07/20/2026
St. Margaret of Antioch. Illuminated manuscript ca. 1440.
Today is the feast day of Margaret of Antioch, our patron saint. We will be celebrating her feast on our founding, namely August 30th.
During the reign (284–305) of the Roman emperor Diocletian, Margaret allegedly refused marriage with the prefect Olybrius at Antioch and was consequently beheaded after undergoing many extravagant trials and tortures. Her designation as patron saint of expectant mothers (particularly those experiencing a difficult labor) and her emblem, a dragon, are based on one of her trials: Satan, disguised as a dragon, swallowed Margaret; his stomach, however, soon rejecting her, opened, and let her out unharmed.