Born in Bithynia. From his youth
he was fond of monastic life and entered one of the area monasteries. Later
in life, when the Byzantine official Galoliktos had founded a monastery
at the River Sagarisa, St Thomas was already an experienced monk, and the
brethren chose him as head of the new monastery.
From there St Thomas withdrew into the wilderness, where for a long time he labored in solitude. The monk overcame many snares of the devil in the wilderness. The Lord glorified him with the gift of healing and prophecy.
Once, the emperor Leo the Wise (886-911) came to the monastery to St Thomas for advice. Not finding the monk at the monastery, the emperor sent his messenger with a letter for him. And just as the messenger arrived at the the Elder's hut, the saint carried out to him a sealed answer, resolving the emperor's question. It is not known when St Thomas reposed.
From there St Thomas withdrew into the wilderness, where for a long time he labored in solitude. The monk overcame many snares of the devil in the wilderness. The Lord glorified him with the gift of healing and prophecy.
Once, the emperor Leo the Wise (886-911) came to the monastery to St Thomas for advice. Not finding the monk at the monastery, the emperor sent his messenger with a letter for him. And just as the messenger arrived at the the Elder's hut, the saint carried out to him a sealed answer, resolving the emperor's question. It is not known when St Thomas reposed.
near Steyning in Sussex. He cared
for his aging mother and, aided by his neighbors, built a church in Steyning.
Cuthman, who was known for his miracles, was honored in the church that he
built. His relics were later transferred to FeCamp, in France.
Cuthman of Steyning, Hermit (AC) also known as Cuthmann 9th century.
Among the ancient Anglo-Saxon saints was Cuthman, a native of Devon or Cornwall (judging by his name; some ancient documents seem to indicate that he was possibly born at Chidham near Bosham, c. 681), who spent his youth as a shepherd on the moors.
A grey and weather-beaten stone high among the heather is said to mark the spot where he used to sit, and around which he drew a wide circle in the gorse, outside which his sheep were not allowed to wander. When his father died and his mother was left poor, Cuthman proved himself a good son and worked hard for their joint livelihood, but when she fell sick he was unable to leave her and they became destitute.
Cuthman, at his wit's end, made a wooden two-wheeled barrow in which he laid his mother, and with its two handles supported by a rope round his neck, begged from door to door. The dream of his life was to build a church, and though he had no idea how this could be done, he resolved to leave Cornwall with its bleak and windswept moors and travel eastward. Putting his mother in the barrow along with their few belongings, he pushed it day after day across the breadth of England until he came to Steyning in West Sussex. There the rope which held the barrow broke, and this he took for a sign that it was here where he must settle.
He prayed by the roadside: "O Almighty Father, who has brought my journey to an end, You know how poor I am, and a laborer from my youth, and of myself I can do nothing unless You succor me."
Cuthman of Steyning, Hermit (AC) also known as Cuthmann 9th century.
Among the ancient Anglo-Saxon saints was Cuthman, a native of Devon or Cornwall (judging by his name; some ancient documents seem to indicate that he was possibly born at Chidham near Bosham, c. 681), who spent his youth as a shepherd on the moors.
A grey and weather-beaten stone high among the heather is said to mark the spot where he used to sit, and around which he drew a wide circle in the gorse, outside which his sheep were not allowed to wander. When his father died and his mother was left poor, Cuthman proved himself a good son and worked hard for their joint livelihood, but when she fell sick he was unable to leave her and they became destitute.
Cuthman, at his wit's end, made a wooden two-wheeled barrow in which he laid his mother, and with its two handles supported by a rope round his neck, begged from door to door. The dream of his life was to build a church, and though he had no idea how this could be done, he resolved to leave Cornwall with its bleak and windswept moors and travel eastward. Putting his mother in the barrow along with their few belongings, he pushed it day after day across the breadth of England until he came to Steyning in West Sussex. There the rope which held the barrow broke, and this he took for a sign that it was here where he must settle.
He prayed by the roadside: "O Almighty Father, who has brought my journey to an end, You know how poor I am, and a laborer from my youth, and of myself I can do nothing unless You succor me."
Here by the River Adur, in a
lonely and quiet spot among the Downs, he built a hut to shelter his mother,
and then measured out the ground on which to build his church. The local
people were kind to him; they watched him dig the foundations single-handedly,
cut the timber and build the walls, and they provided two oxen to help him.
One day, however the oxen strayed and were carried off by two youths who
refused to return them, whereupon Cuthman was angry. "I need them not," he
said, "to do my own work but to labor for God." and he yoked the two youths
themselves to his cart to draw it. "It must be moved," he said, "and you
must move it."
So Cuthman built a church and preached and stirred up the people. And there where he worked, he died, and was buried beside the river, and they called the place Saint Cuthman's Port, for the river in those days was navigable.
Cuthman's name occurs in several early medieval calendars and in the old Missal that was used by the English Saxons before the Norman conquest (kept in the monastery of Jumièges, in which a proper mass is assigned for his feast), a German martyrology clearly indicates a pre-Conquest cultus, and the church at Steyning seems to have been dedicated to him in the past. Saint Edward the Confessor gave the Steyning church to Fécamp, which monastery built a cell of monks on the site of his old wooden church and built a new one dedicated to his memory, although Cuthman's relics were translated to Fécamp. The information on Cuthman preserved there may contain some genuine material.
So Cuthman built a church and preached and stirred up the people. And there where he worked, he died, and was buried beside the river, and they called the place Saint Cuthman's Port, for the river in those days was navigable.
Cuthman's name occurs in several early medieval calendars and in the old Missal that was used by the English Saxons before the Norman conquest (kept in the monastery of Jumièges, in which a proper mass is assigned for his feast), a German martyrology clearly indicates a pre-Conquest cultus, and the church at Steyning seems to have been dedicated to him in the past. Saint Edward the Confessor gave the Steyning church to Fécamp, which monastery built a cell of monks on the site of his old wooden church and built a new one dedicated to his memory, although Cuthman's relics were translated to Fécamp. The information on Cuthman preserved there may contain some genuine material.
The memory of this once forgotten saint was revived by Christopher Fry in his one-act play The boy with a cart (1939) (Attwater, Attwater2, Benedictines, Farmer, Gill, Husenbeth).
In art, Saint Cuthman is always
shown among sheep because he was a shepherd of Steyning (Roeder). He
feast is kept at most Benedictine monasteries in Normandy (Husenbeth).
920 St Peter the Wonderworker
Bishop of Argos in the Peloponnesos ransomed captives healed the sick and
the afflicted, and possessed the gift of insight relics exuding myrrh,
and working miracles and healingsLived during the ninth and early tenth centuries, and was raised by pious parents. St Peter's parents, and later his brothers Paul, Dionysius, Platon and St Peter himself, all became monks. St Peter zealously devoted himself to monastic labors, and he excelled all his fellows. This came to the attention of the Italian bishop Nicholas (who from 895 was Patriarch of Constantinople), who wanted to elevate him to the rank of bishop. St Peter declined, accounting himself unworthy of such honor.
After a year emissaries came
to Bishop Paul from the city of Argos, where the bishop had died, and they
asked for St Peter as their bishop. After long and intense entreaties,
St Peter finally gave his consent. As bishop, St Peter toiled zealously
in guiding his flock. He was extraordinarily compassionate, concerning himself
with those in need, especially orphans and widows.
The saint fed the hungry in years of crop failure. Through
his prayers food for the hungry never ran out. Theodosius of the Caves
The saint also ransomed captives,
healed the sick and the afflicted, and possessed the gift of insight.
The saint predicted the day of his death, and departed to the Lord at the age of seventy.
His relics were transferred from Argos to Nauplos in 1421,
exuding myrrh, and working miracles and healings.The saint predicted the day of his death, and departed to the Lord at the age of seventy.
also listed as Guiborat and Weibrath. Born at Klingna, Aargau, Switzerland, she belonged to the Swabian nobility.
When her brother Hatto entered the Benedictines
at St. Gall, she went with him and worked as a bookbinder and lived for
a time as a recluse. She desired to exist as a hermit and to be walled up
as an anchoress. Before the monastic leaders of St. Gall would acquiesce,
she was forced to endure an ordeal by fire, successfully convincing her
vocal critics. Her cell was visited by many who sought out her wisdom. She
was also noted for her austerities, holiness, and her gifts of prophecy. One
of her visions told of her own martyrdom, which came to pass when invading
Magyars of Hungary murdered her in her cell.
Born at Poitiers, France; died
at Anzy-le-Duc, c. 930.
930 BD HUGH OF ANZY
THIS Hugh was educated at the abbey of Saint-Savin in Poitou: there he grew up, received the habit and was ordained priest. An able organizer and administrator, he was sent to assist Abbot Arnulf in reforming the monastery of St Martin at Autun, and afterwards in a similar capacity to accompany Ed Berno to Baume-les-Messieurs in the diocese of Besançon. When Duke William of Aquitaine presented Cluny to Berno, Hugh helped him to organize the new foundation. His last appointment was to be prior of Anzy-le-Duc.
The building of a hospital and other houses is ascribed to Bd Hugh, who obtained a great reputation for his wisdom and miracles. He made war relentlessly upon the idolatrous superstitions which still lingered on amongst the people, especially upon the orgies of the first day of January and on St John’s eve. This holy prior, who lived to a great age, spent his last three years in retirement, preparing for death. The exact date of his passing is uncertain.
This Hugh is sometimes called Hugh of Poitiers from his birthplace, but there is another Hugh of Poitiers. The Bollandists print his life in the Acta Sanctorum, April, vol. ii. See also Mabillon in Acta Sanctorum O.S.B., vol. v, pp. 92—104, and F. Cucherat, Le B. Hugues de Poitiers (1862).
As a child, Saint Hugh was placed in the Benedictine abbey of Saint-Savin in Poitou. His fervor for monastic life was so great that he became a monk. Hugh's reputation for wisdom and miracles was such that he was sent to reform several other houses. His success in reorganizing other led him to the newly founded Cluny Abbey where he helped Blessed Berno. Hugh's relics were raised in 1001 (Attwater2, Benedictines).
