Feast of St Stephen, Protomartyr, IInd Class

Today is the Feast of St Stephen, the First Martyr. Saul of Tarsus, later Saint Paul, held the cloaks of the Jews as they stoned Stephen.

The Collect from the Roman Breviary:

Grant us, we beseech thee, O Lord, to imitate what we venerate, that we may learn to love even our enemies; for we celebrate the birth to life everlasting of him who knew how to plead even for his persecutors even unto Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with thee.

The Proper Lessons may be found here.

The Propers of the Mass for the Feast may be found here.

The article on him from the Catholic Encyclopædia.

From Tradition in Action.

From Catholic Forum.

From Magnificat.

From Goffine's Devout Instructions.

From the Golden Legend of Bl. Jacobus Voragine.

From Medieval Saints at Yahoo!

From Wikipedia.