The history of Our Lady
of Pochaev begins in 1198, only about two centuries after Christianity became
institutionalized following the conversion of St. Vladimir. In this
year a monk ascended Mount Pochaev in order to pray. After beginning
his prayers a pillar of fire appeared to him and to some shepherds that happened
to be nearby. The flames withdrew to reveal the Blessed Virgin.
The apparition of the Virgin Mary left behind a footprint, from which a spring
of water flowed. This first event would lead to many other supernatural
events through the special dedication of the Blessed Virgin to this region.
Many of these miracles are the result of the veneration of the icon of our
Lady of Pochaev [see above]. It first arrived in
the region as a gift of Metropolitan Neophit to Anna Hoyska, an important
patron of the Church, in 1559. The icon shows our Lady, wearing a crown,
and holding the infant Jesus. In her other hand “she holds the end
of her veil.” This being a 'tenderness' icon, Jesus and Mary’s face
touch, while Jesus gives a blessing with his hand. To Mary’s right
are the prophet Elijah and Saint Myrna,
while to her left are St. Stephen and the
Reverend Abraymey. Mary’s face is described as being “beautiful
but sad.” The icon itself is 29 x23 cm, and made out of red pitched
cypress. The origin of the icon remains a mystery.
The miraculous character of the icon presented itself almost
immediately, as only a short time later Anna Hoyska’s blind brother regained
his sight.
After Anna’s death in 1644 much of her property was donated, including
the icon, to a nearby Basilian Monastery. After some legal obstacles
were resolved, the icon was finally placed in the brother’s Church of the
Dormition of the Blessed Mother. The monastery’s chronicles record
numerous miracles during the icon's stay at their Church. Two of these
miracles are exceptionally noteworthy.
The first took place during the invasion of the Turks in 1675. The
populace of Pochaev gathered at the monastery in order to weather the attack.
Gathered together and facing certain death at the hands of the invaders,
they “turned to Mary for protection and help.” The Blessed Virgin appeared
along with Venerable Job of Pochaev and a host of angels. Her white
mantle spread over the monastery and the arrows of the Turks were deflected.
This caused enough confusion among the invaders that they scattered, allowing
the Ukrainian military to turn their enemies back.
The second notable miracle came during the construction of a large church
in Pochaev in the 1780’s. A monk ran into the church demanding that
everybody leave. After the approximately two hundred workers had left
the church, the roof collapsed.
In total, five-hundred-thirty-nine
miracles have been recorded in the monastery chronicles.
After an investigation, the icon was crowned by Pope Clement in
1773. However, in 1831 Tsar Mykola gave the monastery to Orthodox monks,
and expelled the Basilians. In 2001, the icon was temporarily moved
from Pochaev to The Cathedra of the Trinity (Saint Daniel's Monastery) in
Moscow.
More recently, Fr. William McNichols wrote a copy of the famous icon [see above].
This work was commissioned by the Archbishop of Anchorage, Alaska,
to be given as a gift to the Russian Orthodox
Monastery of Saint Sergius of Rodonezh Lavra in Magadan, Far East,
Russia. For more information on Fr. McNichols and his icons click into:
http://puffin.creighton.edu/jesuit/andre/ |
63. St. Domnio Possibly first bishop of
Salona and one of seventy-two disciples of Christ sent to Dalmatia, a region
in Croatia, by St. Peter
Salónæ, in Dalmátia,
sanctórum Mártyrum Domniónis Epíscopi, cum milítibus
octo.
At Salona
in Dalmatia, the holy martyrs Domnio, bishop, and eight soldiers.
Another version
of his life lists him martyred during the reign of coEmperor Diocletian
Domnio and Companions MM (RM)
According to an old legend, Saint Domnio was one of the 72 commissioned by
Jesus to preach. The story continues that Saint Peter sent him from Rome
to evangelize Dalmatia, where he was martyred as the first bishop of Salona.
A more likely version of the tale says that Domnio was martyred during the
persecution of Diocletian (Benedictines).
|
St. Antipas 68 Martyr and disciple of St.
