July 23, 1373: Saint Bridget (or Birgitta) of Sweden dies. The pious and charitable mystic and founder of the Bridgettine Order, greatly influenced the pope’s decision to return to Rome.
July 23, 1583: Protestant printer John Day, who was responsible for publishing Hugh Latimer’s sermons, Nicholas Ridley’s “Friendly Farewell,” and John Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, dies (see issue 72: How We Got Our History).
July 23, 1742: Susannah Wesley, mother of John and Charles, dies. Born the twenty-fifth child in a clergyman’s family, she became one of the most notable mothers in church history (see issue 2: John Wesley and issue 69: Charles and John Wesley).