930 St. Hugh of Anzy le Duc Benedictine prior established Cluny and aide to Blessed Berno. A native of Poitiers, France, he helped reform St. Martin’s at Autun and established Cluny. Hugh of Ambronay OSB, Abbot (AC) 9th or 10th century. Saint Hugh was the third abbot of the Benedictine monastery of Ambronay in the see of Belley (Benedictines).
930 BD HUGH OF ANZY
THIS Hugh was educated at the abbey of Saint-Savin in Poitou: there he grew up, received the habit and was ordained priest. An able organizer and administrator, he was sent to assist Abbot Arnulf in reforming the monastery of St Martin at Autun, and afterwards in a similar capacity to accompany Ed Berno to Baume-les-Messieurs in the diocese of Besançon. When Duke William of Aquitaine presented Cluny to Berno, Hugh helped him to organize the new foundation. His last appointment was to be prior of Anzy-le-Duc.
The building of a hospital and other houses is ascribed to Bd Hugh, who obtained a great reputation for his wisdom and miracles. He made war relentlessly upon the idolatrous superstitions which still lingered on amongst the people, especially upon the orgies of the first day of January and on St John’s eve. This holy prior, who lived to a great age, spent his last three years in retirement, preparing for death. The exact date of his passing is uncertain.
This Hugh is sometimes called Hugh of Poitiers from his birthplace, but there is another Hugh of Poitiers. The Bollandists print his life in the Acta Sanctorum, April, vol. ii. See also Mabillon in Acta Sanctorum O.S.B., vol. v, pp. 92—104, and F. Cucherat, Le B. Hugues de Poitiers (1862).
As a child, Saint Hugh was placed in the Benedictine abbey of Saint-Savin in Poitou. His fervor for monastic life was so great that he became a monk. Hugh's reputation for wisdom and miracles was such that he was sent to reform several other houses. His success in reorganizing other led him to the newly founded Cluny Abbey where he helped Blessed Berno. Hugh's relics were raised in 1001 (Attwater2, Benedictines).
930 St. Hugh of Anzy le Duc Benedictine prior established Cluny and aide to Blessed Berno. A native of Poitiers, France, he helped reform St. Martin’s at Autun and established Cluny. Hugh of Ambronay OSB, Abbot (AC) 9th or 10th century. Saint Hugh was the third abbot of the Benedictine monastery of Ambronay in the see of Belley (Benedictines).
946 St. Luke the Younger Hermit death place called
Sterion (place of healing) wonder-worker (Thaumaturgus ) one
of the earliest saints to be seen levitating in prayerwhose solitary hermitage in Thessaly,
Greece, became known as the
Soterion, “the place of healing.” Luke tried to become a religious but was
arrested as an escaped slave and imprisoned for a time. He finally became
a hermit on Mount Joannitsa. near Corinth. There he was revered for his
holiness and miracles, which earned him the surname Thaumaturgus.
Luke the Younger
(AC) (also known as Luke Thaumaturgus or the Wonder-worker) Died c. 946.
Saint Luke is known to the Greek Church as Luke the Wonderworker. His parents were farmers or peasant proprietors on the island of Aegina, but were forced off their land by attacking Saracens. They settled in Thessaly, Greece. Luke was the third of the seven children of Stephen and Euphrosyne. Although Luke was a pious and obedient boy generally, he often made them angry because of his charity to those poorer than himself. In childhood he often gave his meal away to the hungry, or would strip off his clothes for a beggar. When sowing seed, for instance, Luke the Wonderworker spread at least half of it over the fields of the poor instead of over his parents' fields.
Later it was said that one of wonders God worked on Luke's behalf was to make his parents' crops yield more than anyone else's, even though he had given away half the seeds. But at the time his mother and father were extremely angry.
After Stephen's death, Luke left the fields and gave himself for a time to contemplation.
When he told his family that he wanted to enter a monastery, they tried to stop him. But Luke ran away. Unfortunately, some soldiers caught him and for a time put him in prison, thinking he was a runaway slave. When he said that he was a servant of Christ and had undertaken the journey out of devotion, they refused to believe him. He was shut up in prison and cruelly treated until his identity was discovered. He was allowed to return home where he was scolded for running away.
In the end, however, Luke got his way. Euphrosyne provided hospitality to two monks on their way between Rome and the Holy Land. They managed to persuade his mother to let him accompany them as far as Athens. There Luke was admitted as a novice in a monastery, but he didn't stay long. One day the superior sent for him and told the young saint that Luke's mother had appeared to him in a vision and that, as she needed him, he must return home to help her. Luke went home once again and was received with joy and surprise. After four months Euphrosyne herself became convinced of her son's calling and no longer opposed his entering religious life. So, age the age of 18, he built himself a hermitage on Mount Joannitsa near Corinth and lived there happily for the rest of his life. Luke is one of the earliest saints to be seen levitating in prayer. He worked so many miracles there that the site was turned into an oratory after his death and became known as Soterion or Sterion (place of healing) and he himself as the Thaumaturgus (the wonder-worker) (Benedictines, Bentley, Walsh).
Saint Luke of Hellas was
a native of the Greek village of Kastorion. Saint Luke is known to the Greek Church as Luke the Wonderworker. His parents were farmers or peasant proprietors on the island of Aegina, but were forced off their land by attacking Saracens. They settled in Thessaly, Greece. Luke was the third of the seven children of Stephen and Euphrosyne. Although Luke was a pious and obedient boy generally, he often made them angry because of his charity to those poorer than himself. In childhood he often gave his meal away to the hungry, or would strip off his clothes for a beggar. When sowing seed, for instance, Luke the Wonderworker spread at least half of it over the fields of the poor instead of over his parents' fields.
Later it was said that one of wonders God worked on Luke's behalf was to make his parents' crops yield more than anyone else's, even though he had given away half the seeds. But at the time his mother and father were extremely angry.
After Stephen's death, Luke left the fields and gave himself for a time to contemplation.
When he told his family that he wanted to enter a monastery, they tried to stop him. But Luke ran away. Unfortunately, some soldiers caught him and for a time put him in prison, thinking he was a runaway slave. When he said that he was a servant of Christ and had undertaken the journey out of devotion, they refused to believe him. He was shut up in prison and cruelly treated until his identity was discovered. He was allowed to return home where he was scolded for running away.
In the end, however, Luke got his way. Euphrosyne provided hospitality to two monks on their way between Rome and the Holy Land. They managed to persuade his mother to let him accompany them as far as Athens. There Luke was admitted as a novice in a monastery, but he didn't stay long. One day the superior sent for him and told the young saint that Luke's mother had appeared to him in a vision and that, as she needed him, he must return home to help her. Luke went home once again and was received with joy and surprise. After four months Euphrosyne herself became convinced of her son's calling and no longer opposed his entering religious life. So, age the age of 18, he built himself a hermitage on Mount Joannitsa near Corinth and lived there happily for the rest of his life. Luke is one of the earliest saints to be seen levitating in prayer. He worked so many miracles there that the site was turned into an oratory after his death and became known as Soterion or Sterion (place of healing) and he himself as the Thaumaturgus (the wonder-worker) (Benedictines, Bentley, Walsh).
The son of poor
farmers, the saint from childhood had toiled much, working in the fields
and shepherding the sheep. He was very obedient to his parents and very temperate
in eating. He often gave his own food and clothing to the poor, for which
he suffered reproach from his parents. He once gave away almost all the seed
which was needed for planting in the fields. The Lord rewarded him for his
charity, and the harvest gathered was greater than ever before.
As a child, he prayed fervently and often. His mother saw him more than once standing not on the ground, but in the air while he prayed.
After the death of his father, he left his mother and went to Athens, where he entered a monastery. But through the prayers of his mother, who was very concerned about him, the Lord returned him to his parental home in a miraculous manner. He spent four months there, then with his mother's blessing he went to a solitary place on a mountain called Ioannou (or Ioannitsa). Here there was a church dedicated to the holy Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian, where he lived an ascetical life in constant prayer and fasting. He was tonsured there by some Elders who were on pilgrimage. After this, St Luke redoubled his ascetic efforts, for which the Lord granted him the gift of foresight.
After a seven years on Ioannou, the saint
moved to Corinth because of an invasion of the Bulgarian armies.
As a child, he prayed fervently and often. His mother saw him more than once standing not on the ground, but in the air while he prayed.
After the death of his father, he left his mother and went to Athens, where he entered a monastery. But through the prayers of his mother, who was very concerned about him, the Lord returned him to his parental home in a miraculous manner. He spent four months there, then with his mother's blessing he went to a solitary place on a mountain called Ioannou (or Ioannitsa). Here there was a church dedicated to the holy Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian, where he lived an ascetical life in constant prayer and fasting. He was tonsured there by some Elders who were on pilgrimage. After this, St Luke redoubled his ascetic efforts, for which the Lord granted him the gift of foresight.
Hearing about the exploits of
a certain stylite at Patras, he went to see him, and remained for ten years
to serve the ascetic with humility and obedience. Afterwards, the saint
returned again to his native land and again began to pursue asceticism on
Mount Ioannou.
The throngs of people flocking there disturbed
his quietude, so with the blessing of his Elder Theophylactus, St Luke
went with his disciple to a still more remote place at Kalamion. After three years, he settled
on the desolate and arid island of Ampelon because of an invasion of the
Turks. Steiris was another place of his ascetic efforts. Here brethren gathered
to the monk, and a small monastery grew up, the church of which was dedicated
to the Great Martyr Barbara.
Dwelling in the monastery, the saint performed many miracles,
healing sicknesses of soul and of body.Foreseeing his end, the saint
confined himself in a cell and for three months prepared for his departure.
When asked where he was to be buried, the monk replied, "Throw my body
into a ravine to be eaten by wild beasts." When the brethren begged him
to change these instructions, he commanded them to bury his body on the
spot where he lay. Raising his eyes to heaven, he said, "Into Thy hands,
O Lord, I commend my spirit!"
St Luke fell asleep
in the Lord on February 7, 946. Later, a church was built over his tomb.
Myrrh flowed from his holy relics, and many healings occurred.