John the Apostle who called Antipas "my faithful witness."
body untouched
by fire tomb was the site of many
miracles
Pérgami, in Asia, sancti Antípæ,
testis fidélis, cujus méminit sanctus Joánnes in Apocalypsi.
Ipse autem Antípas, sub Domitiáno Imperatóre, in bovem
æneum candéntem conjéctus, martyrium consummávit.
At Pergamum in Asia, the faithful witness, St. Antipas, who was mentioned
by St. John in the Apocalypse. Under Emperor Domitian, he was enclosed
in an ox made of brass that had been heated to redness, and thus completed
his martyrdom.
The Hieromartyr Antipas, a disciple
of the holy Apostle John the Theologian (September 26), was bishop of the
Church of Pergamum during the reign of the emperor Nero (54-68).
During these times, everyone who would not offer sacrifice to the idols lived
under threat of either exile or execution by order of the emperor. On the
island of Patmos (in the Aegean Sea) the holy Apostle John the Theologian
was imprisoned, he to whom the Lord revealed the future judgment of the world
and of Holy Church.
"And
to the angel of the Church of Pergamum write: the words of him who has the
sharp two-edged sword. I know where you live, where the throne of Satan is,
and you cleave unto My Name, and have not renounced My faith, even in those
days when Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where
Satan dwells" (Rev 2:12-13).
By his personal example, firm
faith and constant preaching about Christ, St Antipas began to turn the people
of Pergamum from offering sacrifice to idols. The pagan priests reproached
the bishop for leading the people away from their ancestral gods, and they
demanded that he stop preaching about Christ and offer sacrifice to the idols
instead.
St Antipas calmly answered that he was not about to serve the
demons that fled from him, a mere mortal. He said he worshiped the Lord Almighty,
and he would continue to worship the Creator of all, with His Only-Begotten
Son, and the Holy Spirit. The pagan priests retorted that their gods existed
from of old, whereas Christ was not from of old but was crucified under Pontius
Pilate as a criminal. The saint replied that the pagan gods were the work
of human hands and that everything said about them was filled with iniquities
and vices. He steadfastly confessed his faith in the Son of God, incarnate
of the Most Holy Virgin.
The enraged pagan priests dragged the Hieromartyr Antipas to the
temple of Artemis and threw him into a red-hot copper bull, where usually
they put the sacrifices to the idols. In the red-hot furnace the martyr prayed
loudly to God, imploring Him to receive his soul and to strengthen the faith
of the Christians. He went to the Lord peacefully, as if he were going to
sleep (+ ca. 68).
At night Christians took the body of the Hieromartyr Antipas,
which was untouched by the fire.hey buried him at Pergamum. The tomb of the
hieromartyr became a font of miracles and of healings from various sicknesses.
We pray to the Hieromartyr Antipas for relief from toothache, and diseases
of the teeth. |
67 Processus
and Martinian pagans guards at the Mamertine prison in Rome accepted
holy Baptism from Peter
The Holy Martyrs Processus and
Martinian were pagans and they served as guards at the Mamertine prison in
Rome. State criminals were held in this prison, among them some Christians.
Watching the Christian prisoners and listening to their preaching, Processus
and Martinian gradually came to the knowledge of the Savior. When the holy
Apostle Peter was locked up at the Mamertine prison, Processus and Martinian
came to believe in Christ. They accepted holy Baptism from the apostle and
released him from prison.
The jailer {torturer } Paulinus learned about this, and he demanded
that Sts Processus and Martinian renounce Christ. But they fearlessly confessed
Christ, and they spat at the golden statue of Jupiter. Paulinus ordered that
they be slapped on the face, and then seeing the resolute stance of the holy
martyrs, he subjected them to torture. The martyrs were beaten with iron
rods, scorched with fire, and finally, thrown into prison.
A certain illustrious and pious woman, by the name of Lucina,
visited them in prison and gave them help and encouragement. The torturer
Paulinus was soon punished by God. He fell blind and died three days later.
