Feast of St. Amand

Today, celebrate the Feast of St. Amand, the patron saint of bartenders, brewers, and vintners.

Saint Amand (c. 584 – 675) was born in the Lower Poitou of France to a noble family. He became a monk when he was twenty-years old, in defiance of his family. There are some stories that his family actively tried to prevent him from becoming a monk, possibly even trying to kidnap him. Amand eventually moved to Bourges where he lived in solitude on bread and water for fifteen years. After a trip to Rome, he became a missionary bishop and spent the rest of his life evangelizing across much of Europe, including Flanders, Germany, Belgium and the Danube region.

He met with varied success and a number of miracles are attributed to him, including bringing a hanged criminal back to life. When he was about ninety-years old, he died in his monastery. Living that long is certainly quite an incredible feat, especially during that time in history.

The reason he is associated with brewing and vintners is that much of his missionary work was spent in beer and wine making regions.

Feast Day of St. Marcarius

Today, let us celebrate the Feast Day of St. Marcarius, the patron saint of cooks, confectioners, and pastry chefs.

St. Marcarius of Alexandria, also known as the Younger, was a successful merchant of fruits, candies and pastries, including sugar plums. Around 335 A.D., when he was about 40 years old, he converted to Christianity. He primarily spent the rest of his life as a hermit, engaged in penance, prayer and contemplation. He was well known for his ascetic ways, serving as a model for others.

It is traditional to eat sugar plums today so you can find plenty of recipes for sugar plums here.