952 ST BASIL THE YOUNGER
THE story of the hermit St Basil the Younger, originally written by his disciple Gregory, has come down to us through Greek channels in which fable has obviously become intermingled with history. According to this tradition, he had a cell not far from Constantinople, but was arrested on suspicion of being a spy, under the rule of Leo VI and Alexander, and was conducted to Constantinople. Under cross-examination, as he refused to reply to the charges brought against him, he was beaten with sticks and suspended by the feet. He was afterwards exposed to the lions, but since they did him no injury, he was then cast into the sea, but was brought safely back to land by dolphins—a very favourite form of rescue in Greek folk-lore, both pagan and Christian. Early the following morning he made his way into the city, where he cured of fever a bedridden man who received him into his house. His miracles and sanctity soon made him famous, but he was several times severely mishandled on account of his stern denunciation of wickedness in high places. When Constantine Porphyrogenitus was attempting to obtain a share in the empire, the holy man foretold his failure and uttered many other remarkable prophecies and Basil never scrupled to admonish the princesses Anastasia and Irene when he deemed that reproof was necessary. He died at the age of 100, and was buried in the church of a nunnery in Constantinople.
See the Acta Sanctorum, March, vol. iii, where
the Greek text is printed.
Left the world in his youth, and struggled in a desolate
place. Once, courtiers of the Byzantine Emperor were passing by and saw
him dressed in rags, and were alarmed by his strange appearance. Suspicious
of the holy ascetic, they captured him and brought him to the city, where
the patrician Samon questioned him. When asked who he was, the saint merely
said that he was a stranger in the land. They subjected the monk to terrible
tortures, but he endured it in silence, not wishing to reveal the details
of his ascetic life to them. Samon lost his patience and asked St Basil,
"Impious one, how long will you hide, who are you, and from where do you
come?" The saint replied, "It is more appropriate to call impious those
who, like yourself, lead a life of impurity." After his public humiliation, Samon ordered his men to hang the saint upside down with his hands and feet tied. These torments were so cruel that those witnessing them murmured against Samon. When they released the holy ascetic after three days of torture, they found him alive and unharmed.
Samon attributed this miracle to sorcery and had St Basil thrown to a lion. However, the lion did not touch the saint, and lay peacefully at his feet.
Samon ordered St Basil to be drowned in the sea, but two dolphins brought him to shore. The saint went into the city, where he met a sick man named John, who was suffering from fever. St Basil healed the sick man in the name of the Savior, and accepted John's invitation to stay in his home.
Numerous believers came to the saint for advice and guidance, and also to receive healing from sickness through his prayers. St Basil, endowed with the gift of discernment, guided sinners on the path of repentance, and he could predict future events. Among those who visited St Basil was a certain Gregory, who became his disciple and later wrote a detailed Life of his teacher. Gregory once found an expensive sash at an inn, which had been dropped by the inn-keeper's daughter. He hid it on his person, intending to sell it and give the money to the poor. On the way home, he lost the sash and some other things. St Basil admonished him in a dream, showed him a broken pot and said, "If anyone steals such a worthless thing, they will be chastized four times over. You hid a valuable sash, and you will be condemned as a thief. You should return what you found."
After the death of St Theodora, who had attended St Basil, Gregory very much wanted to learn about her life beyond the grave, and he often asked the holy ascetic to reveal this to him. Through the saint's prayers, Gregory saw St Theodora in a dream. She told him how her soul underwent tribulations after death, and how the power of the prayers of St Basil had helped her (The Feast Day of St Theodora of Constantinople is December 30). St Basil died in about the year 944 at the age of 110.
The Church calls him Basil the
New to distinguish him from other ascetics of the same name.
952 St. Basil the Younger
Hermit gifts of prophecy miracles died at 100He was living near Constantinople when imprisoned and tortured as a spy. His miracles and prophecies won him his freedom, and he returned to his hermitage with a disciple, Gregory. There he denounced the immorality of the aristocracy, including Princess Anastasia, an activity that brought him persecution.
Basil the Younger, Hermit (AC) Died 952. The entries on Saint Basil are rather cryptic. It appears that adversity took the anchorite Basil to Constantinople where imperial officers seized him as a spy and began to mistreat him. Miracles proved his sanctity, so they sought his favors. He continued to live and exercise his gift of prophecy, until finally he died at age 100 and they argued over his relics. His life was written by his disciple Gregory, who shared his solitude (Attwater2, Benedictines, Encyclopedia).
a native of the city of
Aelen in Pergamum. Early bereft of his father, he was educated at the monastery
of St Stephen in Phrygia. After the death of his mother, he devoted himself
completely to monastic deeds at a monastery on Mount Latra, near Miletos.
Seeking even loftier accomplishments, he secluded himself in a cave. For his ascetic deeds he gained the gifts of clairvoyance and wonderworking. The emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitos (912-959) often wrote to him, asking his prayers and counsel. St Paul twice withdrew to the island of Samos, where he established a monastery and restored three monasteries ravaged by the Hagarenes (Arabs). Foretelling his end, the monk reposed in the year 955.
956 St Paul of Latros
The father of this hermit was an officer in the imperial army who was slain in an engagement with the Saracens. His mother then retired from Pergamos, which was the place of his birth, to Bithynia, taking her two sons with her. Basil, the elder, took the monastic habit upon Mount Olympus in that country, but soon for the sake of greater solitude retired to Mount Latros (Latmus). When their mother was dead he induced his brother to embrace the same state of life. Though young, Paul had experienced the world sufficiently to understand the emptiness and dangers of what it has to offer. Basil recommended him to the care and instruction of the abbot of Karia. St Paul desired for the sake of greater solitude and austerity to lead an eremitical life; but his abbot, thinking him too young, refused him leave so long as he lived. After his death Paul’s first cell was a cave on the highest part of Mount Latros, where for some weeks he had no other food than green acorns, which at first made him very sick. After eight months he was called back to Karia. It is said that when he worked in the kitchen the sight of the fire so forcibly reminded him of Hell that he burst into tears every time he looked at it.
Seeking even loftier accomplishments, he secluded himself in a cave. For his ascetic deeds he gained the gifts of clairvoyance and wonderworking. The emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitos (912-959) often wrote to him, asking his prayers and counsel. St Paul twice withdrew to the island of Samos, where he established a monastery and restored three monasteries ravaged by the Hagarenes (Arabs). Foretelling his end, the monk reposed in the year 955.
956 St Paul of Latros
The father of this hermit was an officer in the imperial army who was slain in an engagement with the Saracens. His mother then retired from Pergamos, which was the place of his birth, to Bithynia, taking her two sons with her. Basil, the elder, took the monastic habit upon Mount Olympus in that country, but soon for the sake of greater solitude retired to Mount Latros (Latmus). When their mother was dead he induced his brother to embrace the same state of life. Though young, Paul had experienced the world sufficiently to understand the emptiness and dangers of what it has to offer. Basil recommended him to the care and instruction of the abbot of Karia. St Paul desired for the sake of greater solitude and austerity to lead an eremitical life; but his abbot, thinking him too young, refused him leave so long as he lived. After his death Paul’s first cell was a cave on the highest part of Mount Latros, where for some weeks he had no other food than green acorns, which at first made him very sick. After eight months he was called back to Karia. It is said that when he worked in the kitchen the sight of the fire so forcibly reminded him of Hell that he burst into tears every time he looked at it.
When he was allowed to pursue his vocation Paul chose a new habitation on the rockiest part of the mountain, where for the first three years he suffered grievous temptations. A peasant sometimes brought him a little food, but he mostly lived on what grew wild. The reputation of his holiness spreading through the province, several men chose to live near him and built there a laura of cells. Paul, who had been careless about all corporal necessaries, was much concerned lest anything should be wanting to those that lived under his direction. After twelve years his solitude was so much broken into that he withdrew to another part of the mountains, whence he visited his brethren from time to time to cheer and encourage them; he sometimes took them into the forest to sing the Divine Office together in the open air. When asked why he appeared sometimes so joyful, at other times so sad, he answered, “When nothing diverts my thoughts from God, my heart overflows with joy, so much that I often forget my food and everything else; and when there are distractions, I am upset”. Occasionally he disclosed something of the wonderful communications, which passed between his soul and God, and of the heavenly graces that he received in contemplation.
But St Paul wished for yet closer retirement,
so he passed over to the isle of Samos, and there concealed himself in a
cave. But he was soon discovered and so many flocked to him that he re-established
three lauras that had been ruined by the Saracens. The entreaties
of the monks at Latros induced him to return to his former cell there. The
Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus wrote frequently to him asking his advice,
and often had reason to repent when he did not follow it. Paul had a great
tenderness for the poor and he gave them more of his food and clothes than
he could properly spare. Once he would have sold himself for a slave to help
some people in distress had he not been stopped. On December 6 in 956, foreseeing
that his death drew near, he came down from his cell to the church, celebrated
the Holy Mysteries more early than usual and then took to his bed. He spent
his time in prayer and instructing his monks till his death, which fell on
December 15, on which day he is commemorated by the Greeks. He is sometimes
referred to as St Paul the Younger.
After
having been printed for the first time in the Analecta Bollandiana,
vol. xi (1892), a still more carefully revised text was edited
by Delehaye in the volume Der Latmos, issued in 1913 by
T. Wiegand and other scholars, with abundant illustrations and archaeological
comments. The Life of St Paul, written by an anonymous disciple, is one
of the most trustworthy of Byzantine biographies. In Wiegand’s volume it
is supplemented by a panegyric from MS. Vatican 704 previously unprinted.
See also the Zeitschrift f. kath. Theologie, vol. xviii (1894),
pp. 365 seq., and the Revue des quest. histor., vol. x (1893), pp. 49—85.
sometimes listed as “the
Younger.” Paul was born at Pergamos, near Smyrna, in Asia Minor, the son
of an officer in the Byzantine army. His father was killed in battle, and
after his mother died, he became a monk in a community on Mt. Olympus
in Greece, with his brother, Basil. Paul later left the monastery and
became a hermit on Mount Latros in Bithynia, Asia Minor. Soon he attracted
followers, and Paul was compelled to organize them into a laura, or community.
