Saint Stephen


Saint Stephen,

town (1991 pop. 4,931), SW N.B., Canada, on the St. Croix River opposite Calais, Maine. The two towns, connected by an international bridge, form virtually a single community. St. Stephen was founded by Loyalists after the American Revolution.

Stephen, Saint,

d. A.D. 36?, first Christian martyr, stoned at Jerusalem. He was one of the seven deacons. Accused of blasphemy, he was brought before the SanhedrinSanhedrin
, ancient Jewish legal and religious institution in Jerusalem that appears to have exercised the functions of a court between c.63 B.C. and c.A.D. 68. The accounts of it in the Mishna do not correspond to those in Josephus or in the New Testament.
..... Click the link for more information.  in Jerusalem. His speech defending his beliefs further enraged his accusers, who were Hellenistic Jews, and he was taken out and stoned to death. His teachings showed the growing differences between Judaism and the Jewish-Christian community in Jerusalem. Acts 6; 7. Feasts: Martyrdom on Dec. 26; Finding of St. Stephen's Body (415) on Aug. 3.

Stephen, Saint,

or

Stephen I,

975–1038, duke (997–1001) and first king (1001–38) of Hungary, called the Apostle of Hungary. The Hungarian state may be said to date from his reign. Because he continued the Christianization policy of his father, Duke Geza, and followed a pro-German policy, he had to put down revolts by pagan nobles. Married to a German princess, Stephen favored German immigration and modeled his administration on that of the German kings. He divided Hungary into counties, governed by royal officials, to prevent abuses by the nobles. His crown, sent to him by Pope Sylvester II, has remained through the centuries the sacred symbol of Hungarian national existence. (From 1945 to 1978, the crown was in the possession of the United States.) He is the spiritual patron of Hungary. Feast: Sept. 2 (in Hungary, Aug. 20).