The son of Paulinus went to the city ruler demanding that the martyrs be
put to death. Sts Processus and Martinian were beheaded by the sword (+ ca.
67). Lucina buried the bodies of the martyrs. Today their tomb
is in the south transept of St Peter's Basilica in Rome.
|
Pope St.
Leo I (the Great) Sancti Leónis Papæ Primi, cognoménto
Magni, Confessóris et Ecclésiæ Doctóris, cujus
dies natális recólitur quarto Idus Novémbris.
St. Leo the First, pope and confessor, who was surnamed the
Great. His birthday falls on the 10th of November. (Reigned 440-61).
461 ST LEO THE GREAT, POPE AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH
THE sagacity of Leo I, his successful defence of the Catholic faith against
heresy, as well as his political intervention with Attila the Hun and Genseric
the Vandal, raised the prestige of the Holy See to unprecedented heights
and earned for him the title of “the Great”, a distinction accorded by posterity
to only two other popes, St Gregory I and St Nicholas I. The Church has honoured
St Leo by including him amongst her doctors on the strength of his masterly
expositions of Christian doctrine, many extracts from which are incorporated
in the Breviary lessons.
St Leo’s family was probably Tuscan, but he seems to have been born in Rome,
as he always speaks of it as his “patria”. Of his early years and of the
date of his ordination to the priesthood there are no records. It is clear
from his writings that he received a good education, although it did not
include Greek. We hear of him first as deacon under St Celestine I and then
under Sixtus III, occupying a position so important that St Cyril wrote directly
to him, and Cassian dedicated to him his treatise against Nestorius. Moreover,
in 440, when the quarrels between the two imperial generals, Aetius and Albinus,
threatened to leave Gaul at the mercy of the barbarians, Leo was sent to
make peace between them.
At the time of the death of Sixtus III he was still in Gaul, whither a deputation
was sent to announce to him his election to the chair of St Peter.
Immediately after his consecration on September 29, 440, he began to display
his exceptional powers as a pastor and ruler. Preaching was at that time
mainly confined to bishops, and he set about it systematically, instructing
the faithful of Rome whom he purposed to make a pattern for other churches.
In the ninety-six genuine sermons which have come down to us, we find him
laying stress on alms-giving and other social aspects of Christian life,
as well as expounding Catholic doctrines—especially that of the Incarnation.
Some idea of the extraordinary vigilance of the holy pontiff over the Church
and its necessities in every part of the empire can be gathered from the
143 letters written by him, and the 30 letters written to him, which have
fortunately been preserved. About the period that he was dealing with the
Manichaeans in Rome, he was writing to the Bishop of Aquileia advising him
how to deal with Pelagianism, which had made a reappearance in his diocese.
From Spain St Turibius, Bishop of Astorga, sent him a copy of a letter he
had circulated with reference to Priscillianism—~a sect which had made great
headway in Spain, some of the clergy being favourable to it. Its tenets seem
to have combined astrology with fatalism and with a Manichaean theory of
the evil of matter. In his reply the pope refuted the Priscillianist doctrines
at considerable length, and, after describing the measures he had taken against
the Manichaeans, advised the summoning of a council of bishops to combat
the heresy.
In the affairs of Gaul he was called upon several times to interfere: twice
he had occasion to quash the proceedings of St Hilary, Bishop of Arles, who
as metropolitan had exceeded his powers. Several letters are addressed to
Anastasius, Bishop of Thessalonica, confirming his vicariate over the bishops
of Illyricum; on one occasion recommending him to be more tactful and considerate,
and on another reminding him that bishops had a right to appeal to Rome,
“according to ancient tradition”. In 446 he wrote to the African church of
Mauretania, forbidding the appointment of laymen to the episcopate, and of
any man who had been twice married or who had married a widow, and dealing
with such a delicate matter as the treatment of consecrated virgins who had
been outraged by the barbarians. In a letter addressed to the bishops of
Sicily, in consequence of complaints from the clergy of Palermo and Taormina,
he lays down the axiom that church property may not be alienated by a bishop
without the consent of all his clergy.