After twelve years, Paul departed Mount Latros and settled on the island
of Samos to live in a cave. More followers gathered around him and Paul
oversaw the creation of several more lauras before returning to Latros,
where he died after years of prayer and mortifications.
Also known as Odo of Canterbury.
Born to Danish parents in East Anglia, he joined a Benedictine monastery
at Fleury-sur-Loire and then was appointed bishop of Ramsbury, in Wessex.
In 937, Odo was present at the Battle of Brunabur where King Athelstan of
Wessex defeated a force of Scots, Danes, and Northumbrians. In 942, Odo
became archbishop of Canterbury, wielding both secular and spiritual authority
with fairness and deep concern for the welfare of the people. He assisted
in the formulation of the legislation of Kings Edmund and Edgar the Peaceful,
created as a separate diocese the region of East Anglia, and gave his blessings
to the monastic reforms of St. Dunstan at Glastonbury, thereby promoting
the revival of monasticism in England. Known as “the Good” because of his
famed holiness, he was also credited with miracles.
ODO was born in East Anglia of Danish parents. While bishop of Ramsbury he was present at the great battle of Brunanburh, when King Athelstan defeated the Danes, Northumbrians and Scots, and shortly afterwards was translated to the see of Canterbury. As archbishop he was very active in both civil and ecclesiastical affairs; he made his native East Anglia into a separate diocese, and encouraged the monastic reforms of St Dunstan at Glastonbury. Odo himself had received the religious habit at Fleury-sur-Loire.
He was popularly known as " Odo the Good ", and several miracles are recorded of him, one of which, at Canterbury, was a demonstration of the Real Presence against some doubting clergy. He died in 959, having lived in the reigns of six kings, and his name appears in several ancient calendars of the church of Canterbury.
ODO was born in East Anglia of Danish parents. While bishop of Ramsbury he was present at the great battle of Brunanburh, when King Athelstan defeated the Danes, Northumbrians and Scots, and shortly afterwards was translated to the see of Canterbury. As archbishop he was very active in both civil and ecclesiastical affairs; he made his native East Anglia into a separate diocese, and encouraged the monastic reforms of St Dunstan at Glastonbury. Odo himself had received the religious habit at Fleury-sur-Loire.
He was popularly known as " Odo the Good ", and several miracles are recorded of him, one of which, at Canterbury, was a demonstration of the Real Presence against some doubting clergy. He died in 959, having lived in the reigns of six kings, and his name appears in several ancient calendars of the church of Canterbury.
The most reliable information about
St Odo comes from the life of his nephew, St Oswald of York, by a contemporary
monk of Ramsey; it is printed in Historians
of the Church of York, vol. i, in the Rolls Series. A life of Odo
himself by Eadmer (Acta Sanctorum, July,
vol. ii) is valuable, but much later in date. See also DNB., vol. xli.
Odo's prefatory epistle to Frithegod's metrical Life of St Wilfrid is a
curiosity of Anglo-Saxon learning; cf, Analecta Bollandiana, vol. lxx (1952),
p. 400 .
St Edburga,
whose name, like other Anglo-Saxon names of this class, is variously spelt,
seems to have enjoyed a considerable cultus in Worcestershire
and the neighbouring region, probably because her relics, or part of them,
were preserved at Pershore. See the list of calendar entries in Stanton’s
Menology, p. 271. The account given above is derived
almost entirely from William of Malmesbury, but there is also a life, apparently
still unprinted, by Malmesbury’s contemporary, Osbert of Clare. There is
also a life, still unpublished, in the Gotha MS.; see Analecta
Bollandiana, vol. lviii (1940), p. 100, n. 54. St Edburga’s fame
rested largely on the miracles her relics were believed to have worked; a
short summary of these is to be found in one of the Harleian manuscripts
at the British Museum.
960 St Edburga Of Winchester, Virgin
Three Anglo-Saxon princesses of the name of Edburga are included in the calendars of the saints. The nun who is venerated on this day was the granddaughter of King Alfred, and the daughter of King Edward the Elder, by his third wife, Edgiva. Her parents, who seem to have destined her to the religious life from the cradle, determined to test her vocation when she was only three years old. Her father took her on his knees and, showing her on the one hand a chalice with a book of the Gospels, and on the other a little pile of necklaces and bracelets, asked her to choose which she would have. The little girl eyed the trinkets with obvious aversion, but held out her arms towards the sacred objects. She was placed in the abbey which King Alfred’s widow had founded at Winchester, and in due course rose to be abbess. She was famous for her charity, her humility and her miracles. It is recorded that she would sometimes rise during the night while the other nuns were sleeping and would silently remove their sandals, clean them, and replace them beside their beds.
Saint Edburga was a granddaughter of King Alfred and the daughter of Edward the Elder. It is reported that, while she was still a young child, her royal father offered her precious jewels in one hand and a penitential habit in the other. Edburga chose the latter joyfully. At that her parents placed her in Saint Mary's Convent, which was founded by Alfred's widow, Alswide, at Winchester, finished by her own father, and placed under the direction of Saint Etheldreda.
Having finished her education, Edburga became a nun and later the abbess of the foundation. After Edburga died of a fever, Bishop Saint Ethelwold placed her remains in a rich shrine, which Abbess Saint Elfleda covered with gold and silver. When the Earl Egilwald of Dorsetshire sought relics for his newly rebuilt foundation of Pershore in Worcestershire after its pillage by the Danes, the abbess give him part of Edburga's skull, some of her ribs, and other bones, which were enclosed in a rich case. She was especially venerated at Pershore in Worcestershire, where these relics were enshrined and many miracles have taken place, and at Saint Mary's in Winchester (Attwater, Benedictines, Husenbeth).
Born about the year 894 in the Charsian region (Cappadocia) and at Baptism he received the name Manuel. He was related to the Byzantine emperor Leo VI the Wise (886-911). At age 18 Manuel went off to Bithynia, to the Kyminas monastery under the guidance of the Elder, John Heladites, who tonsured him into monasticism with the name Michael. Fulfilling a very difficult obedience in spite of his illustrious lineage, he demonstrated an example of great humility.
After the passage of a certain time, he was found worthy of the grace of the priesthood. Constantly studying the Holy Scripture, St Michael showed how the priesthood ought to be properly conjoined with monasticism, he attained to a high degree of dispassion and acquired the gift of perspicacity. He was very compassionate and kindly towards people, he could not let remain without help and consolation those who were in need and in sorrow, and by his ardent prayer he accomplished many miracles.
After much monastic effort under the guidance of the Elder John, St Michael asked his blessing to live in a cave as a hermit, Five days of the week he spent at prayerful concentration, and only on Saturday and Sunday did he come to the monastery for participation in the divine services and to partake of the Holy Mysteries.
By his example of sublime spiritual life the holy hermit attracted many seeking salvation. In a desolate place called Dry Lake, the venerable Michael founded a monastery for the brethren gathering around him, and gave it a strict monastic rule. When the monastery was secure, St Michael went to a still more remote place and built there a new monastery. By the efforts of the holy abba, the whole mountain of Kyminas was covered with monastic communities, where constantly prayers were raised up for all the world to the Throne of the Most-High.
About the year 953, the youth Abraham entered the brotherhood, flourishing under the guidance of St Michael, who gave him the name Athanasius. Later, St Athanasius (July 5) founded the renowned Great Lavra, the first cenobitic monastery on Mount Athos. In the building of the Lavra great help was given to St Athanasius by St Michael's nephew, the future Byzantine emperor Nicephoros Phocas (963-969), who met Athanasius while visiting his uncle. After fifty years of ceaseless monastic struggle, St Michael Maleinos went peacefully to the Lord in the year 962 .
973 St. Ulric of Augsburg
His canonization by Pope John XV in 993 is the first recorded canonization
by a Pope; Miracles were recorded at his tomb.
Augústæ, in Rhǽtia, sancti Uldaríci Epíscopi, miræ abstinéntiæ, largitátis et vigilántiæ virtúte, ac miraculórum dono illústris.
At Augsburg in Germany, St. Uldaric, a bishop illustrious for extraordinary abstinence, liberality, vigilance, and the gift of miracles.
Ulric was born 890 at Augsburg, Germany. He was educated at St. Gall Abbey in Switzerland and by his uncle, St. Adalbeo, bishop of Augsburg. Ulric succeeded to the See as bishop in 923, and when Augsburg was plundered and ravaged by the Magyars, he led its inhabitants in the task of rebuilding the city and its cathedral. In his old age, he retired to St. Gall, named his nephew as his successor, and was accused of nepotism for his action.
Ulrich von Augsburg Orthodoxe, Katholische und Evangelische
Kirche: 4. JuliAugústæ, in Rhǽtia, sancti Uldaríci Epíscopi, miræ abstinéntiæ, largitátis et vigilántiæ virtúte, ac miraculórum dono illústris.
At Augsburg in Germany, St. Uldaric, a bishop illustrious for extraordinary abstinence, liberality, vigilance, and the gift of miracles.
Ulric was born 890 at Augsburg, Germany. He was educated at St. Gall Abbey in Switzerland and by his uncle, St. Adalbeo, bishop of Augsburg. Ulric succeeded to the See as bishop in 923, and when Augsburg was plundered and ravaged by the Magyars, he led its inhabitants in the task of rebuilding the city and its cathedral. In his old age, he retired to St. Gall, named his nephew as his successor, and was accused of nepotism for his action.
Ulrich. Sohn des allemannischen
Grafen Hupald, wurde um 890 in Augsburg geboren. Er soll körperlich
schwach gewesen sein. Er sollte jedenfalls Geistlicher werden und wurde
deshalb Schüler im Kloster St. Gallen, dann Kämmerer unter seinem
Onkel, Bischof Adalbero. Als Adalbero 909 starb, lehnte Ulrich die ihm angetragene
Bischofswürde ab. 923 wurde er von Heinrich I. zum Bischof von Augsburg
ernannt.
