St. Ursula, October 21
According to a medieval legend, Ursula was a British princess killed at Cologne with a great company of maidens, said to number eleven thousand. An ancient inscription in Cologne does record virgins martyred there. The Ursulines, founded by St. Angela Merici, took her as their patron.
October 21 has no celebration on the General Roman Calendar, so this page follows the Roman Martyrology, which remembers Saint Ursula and Companions, virgins and martyrs on this date.
Other saints on October 21
- St. Hilarion, hermit (371)
Name days on October 21
In countries that keep name days, October 21 is the day for people named Ursula.
| Name | Feast day |
|---|---|
| Ursula | October 21 |
October 21 on the calendar
October 21 is the 294th day of the year (the 295th in a leap year), with 71 days left until December 31. Here is the day of the week it falls on in the coming years:
| Year | Day |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Wednesday |
| 2027 | Thursday |
| 2028 | Saturday |
| 2029 | Sunday |
| 2030 | Monday |
Keeping October 21
October 21 falls in October, the month of the rosary. Since the general calendar has no celebration that day, the Mass is usually that of the weekday of the season, and the saint may be remembered in local calendars or in personal prayer. Families who keep name days often mark the day with a card, a candle or a favorite meal, and parishes named after the saint may hold a festival. If you know someone named Ursula, it is a good day to send a note.
Saints of the week around October 21
| Date | Saint or feast |
|---|---|
| October 18 | St. Luke |
| October 19 | Sts. John de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues and Companions |
| October 20 | St. Paul of the Cross |
| October 22 | St. John Paul II |
| October 23 | St. John of Capistrano |
| October 24 | St. Anthony Mary Claret |
The day before, October 20, is the day of St. Paul of the Cross. The day after, October 22, belongs to St. John Paul II. Looking for a name? Try the name day calendar or go back to today’s saint.