In these and in all Leo’s pronouncements, couched in authoritative and almost
stern language, there is no personal note, no uncertainty: it is not the
man who seems to speak, but the successor of Peter. Therein lies the secret
of his greatness, that which gives unity to his career. Yet one little human
touch, though it be only a tradition, may not be deemed out of place, illustrating
as it does the extreme importance the saint attached to the selection of
suitable candidates for holy orders. In the Spiritual Meadow of John Moschus,
Amos, Patriarch of Jerusalem, is quoted as saying: “I have found it written
that the blessed Pope Leo, equal to the angels, watched and prayed forty
days at the tomb of St Peter, begging through the intercession of that apostle
to obtain of God the pardon of his sins. After that period St Peter, in a
vision, said to him: ‘Your sins are forgiven by God, except those committed
in conferring holy orders: of these you will still have to render a strict
account’.” St Leo prohibited the ordination of slaves or of men who had been
employed in unlawful or unseemly occupations, and caused the insertion into
the canon law of a special clause restricting elevation to the priesthood
to candidates of mature age who had been thoroughly tested and had laboured
in the service of the Church, giving evidence of submission to rule and love
of discipline.
But the holy man, as pontiff of the Universal Church, found himself called
upon to deal with difficulties in the East far greater than any which had
hitherto met him in the West. In the year 448, he received a letter from
a Constantinopolitan abbot, called Eutyches, complaining of a recrudescence
of the Nestorian heresy. St Leo replied in guarded terms, promising to make
inquiries. The next year came another communication from Eutyches, duplicates
of which were sent to the patriarchs of Alexandria and Jerusalem. In this
he protested against a sentence of excommunication which had been passed
upon him by St Flavian, Patriarch of Constantinople, at the instance of Eusebius
of Dorylaeum, and asked to be reinstated. The appeal was supported by a letter
from the Emperor Theodosius II. As no official notice of the proceedings
at Constantinople had reached Rome, Leo wrote to St Flavian, who sent a report
of the synod at which Eutyches had been sentenced. From this it was abundantly
clear that he had fallen into the error of denying the two natures of Christ—a
heresy the reverse of Nestorianism. A council was now summoned at Ephesus
by the Emperor Theodosius, ostensibly to inquire into the matter, but it
was packed with the friends of Eutyches, and presided over by one of his
strongest supporters, Dioscorus, Patriarch of Alexandria. This gathering,
nicknamed “The Robber Synod” acquitted Eutyches and condemned St Flavian,
who was moreover subjected to such physical violence that he died soon after.
The pope’s legates, on their refusal to subscribe to the unjust sentence,
were not allowed to read St Leo’s letter. As soon as the proceedings of the
synod became known to the pope, he declared their decisions null and void.
This he followed up by a letter of remonstrance to the emperor in which he
said: “Leave to the bishops the liberty of defending the faith: no worldly
power or terrors will ever succeed in destroying it. Protect the Church
and seek to preserve its peace that Christ in His turn may protect your empire”.
Two years later, under the Emperor Marcian, a general council was held at
Chalcedon. Six hundred bishops or more were present, and St Leo was represented
by his legates. In this assembly the memory of St Flavian was vindicated
and Dioscorus was declared excommunicated and deposed. On June 13, 449 St
Leo had written to St Flavian a doctrinal letter in which he had clearly
set out the Catholic faith with regard to the natures of our Lord, steering
clear of the errors of Nestorianism and Eutychianism. This pronouncement,
which has become famous as “The Dogmatic Letter” or “The Tome of St Leo”,
had been suppressed by Dioscorus, but was read by the legates to the Council
of Chalcedon. “Peter has spoken by Leo,” exclaimed the assembled bishops,
when they had heard this lucid explanation of the two-fold nature of Christ,
which has become for all subsequent ages the Church’s official teaching.