Die Ungarnkriege hatten das Land verwüstet, Ulrich trieb den Wiederaufbau voran und ließ Augsburg mit einer starken Mauer befestigen. Luidolf, Sohn Otto des Großen, wollte Ulrich gewaltsam auf seine Seite ziehen. Ulrich widerstand und setzte sich für eine Versöhnung zwischen Vater und Sohn ein, die er schließlich auch erreichen konnte.
955 griffen die Ungarn erneut die Stadt Augsburg an. Ulrich leitete den Widerstand, der aufrechterhalten werden konnte, bis Otto mit dem Reichsheer erschien und auf dem Lechfeld die Ungarn vernichtend schlagen konnte. Ulrich starb 973. Er wurde auf seinen Wunsch in der Afrakirche bestattet. 993 wurde Ulrich in der ersten förmlichen Kanonisation der katholischen Kirche heilig gesprochen.
ST ULRIC was born at Augsburg in 890, and was educated in the abbey of St Gall. St Wiborada, a recluse who lived near that monastery, is said to have foretold that he would one day be a bishop, and would meet with severe trials, though the young man was so delicate that others who knew him judged he could never live long. Regularity and temperance preserved a life and strengthened a constitution which the excessive tenderness of parents and care of physicians would probably have worn out: a thing which Cardinal Lugo shows by several instances to have often happened in austere religious orders. When he had made progress in his studies his father removed him to Augsburg, where he placed him under the care of his uncle St Adalbero, bishop of that city; and in due course Ulric himself was raised to the see.
The Magyars had lately pillaged the country, murdered his old friend Wiborada, plundered Augsburg, and burnt the cathedral. The new bishop, not to lose time, built for the present a small church, in which he assembled the people, who in their distress stood in extreme need of instruction, comfort, and relief, all which they found abundantly in Ulric, who devoted himself, so far as his other obligations would allow, entirely to his spiritual functions. He rose every morning at three o'clock to assist at Matins and Lauds, and only left the church after noon; then he went to the hospital, where he comforted the sick and every day washed the feet of twelve poor people, giving to each of them liberal alms. The rest of the day he employed in instructing, preaching, visiting and discharging all the duties of a vigilant pastor. He made every year the visit of his whole diocese.
During his last years the saint earnestly desired to resign
his bishopric and retire to the monastery of St Gall, and with this object
appointed his nephew Adalbero in his place; this was judged to be an uncanonical
act, for which he had to answer before a synod at Ingelheim. In his last
illness Ulric caused himself to be laid on ashes strewed on the floor in the
form of a cross, and thus he died amidst the prayers of his clergy on July
4, 973. Miracles were recorded at his tomb, and he was canonized by Pope
John XV in 993, the first solemn canonization by a pope of which there is
record. Die Ungarnkriege hatten das Land verwüstet, Ulrich trieb den Wiederaufbau voran und ließ Augsburg mit einer starken Mauer befestigen. Luidolf, Sohn Otto des Großen, wollte Ulrich gewaltsam auf seine Seite ziehen. Ulrich widerstand und setzte sich für eine Versöhnung zwischen Vater und Sohn ein, die er schließlich auch erreichen konnte.
955 griffen die Ungarn erneut die Stadt Augsburg an. Ulrich leitete den Widerstand, der aufrechterhalten werden konnte, bis Otto mit dem Reichsheer erschien und auf dem Lechfeld die Ungarn vernichtend schlagen konnte. Ulrich starb 973. Er wurde auf seinen Wunsch in der Afrakirche bestattet. 993 wurde Ulrich in der ersten förmlichen Kanonisation der katholischen Kirche heilig gesprochen.
ST ULRIC was born at Augsburg in 890, and was educated in the abbey of St Gall. St Wiborada, a recluse who lived near that monastery, is said to have foretold that he would one day be a bishop, and would meet with severe trials, though the young man was so delicate that others who knew him judged he could never live long. Regularity and temperance preserved a life and strengthened a constitution which the excessive tenderness of parents and care of physicians would probably have worn out: a thing which Cardinal Lugo shows by several instances to have often happened in austere religious orders. When he had made progress in his studies his father removed him to Augsburg, where he placed him under the care of his uncle St Adalbero, bishop of that city; and in due course Ulric himself was raised to the see.
The Magyars had lately pillaged the country, murdered his old friend Wiborada, plundered Augsburg, and burnt the cathedral. The new bishop, not to lose time, built for the present a small church, in which he assembled the people, who in their distress stood in extreme need of instruction, comfort, and relief, all which they found abundantly in Ulric, who devoted himself, so far as his other obligations would allow, entirely to his spiritual functions. He rose every morning at three o'clock to assist at Matins and Lauds, and only left the church after noon; then he went to the hospital, where he comforted the sick and every day washed the feet of twelve poor people, giving to each of them liberal alms. The rest of the day he employed in instructing, preaching, visiting and discharging all the duties of a vigilant pastor. He made every year the visit of his whole diocese.
Abundant materials are available for the life of St Ulric. The most important is the biography by the provost Gerhard, a contemporary, printed in the Acta Sanctorum, July, vol. ii, and in MGH., Scriptores, vol. iv. There is also a life by Berno, abbot of Reichenau (in Migne, PL., cxlii, 1183-1204), as well as other early sources. St Ulric seems to have left no writings; a letter against clerical celibacy attributed to him is admittedly a forgery belonging to the period of the Libelli de Lite (see The Month, March, 1908, pp. 311-313) : this letter was exploited by the Reformers. A German translation of it was printed and circulated in 1521, and an English version appeared in London about 1550. There are several modern lives in German, e.g, those of Ramer, Stutzle, and U. Schmid (1904), and a full lind able article in the Kirchenlexikon, vol. xii .
listed also as Rosendo. Born
in Galicia, Spain, in 907 to a
noble family, he was appointed bishop of Mondonedo at the age of eighteen
and against his personal wishes. Soon after, he was given the duty of replacing
the dissolute bishop of Compostela, his cousin Sisnand. He distinguished
himselfwith his military skills by leading armies in the field against invading
Norsemen and Moors. When Sisnand escaped from imprisonment, he drove Rudesind
from his office as bishop under threat of murder. Rudesind retired to the
monastery of St. John Caveiro which he had built, and founded the abbey of
Celanova at Villar, where he lived as a monk. He built several other monastic
communities, installing in each strict observance of the Benedictine rule.
Elected abbot of Celanova to succeed the first abbot, Franquila, he became
a leading figure of his time, receiving visits from Church leaders throughout
Portugal who sought his spiritual advice. A relative of St. Senorina, Rudesind earned a reputation
for performing miracles. He died at Celanova and was canonized in 1195
977 St Rudesind, Or Rosendo, Bishop Of Dumium
St Rudesind, or San Rosendo as
he is called by his Spanish fellow countrymen, came of a noble Galician family.
According to his biographer, Brother Stephen of Celanova, his mother was
praying in St Saviour's church on Mount Cordoba when the birth of this son
was divinely foretold to her. Rudesind grew up a serious and saintly youth,
and when the see of Dumium (now Mondofledo) fell vacant, the people demanded
that he should be appointed. In vain did he plead that he was only eighteen
and quite unsuitable: they insisted, and eventually he had to accept consecration.
As a bishop he was a great contrast to his cousin Sisnand, Bishop of Compostela,
who neglected his duties and spent all his time in sports and dissipation.
This caused such scandal that King Sancho put him in prison, and requested
Rudesind to take over the diocese, which he did very reluctantly. On one
occasion, when King Sancho was away, the Northmen descended upon Galicia,
whilst at the same time the Moors invaded Portugal. Bishop Rudesind gathered
together an army and, with the battle-cry, "Some put their trust in chariots
and some in horses, but we will call on the name of the Lord", he led his
men first against the Northmen whom he drove back to their ships, and then
against the Moors whom he forced to retire into their own territories.
But at the death of King Sancho in 967 Sisnand broke out of prison and on Christmas night attacked Rudesind, whom he threatened with death unless he Vacated the see. The holy man made no resistance and retired into the monastery of St John of Caveiro which he had founded, and here he remained until he was instructed in a vision to build another abbey in a place that would be shown him. To his joy he found the place of his dream at Villar-a valley owned by his forefathers-"full of springs and streams and suitable for flowers, grain and herbs, as well as for fruit trees". Here he began to build and in eight years he completed the monastery, which he called Celanova. Over it he placed a saintly monk named Franquila, under whose obedience he chose to serve. With the help of this abbot he continued to build more monasteries as well as to enforce in those already founded a stricter observance of the Rule of St Benedict. After the death of Franquila, he was elected abbot, and so great was his influence that bishops and abbots came to him for advice and instruction and other religious houses placed themselves under his jurisdiction.
But at the death of King Sancho in 967 Sisnand broke out of prison and on Christmas night attacked Rudesind, whom he threatened with death unless he Vacated the see. The holy man made no resistance and retired into the monastery of St John of Caveiro which he had founded, and here he remained until he was instructed in a vision to build another abbey in a place that would be shown him. To his joy he found the place of his dream at Villar-a valley owned by his forefathers-"full of springs and streams and suitable for flowers, grain and herbs, as well as for fruit trees". Here he began to build and in eight years he completed the monastery, which he called Celanova. Over it he placed a saintly monk named Franquila, under whose obedience he chose to serve. With the help of this abbot he continued to build more monasteries as well as to enforce in those already founded a stricter observance of the Rule of St Benedict. After the death of Franquila, he was elected abbot, and so great was his influence that bishops and abbots came to him for advice and instruction and other religious houses placed themselves under his jurisdiction.
Many miracles are related by
his biographer Stephen as having been wrought through St Rudesind-demoniacs
and epileptics were healed, the blind cured, stolen property restored and
captives liberated; and he prefaces his catalogue with a simple little
personal experience of his own. "When I was at a tender age", he says, "my
parents delivered me over to study letters. In order to escape from the
toil of study and also from canings (which are the common lot of boys) I
used to hide in the woods. As I could not be made amenable, even when I
was securely tied up, my master, moved by a divine inspiration, went to the
tomb of St Rudesind, lit a candle and prayed that if I were destined by
the Just Judge for the order of the clergy, He would constrain me by the
bonds of His virtue and would open my heart to learn. After this I became
more docile, as I have often heard him say, and not so very long afterwards
I received the religious habit in that very monastery." St Rudesind was canonized
in 1195.
