Next weekend, the Catholic Church will be canonizing five new saints:
- Bl. Jozef de Veuster, a.k.a. Father Damien (1840-1889) of Belgium and, later, Molokai.
- Bl. Rafael Arnáiz Barón (1911-1938) of Spain.
- Bl. Jeanne Jugan, a.k.a. Mary of the Cross (1792-1879) of France.
- Bl. Zygmunt Szczesny Felinski (1822-1895) of Poland.
- Bl. Francisco Coll y Guitart (1812-1875) of Spain.
This is actually the second batch of saints for 2009. The first group, canonized in April, consisted of:
- St. Arcangelo Tadini (1846-1912) of Italy.
- St. Bernardo Tolomei (1272-1348) of Italy.
- St. Caterina Volpicelli (1839-1894) of Italy.
- St. Gertrude Comensoli (1847-1903) of Italy.
- St. Nuno Álvares Pereira (1360-1431) of Portugal.
As far as saint names go, I believe Nuno is a brand new one. There are Bernardos and Gertrudes and Jeannes and Rafaels, but no Nunos.
Where does the name come from? Behind the Name suggests that Nuno is derived from the Latin word nonus, meaning ninth. Wikipedia, on the other hand, lists other sources such as the Latin word nonnus, meaning monk or tutor.
Just learned that the first child of actress Maureen O’Sullivan and director John Farrow had been named in part for Father Damien.
Source: “Star’s Baby Named.” Pittsburgh Press 16 June 1939: 23.