final Draft. Augsburg Fortress Press, 2006.
Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (1982). Lutheran Worship. St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House. pp. 8–9. ISBN 978-0570010197.
Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (2006). Lutheran Service Book. St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House. pp. x–xiii. ISBN 978-0-7586-1217-5.
- "Commemorations - Church Year". The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. Archived from the original on 2020-04-14. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
- "Feasts and Festivals - Church Year". The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. Archived from the original on 2020-04-14. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
Philip H. Pfatteicher (1980). Festivals and Commemorations: Handbook to the Calendar in Lutheran Book of Worship. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress Press. ISBN 978-0806617572.

[1] "The Church Year" (PDF). Renewing Worship. January 2006. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 8, 2006. Retrieved April 14, 2020.

[2] "Mary, Mother of Our Lord". www.liturgybytlw.com. Retrieved April 14, 2020.

[3] Liebster, Karin I. (August 15, 2010). "Mary, the Mother of God". Christ the King Lutheran Church. Archived from the original on October 13, 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2012.

[4] Collver, Albert B. (August 15, 2011). "St. Mary, Mother of Our Lord". Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013. Retrieved May 30, 2012.

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