It is not certain whether the life attributed to the monk Stephen
was really written by him, and in any case he lived nearly two centuries
after the saint he commemorates. By far the greater part of the documents
printed in the Bollandist Acta Sanctorum are taken up with the miracles after Rudesind's death. Much obscurity
envelops his connection with the two sees, Dumium and Compostela, and
whether he did not retire to Celanova before he was called away to take
his cousin's place. See A. Lopez y Carballeira, San Rosendo (1909); and Gams,
Kirchengeschichte Spaniens, vol. ii, pt 2, pp. 405-406. In Antony de Yepes, Coronica
General de la Orden de San Benito, vol. v, pp.
14-16, is printed a Spanish translation of the bulls of beatification and
canonization of San Rosendo. Ano Cristiano,
by Justo Perez de Urbel (5 vols.,
1933-1935) is useful for this and other Spanish saints, but it makes no
claim to be a critical work.
Thessalonícæ sancti Fantíni Confessóris, qui, multa a Saracénis perpéssus, atque e monastério, in quo abstinéntia víxerat admirábili, expúlsus, demum, cum plúrimos ad viam salútis perduxísset, in senectúte bona quiévit.
At Thessalonica, St. Fantinus, confessor, who suffered much from the Saracens, and was driven from his monastery, in which he had lived in great abstinence. After having brought many to the way of salvation, he rested at last at an advanced age.
Tenth Century St Fantinus, Abbot
This Fantinus is said to have
been abbot of the Greek monastery of St Mercury in Calabria. After
some years he claimed that the voice of God was telling him to leave the
monastery and he accordingly did so, wandering about the countryside from
place to place, sleeping in the open, and living on fruit and herbs. When
he came to a church or monastery he lamented and prophesied woe; when he
met a monk he wept over him as though he were a dead man. When his friends,
much upset by this strange behaviour, tried to induce him to return to the
monastery, he only replied that there would soon be no monastery to return
to and that he would die in a foreign land. In due course the Saracens
devastated Calabria, the monastery of St Mercury was destroyed, and St Fantinus
with two disciples went overseas and landed in the Peloponnesus. He lived
for a time at Corinth and at Larissa in Thessaly, and then moved to Salonika,
where his miracles and virtues made him famous. Here he
died.
Not much that is reliable is known
of this saint, though the Bollandists have devoted a few pages to him in
the Acta Sanctorum, August,
vol. vi. It is apparently this Fantinus who figures in the Constantinople
synaxaries on November 14; though in an Italo-Greek synaxary he is assigned
to August 30. See J. Rendel Harris, Further Researches into the Ferrar
Group (1900), with Delehaye's comments in the Analecta Bollandiana, vol. xxi (1902);
pp. 23-28. The story seems to be nothing but legend and confusion,
including possibly confusion between two holy men, both named Fantinus.
Saint Fantinus was a monk in Calabria at the
Basilian monastery of Saint Mercury. He was an old man when his monastery
was destroyed by the Saracens, but he fled to the East and died there (Benedictines).In Británnia sancti Eduárdi Regis, qui, dolis novércæ necátus, multis miráculis cláruit.
In England, St. Edward, king, who was assassinated by order of his treacherous stepmother, and became celebrated for many miracles.
Edward was the eldest son of
King Edgar of England and his first wife, Ethelfleda who died shortly after her son's
birth. He was baptized by St. Dunstan
and became King in 975 on his father's death with the support of Dunstan
but against the wishes of his stepmother, Queen Elfrida, who wished the
throne for her son Ethelred.
Edward ruled only three years when he was murdered on March 18 while hunting near Corfe Dastle, reportedly by adherents of Ethelred, though William of Malmesbury, the English historian of the twelfth century, said Elfrida was the actual murderer. In the end, Elfrida was seized with remorse for her crime and, retiring from the world, she built the monasteries of Amesbury and Wherwell, in the latter of which she died. Edward was a martyr only in the broad sense of one who suffers an unjust death, but his cultus was considerable, encouraged by the miracles reported from his tomb at Shaftesbury; His feast day is March 18 and still observed in the diocese of Plymouth.
Edward ruled only three years when he was murdered on March 18 while hunting near Corfe Dastle, reportedly by adherents of Ethelred, though William of Malmesbury, the English historian of the twelfth century, said Elfrida was the actual murderer. In the end, Elfrida was seized with remorse for her crime and, retiring from the world, she built the monasteries of Amesbury and Wherwell, in the latter of which she died. Edward was a martyr only in the broad sense of one who suffers an unjust death, but his cultus was considerable, encouraged by the miracles reported from his tomb at Shaftesbury; His feast day is March 18 and still observed in the diocese of Plymouth.
the son of rich, illustrious
and pious parents, was born at Constantinople. He was mad Patrician and
General of the Cibyrra military Theme (the Byzantine Empire was divided
into 29 Themes, or districts). Once, when he was traveling by sea with his
soldiers, a storm arose and the ships sank. Of all the soldiers only St Arsenius
was saved. After this he became a monk, and he mortified his flesh by fasting,
vigil and hardships.
Later, he came to a certain place on Mount Latros, in Asia Minor. There he killed a poisonous viper by his prayer and the Sign of the Cross, and then he settled in the nearby Kelliboria monastery on the north side of the mountain, where he was chosen igumen. From the monastery St Arsenius went to a cave, where he repelled wild beasts by prayer. The brethren of the monastery asked him to return to them. He did go back, but did not live with the other monks. He lived alone in a small cell, and for six days of the week he neither ate any food, nor would he converse with anyone.
Finally, St Arsenius attained such perfection that he was fed by an angel. He was also granted the grace to perform miracles. He could stir bitter water with his staff and change it into sweet water. After performing many other miracles, he called the brethren to him and gave them his final instructions.
After advising them to put aside all worldly cares and vanities, St Arsenius surrendered his soul to God. The saint continued to work miracles even after his death
Later, he came to a certain place on Mount Latros, in Asia Minor. There he killed a poisonous viper by his prayer and the Sign of the Cross, and then he settled in the nearby Kelliboria monastery on the north side of the mountain, where he was chosen igumen. From the monastery St Arsenius went to a cave, where he repelled wild beasts by prayer. The brethren of the monastery asked him to return to them. He did go back, but did not live with the other monks. He lived alone in a small cell, and for six days of the week he neither ate any food, nor would he converse with anyone.
Finally, St Arsenius attained such perfection that he was fed by an angel. He was also granted the grace to perform miracles. He could stir bitter water with his staff and change it into sweet water. After performing many other miracles, he called the brethren to him and gave them his final instructions.
After advising them to put aside all worldly cares and vanities, St Arsenius surrendered his soul to God. The saint continued to work miracles even after his death
10th v. Saint Irene
of Chrysovalantou daughter of a wealthy family from Cappadocia; abbess;
performed many miracles during her life; levitating as she prayed; apples...
"for this gift comes from John in Paradise."
Born in the ninth century. After the death of her husband Theophilus, the empress Theodora ruled the Byzantine Empire as regent for her young son Michael. St Theodora (February 11) helped to defeat the iconoclast heresy, and to restore the holy icons. We commemorate this Triumph of Orthodoxy on the first Sunday of Great Lent.
When Michael was twelve years of age, St Theodora sent messengers throughout the Empire to find a suitably virtuous and refined girl to be his wife.
St Irene was chosen, and she agreed to the marriage. While passing Mt. Olympus in Asia Minor, Irene asked to stop so she could receive the blessing of St Joannicius (November 4), who lived on the mountain. The saint, who showed himself only to the most worthy pilgrims, foresaw the arrival of St Irene, and also her future life. The holy ascetic welcomed her and told her to proceed to Constantinople, where the women's monastery of Chrysovalantou had need of her. Amazed at his clairvoyance, Irene fell to the ground and asked St Joannicius for his blessing. After blessing her and giving her spiritual counsel, he sent her on her way. When the party arrived in Constantinople, Irene's relatives met her with great ceremony. Since "the steps of a man are rightly ordered by the Lord" (Ps. 36/37:23), God arranged for Michael to marry another girl a few days before, so that Irene might be free to become a bride of Christ. Far from being disappointed, Irene rejoiced at this turn of events.
Remembering the words of St Joannicius, Irene visited the Monastery of Chrysovalantou. She was so impressed by the nuns and their way of life that she freed her slaves and distributed her wealth to the poor. She exchanged her fine clothing for the simple garb of a nun, and served the sisters with great humility and obedience. The abbess was impressed with the way that Irene performed the most menial and disagreeable tasks without complaint.
St Irene often read the Lives of the Saints in her cell, imitating their virtues to the best of her ability. She often stood in prayer all night with her hands raised like Moses on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 17:11-13). St Irene spent the next few years in spiritual struggles defeating the assaults of the demons, and bringing forth the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
When the abbess sensed the approach of death, she told
the other nuns that they should not accept anyone but Irene as the new
abbess.Born in the ninth century. After the death of her husband Theophilus, the empress Theodora ruled the Byzantine Empire as regent for her young son Michael. St Theodora (February 11) helped to defeat the iconoclast heresy, and to restore the holy icons. We commemorate this Triumph of Orthodoxy on the first Sunday of Great Lent.
When Michael was twelve years of age, St Theodora sent messengers throughout the Empire to find a suitably virtuous and refined girl to be his wife.
St Irene was chosen, and she agreed to the marriage. While passing Mt. Olympus in Asia Minor, Irene asked to stop so she could receive the blessing of St Joannicius (November 4), who lived on the mountain. The saint, who showed himself only to the most worthy pilgrims, foresaw the arrival of St Irene, and also her future life. The holy ascetic welcomed her and told her to proceed to Constantinople, where the women's monastery of Chrysovalantou had need of her. Amazed at his clairvoyance, Irene fell to the ground and asked St Joannicius for his blessing. After blessing her and giving her spiritual counsel, he sent her on her way. When the party arrived in Constantinople, Irene's relatives met her with great ceremony. Since "the steps of a man are rightly ordered by the Lord" (Ps. 36/37:23), God arranged for Michael to marry another girl a few days before, so that Irene might be free to become a bride of Christ. Far from being disappointed, Irene rejoiced at this turn of events.
Remembering the words of St Joannicius, Irene visited the Monastery of Chrysovalantou. She was so impressed by the nuns and their way of life that she freed her slaves and distributed her wealth to the poor. She exchanged her fine clothing for the simple garb of a nun, and served the sisters with great humility and obedience. The abbess was impressed with the way that Irene performed the most menial and disagreeable tasks without complaint.
St Irene often read the Lives of the Saints in her cell, imitating their virtues to the best of her ability. She often stood in prayer all night with her hands raised like Moses on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 17:11-13). St Irene spent the next few years in spiritual struggles defeating the assaults of the demons, and bringing forth the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
Irene was not told of the abbess's
instructions, and when she died the community sent representatives to go
and seek the advice of the patriarch, St Methodius (June 14). He asked them
whom they wanted as their superior. They replied that they believed he
would be guided by the Holy Spirit. Without knowing of the late abbess's
instructions to the nuns, he asked if there was a humble nun by the name
of Irene in their monastery. If so, he said, they should choose her. The
nuns rejoiced and gave thanks to God. St Methodius elevated Irene to the
rank of abbess and advised her how to guide those in her charge.
Returning to the monastery, Irene prayed that God would help her to care for those under her, and redoubled her own spiritual efforts. She displayed great wisdom in leading the nuns, and received many revelations from God to assist her in carrying out her duties. She also asked for the gift of clairvoyance so that she would know what trials awaited her nuns. Thus, she was in a better position to give them the proper advice. She never used this knowledge to embarrass others, but only to correct their confessions in a way which let them know that she possessed certain spiritual gifts.
Returning to the monastery, Irene prayed that God would help her to care for those under her, and redoubled her own spiritual efforts. She displayed great wisdom in leading the nuns, and received many revelations from God to assist her in carrying out her duties. She also asked for the gift of clairvoyance so that she would know what trials awaited her nuns. Thus, she was in a better position to give them the proper advice. She never used this knowledge to embarrass others, but only to correct their confessions in a way which let them know that she possessed certain spiritual gifts.
Although St Irene performed many
miracles during her life, let us mention only one. On great Feasts it was
her habit to keep vigil in the monastery courtyard under the starry skies.
Once, a nun who was unable to sleep left her cell and went into the courtyard.
There she saw Abbess Irene levitating a few feet above the ground, completely
absorbed in prayer. The astonished nun also noticed that two cypress
trees had bowed their heads to the ground, as if in homage. When she finished
praying, Irene blessed the trees and they returned to their upright position.
Afraid that this might be a temptation from the demons, the nun returned the next night to see if she had been mistaken. Again she saw Irene levitating as she prayed, and the cypress trees bowing down. The nun tied handkerchiefs to the tops of the two trees before they went back to their places. When the other sisters saw the handkerchiefs atop the trees, they began to wonder who had put them there. Then the nun who had witnessed these strange events revealed to the others what she had seen.
When St Irene learned that the nun had witnessed the miracle
and told the others, she was very upset. She warned them not to speak of
it to anyone until after her death.Afraid that this might be a temptation from the demons, the nun returned the next night to see if she had been mistaken. Again she saw Irene levitating as she prayed, and the cypress trees bowing down. The nun tied handkerchiefs to the tops of the two trees before they went back to their places. When the other sisters saw the handkerchiefs atop the trees, they began to wonder who had put them there. Then the nun who had witnessed these strange events revealed to the others what she had seen.
St Irene observed the Feast of
St Basil (January 1) with great devotion, since he also came from Cappadocia.
One year, after celebrating the feast, St Irene heard a voice during the
night telling her to welcome the sailor who would come to the door the next
day. She was told to rejoice and eat the fruit which the sailor would bring
her. During Matins, a sailor did come to the door and remained in church
until after Liturgy. He told her that he had come from Patmos, where he
boarded a ship. As the ship set sail, he noticed an old man on the shore
calling for them to stop. In spite of a good wind, the ship came to a sudden
halt. Then the old man walked across the water and entered the ship. He gave
the sailor three apples which God was sending to the patriarch "from His beloved
disciple John." Then the old man gave the sailor three more apples for the
abbess of Chrysovalantou. He told the sailor that if Irene ate the apples,
all that her soul desired would be granted, "for this gift comes from John
in Paradise."
St Irene fasted for a week, giving thanks to God for this wonderful gift. For forty days, she ate small pieces of the first apple every day. During this time she had nothing else to eat or drink. On Holy Thursday, she told the nuns to receive the Holy Mysteries, then gave each one a piece of the second apple. They noticed an unusual sweetness, and felt as if their very souls were being nourished.
An angel informed St Irene that she would be called to the Lord on the day after St Panteleimon's feast. The monastery's feast day fell on July 26, so St Irene prepared by fasting for a week beforehand. She took only a little water and small pieces of the third apple sent to her by St John.
St Irene fasted for a week, giving thanks to God for this wonderful gift. For forty days, she ate small pieces of the first apple every day. During this time she had nothing else to eat or drink. On Holy Thursday, she told the nuns to receive the Holy Mysteries, then gave each one a piece of the second apple. They noticed an unusual sweetness, and felt as if their very souls were being nourished.
An angel informed St Irene that she would be called to the Lord on the day after St Panteleimon's feast. The monastery's feast day fell on July 26, so St Irene prepared by fasting for a week beforehand. She took only a little water and small pieces of the third apple sent to her by St John.
The whole monastery was filled
with a heavenly fragrance, and all discord disappeared.
On July 28, St Irene called
the nuns together in order to bid them farewell. She also told them to
select Sister Mary as her successor, for she would keep them on the narrow
way which leads to life (Matthew 7:14). After entreating God to protect
her flock from the power of the devil, she smiled when she saw the angels
who had been sent to receive her soul. Then she closed her eyes and surrendered
her soul to God.St Irene was more than 101 years old when she died, yet her face appeared young and beautiful. A great crowd of people came for her funeral, and many miracles took place at her tomb.
In some parishes it is customary
to bless apples on the feast of St Irene Chrysovalantou.
Tulli, in Gállia, sancti Gerárdi, ejúsdem civitátis Epíscopi. At Toul in France, St. Gerard, bishop of that city. B (RM)
(also known as Gerard, Geraud)
Born in Cologne, Germany, 935; died at Toul in 994; canonized in 1050 by
Pope Saint Leo IX, who succeeded
him as bishop of Toul. Gerald was born into a noble family headed by his
father Ingranne.
Gerald was educated at the cathedral school in Cologne. After his mother, Emma, was killed by lightning, he understood the precariousness of life and devoted himself to God. When his reputation for piety reached the ears of Archbishop Bruno of Cologne, Gerald was removed from the semi-monastery of the Canons of Saint Peter in Cologne and, in 963 at the age of 28, compelled to accept consecration as bishop of Toul, which he governed for 31 years.
His zeal never slackened. Along with executing the duties of his office, each day Gerald recited thirteen canonical hours because he joined the office of the monks with that of the canons. The holy scriptures and the lives of the saints he read daily, and meditated on them good part of the night.
Gerald was a noted preacher himself, and sent likewise talented clergymen to preach in the countryside. He made Toul a center of learning by bringing Irish, Scottish, and Greek monks into the diocese.
Dreading the intellectual hubris that often accompanies erudition, Gerald ensured that all scholars, especially those studying for the priesthood, applied themselves with greater fervor to the development of their interior life than to their studies. This was his own rule of conduct; thus, he did not have the regret that some men have expressed in their last moments that they took more pains to cultivate understanding of science than to correct and improve their will by virtue. By mortification and sweet contemplation, Gerald nourished in his soul a constant spirit of devotion.
Gerald also rebuilt churches (including the cathedral of St. Stephen) and monasteries (including Evre or Aper, Saint Mansuet, and Saint Martin near Sorcy), and founded the Hôtel-Dieu Hospital in Toul. His charity was recognized by Emperor Otto II, who placed all the monasteries of the country under the care of Gerald, who had worked hard to relieve the famine of 982 and the victims of the plague that followed. Gerald also obtained from the emperor a confirmation of the privilege granted his predecessor which recognized the independence of Toul under its bishop.
Gerald's vita was written by Abbot Widric of Saint Aper's Abbey in 994. On October 30, after his canonization in 1050, Pope Leo had Gerald's body exhumed and enshrined. After this ceremony Widric added a second book to the life of Saint Gerard (about his canonization), and later added a third on the translation of his relics, with an account of some miracles (Benedictines, Delaney, Encyclopedia, Husenbeth).
Gerald was educated at the cathedral school in Cologne. After his mother, Emma, was killed by lightning, he understood the precariousness of life and devoted himself to God. When his reputation for piety reached the ears of Archbishop Bruno of Cologne, Gerald was removed from the semi-monastery of the Canons of Saint Peter in Cologne and, in 963 at the age of 28, compelled to accept consecration as bishop of Toul, which he governed for 31 years.
His zeal never slackened. Along with executing the duties of his office, each day Gerald recited thirteen canonical hours because he joined the office of the monks with that of the canons. The holy scriptures and the lives of the saints he read daily, and meditated on them good part of the night.
Gerald was a noted preacher himself, and sent likewise talented clergymen to preach in the countryside. He made Toul a center of learning by bringing Irish, Scottish, and Greek monks into the diocese.
Dreading the intellectual hubris that often accompanies erudition, Gerald ensured that all scholars, especially those studying for the priesthood, applied themselves with greater fervor to the development of their interior life than to their studies. This was his own rule of conduct; thus, he did not have the regret that some men have expressed in their last moments that they took more pains to cultivate understanding of science than to correct and improve their will by virtue. By mortification and sweet contemplation, Gerald nourished in his soul a constant spirit of devotion.
Gerald also rebuilt churches (including the cathedral of St. Stephen) and monasteries (including Evre or Aper, Saint Mansuet, and Saint Martin near Sorcy), and founded the Hôtel-Dieu Hospital in Toul. His charity was recognized by Emperor Otto II, who placed all the monasteries of the country under the care of Gerald, who had worked hard to relieve the famine of 982 and the victims of the plague that followed. Gerald also obtained from the emperor a confirmation of the privilege granted his predecessor which recognized the independence of Toul under its bishop.
Gerald's vita was written by Abbot Widric of Saint Aper's Abbey in 994. On October 30, after his canonization in 1050, Pope Leo had Gerald's body exhumed and enshrined. After this ceremony Widric added a second book to the life of Saint Gerard (about his canonization), and later added a third on the translation of his relics, with an account of some miracles (Benedictines, Delaney, Encyclopedia, Husenbeth).
In território Archiacénsi, in Gállia, sancti Victóris Confessóris, cujus laudes sanctus Bernárdus conscrípsit.
In the province of Champagne in France, St. Victor, confessor, about whom eulogies have been written by St. Bernard.
in Champagne, France, he was much venerated by the Benedictines of Montiramey who asked St. Bernard of Clairvaux to compose a hymn in Victor's honor.
Victor the Hermit (RM) (also
known as Vittre) Born in Troyes, Champagne, France; 7th century. Born of
noble parents, Saint Victor was educated under strict discipline in learning
and piety. He was one of those rare creatures that was a saint from his
cradle. In his youth, prayer, fasting, and alms- giving were his chief
delights.
After embracing the priesthood, the love of heavenly contemplation was so alluring that he preferred retirement to the care of souls. This appears to have been God's will for him. He lived in continual communion with God and God glorified him by many miracles, but the greatest appears to be the powerful example of his life.
After embracing the priesthood, the love of heavenly contemplation was so alluring that he preferred retirement to the care of souls. This appears to have been God's will for him. He lived in continual communion with God and God glorified him by many miracles, but the greatest appears to be the powerful example of his life.
Victor's feast was celebrated by the Benedictines of Montiramy at whose request Saint Bernard wrote two pious panegyrics
{Greek meaning a speech "fit
for a general assembly" (panegyris)} about Victor (Ep. 312, vet.
ed. seu 398, nov. edit.), including: "Now placed in heaven, he beholds God
clearly, revealed to him, swallowed up in joy, but not forgetting us. It
is not the land of oblivion in which Victor dwells. Heaven does not harden
or straiten hearts but makes them more tender and compassionate; it does
not distract minds, nor alienate them from us; it does not diminish, but
it increases affection and charity; it augments bowels of pity. The angels,
although they behold the face of their Father, visit, run, and continually
assist us; and shall they now forget us who were once among us, and who once
suffered themselves what they see us at present labor under? No: 'I know
the just expect me till you render to me my reward.'
"Victor is not like that cup-bearer
of Pharaoh, who could forget his fellow-captive. He has not so put on the
stole of glory himself as to lay aside his pity, or the remembrance of
our misery" (Sermon, 2).
Saint Victor died at Saturniac,
now called Saint-Vittre, in the diocese of Troyes. A church was built over
his tomb but in 837 his relics were translated to the neighboring monastery
of Montier-Ramoy, or Montirame (Benedictines, Husenbeth).
998
St. Nicon Missionary called Metanoeite Armenian Pontus on the Black Sea "the Preacher of Repentance"In
Arménia sancti Nicónis Mónachi.
In Armenia, St. Nicon, monk.
Born at Pontus Polemoniacus at the beginning of the tenth
century. He was the son of a wealthy landowner, and he was given the name
Nicetas in Baptism.Since he had no desire to take over the management of his family's wealth and estates, Nicetas entered the monastery of Chrysopetro, where he shone forth in prayer and asceticism. When he received the monastic tonsure, he was given the new name Nikon. The new name symbolizes a new life in the Spirit (Romans 7:6), and the birth of the new man (Ephesians 4:24). A monk is expected to stop associating himself with the old personality connected to his former life in the world, and to devote himself entirely to God.
St Nikon had a remarkable gift
for preaching. When he spoke of virtue and spiritual matters, his listeners
were filled with heartfelt compunction and love for God. His words produced
such spiritual fruit in those who heard him that he was asked to travel
through the eastern regions to preach. He visited Armenia, Crete, Euboea,
Aegina, and the Peloponnesus, proclaiming the Gospel of Christ.
"Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." This was the message of St John the Baptist (Matthew 3:2), and of Christ Himself (Matthew 4:17). This was also the message of St Nikon. Wherever he went, he would begin his sermons with "Repent," hence he was called "Nikon Metanoeite," or "Nikon, the Preacher of Repentance."
At first, people paid little heed to his message. Then gradually he won their hearts through his preaching, his miracles, and his gentle, loving nature. He stressed the necessity for everyone to repent, warning that those who utter a few sighs and groans and think that they have achieved true repentance have deluded themselves. St Nikon told the people that true sorrow for one's sins is cultivated by prayer, self-denial, almsgiving, ascetical efforts, and by confession to one's spiritual Father.
After sowing the seeds of piety, St Nikon began to see them bear fruit. People started to change their lives, but he urged them to strengthen their souls in virtue and good works so that they would not be overwhelmed by the cares of this world.
Eventually, St Nikon settled in a cave outside Sparta. Soon he moved into the city, because so many people were coming to hear him. In the center of Sparta, he built a church dedicated to Christ the Savior. In time a monastery grew up around the church.
St Nikon never ceased to preach the Word of God, and to lead people back to the spiritual life of the Church. He also healed the sick, and performed many other miracles.
St Nikon fell asleep in the Lord in 998, and his memory was honored by the people around Sparta. During the Turkish occupation of Greece, however, he was all but forgotten, except in Sparta. After the Greek Revolution in 1821, a service to St Nikon was composed by Father Daniel Georgopoulos, and was based on the saint's Life, which had been written by Igumen Gregory of St Nikon's Monastery in 1142.
St Nikon was recognized as the patron saint of the diocese of Monemvasia and Lakedaimonia in 1893 when the cathedral church in Sparta was dedicated to St Nikon, the Preacher of Repentance.
"Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." This was the message of St John the Baptist (Matthew 3:2), and of Christ Himself (Matthew 4:17). This was also the message of St Nikon. Wherever he went, he would begin his sermons with "Repent," hence he was called "Nikon Metanoeite," or "Nikon, the Preacher of Repentance."
At first, people paid little heed to his message. Then gradually he won their hearts through his preaching, his miracles, and his gentle, loving nature. He stressed the necessity for everyone to repent, warning that those who utter a few sighs and groans and think that they have achieved true repentance have deluded themselves. St Nikon told the people that true sorrow for one's sins is cultivated by prayer, self-denial, almsgiving, ascetical efforts, and by confession to one's spiritual Father.
After sowing the seeds of piety, St Nikon began to see them bear fruit. People started to change their lives, but he urged them to strengthen their souls in virtue and good works so that they would not be overwhelmed by the cares of this world.
Eventually, St Nikon settled in a cave outside Sparta. Soon he moved into the city, because so many people were coming to hear him. In the center of Sparta, he built a church dedicated to Christ the Savior. In time a monastery grew up around the church.
St Nikon never ceased to preach the Word of God, and to lead people back to the spiritual life of the Church. He also healed the sick, and performed many other miracles.
St Nikon fell asleep in the Lord in 998, and his memory was honored by the people around Sparta. During the Turkish occupation of Greece, however, he was all but forgotten, except in Sparta. After the Greek Revolution in 1821, a service to St Nikon was composed by Father Daniel Georgopoulos, and was based on the saint's Life, which had been written by Igumen Gregory of St Nikon's Monastery in 1142.
St Nikon was recognized as the patron saint of the diocese of Monemvasia and Lakedaimonia in 1893 when the cathedral church in Sparta was dedicated to St Nikon, the Preacher of Repentance.
998
St. Nicon Missionary called Metanoite Armenian Pontus on the Black Sea in Asia Minor and entered a monastery at Khrysopetro.
He was then sent as a preacher to Crete, and after enjoying considerable
success, he went to his native country and Greece. He was given the title
Metanoite because of his common use of penance as a theme for his sermons.
He was noted for his miracles. He died in Peloponnesus.
Nikon Metanoite (RM) (also known as Nicon) Born in Pontus (now in Armenia); died in Peloponnesus, Greece, in 998. Nikon received his surname from the Greek 'metanoia' (change of heart) because penance was always the theme of his preaching. In his youth, he secretly ran away from his wealthy family to an Armenian monastery called Khrysopetro (Stone of God), where he engaged in austere penance and humble prayer for 12 years. The purity of his love of God when he spoke about virtue caused his superiors to send him out into the world to preach the Word of God as a missionary, first in Armenia and later on the Saracen-held island of Crete for 20 years, then in Greece.
In imitation of Saint John the Baptist, Saint Nikon began every sermon with a call to conversion and the necessity for sincere repentance and penance. He taught that earnest prayer, mortification, alms, and holy meditation are needed to allow the resolution of conversion to take root in the heart. The sweetness with which Nikon recommended the most severe maxims of the Gospel, made our faith appear amiable to the Islamics themselves. The words he preached were confirmed by many miracles (Attwater 2, Benedictines, Coulson, Husenbeth).
Nikon Metanoite (RM) (also known as Nicon) Born in Pontus (now in Armenia); died in Peloponnesus, Greece, in 998. Nikon received his surname from the Greek 'metanoia' (change of heart) because penance was always the theme of his preaching. In his youth, he secretly ran away from his wealthy family to an Armenian monastery called Khrysopetro (Stone of God), where he engaged in austere penance and humble prayer for 12 years. The purity of his love of God when he spoke about virtue caused his superiors to send him out into the world to preach the Word of God as a missionary, first in Armenia and later on the Saracen-held island of Crete for 20 years, then in Greece.
In imitation of Saint John the Baptist, Saint Nikon began every sermon with a call to conversion and the necessity for sincere repentance and penance. He taught that earnest prayer, mortification, alms, and holy meditation are needed to allow the resolution of conversion to take root in the heart. The sweetness with which Nikon recommended the most severe maxims of the Gospel, made our faith appear amiable to the Islamics themselves. The words he preached were confirmed by many miracles (Attwater 2, Benedictines, Coulson, Husenbeth).