In the meantime serious political events had been happening in the West,
and were being met by St Leo with the same firmness and wisdom. Attila with
his Huns in 452 entered Italy, burning Aquileia and filling the country with
blood and desolation. After sacking Milan and razing Pavia, he set out with
his army to assault the capital. Panic seized the whole population: the general
Aetius did nothing. All eyes turned to Leo—the one strong man—and the emperor,
Valentinian III, and senate ordered him to negotiate with the enemy. Upheld
as usual by the sense of his sacred office, and without a moment’s hesitation,
he started out from the capital, accompanied by Avienus the consul, Trigetius
the governor of the city, and some of his priests, and came face to face with
the invaders on the site of the present town of Peschiera. The pope and his
clergy interviewed the dreaded foe and induced him to retire and to accept
an annual tribute instead of entering the holy city. Rome was freed for the
moment, but not for long. Three years later, the Vandal Genseric (Gaiseric)
appeared with an army before its walls, now almost defenceless. This time
St Leo’s intervention was not so successful, but he obtained from the barbarian
chief an undertaking to be satisfied with pillaging the city and to restrain
his troops from slaughter and incendiarism. The Vandals withdrew after fifteen
days, taking back to Africa many captives as well as immense booty.
St Leo immediately set about the task of repairing the damage and of finding
a remedy for the evils caused by the barbarians. He sent priests to minister
to the captives in Africa and alms to assist them. He also replaced, as far
as he could, the vessels and ornaments of the devastated churches. It was
characteristic of his trust in God that he was never discouraged, and that
he maintained an unruffled equanimity even in the most difficult moments.
In the twenty-one years of his pontificate he had won the love and veneration
of rich and poor, emperors and barbarians, clergy and lay folk alike. He
died on November 10, 461, and his relics are preserved in the Vatican basilica.
He is, however, commemorated on this day, which is that of one of the translations
of his remains which have since taken place. His Anglican biographer, Dr
Jalland, sums up Leo’s personal character under four aspects—“his indomitable
energy, his magnanimity, his consistency and his devotion to simple duty”.
His exposition of the true doctrine of the incarnation of the Son of God
was a “moment” of the highest importance in Christian history, and among
all his personal achievements, “there was none greater than the success with
which he vindicated the claim of the Roman see to a primacy in the sphere
of Doctrine”. This great pope was declared a doctor
of the Church, rather belatedly, in 1754.
Amongst the sermons
of St Leo which have been preserved is one which he preached on the festival
of St Peter and St Paul, not long after the retreat of Attila. He begins by
contrasting the fervour of the Romans at the moment of their deliverance
with their increasing forgetfulness, and reminds them of the ingratitude
of the nine lepers. “Therefore, my beloved”, he goes on to
say, “lest you incur the like reproach, return to the Saviour: remember the
marvels He has wrought amongst you. Beware of attributing your deliverance
to the stars, as some people impiously do, but refer it only to the boundless
mercy of God who softened the furious hearts of the barbarians. Your past
negligence must be atoned for by an expiation which exceeds the offence.
Let us use the respite accorded by our kind Master to work at amending our
lives, so that St Peter and all the saints who have succoured us in countless
afflictions may second the tender supplications which we address on your
behalf to the God of mercy through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Despite the
prominent part played by St Leo in the history of his times, we have nothing
in the nature of an early biography. The account given of him in the Liber Pontificalis amounts to very little. On a notice preserved
in the Greek Menaia see the Analecta Bollandiana,
vol. xxix (1910), pp. 400—408. A convenient summary of the saint’s
career and character is that of A. Régnier (1910) in the series “Lea
Saints”. For a fuller bibliography see the excellent article of Mgr Batiffol
in DTC., vol. ix, cc. 218—301. Naturally Pope Leo is accorded a conspicuous
place in such general works as Duchesne’s Historie ancienne de
l’Eglise (Eng. trans.), vol. iii Hefele-Leclercq, Conciles,
vol. ii; and Bardenhewer, Geschichte der altkirchlichhen
Literatur, vol. iv. Special attention must be called to C. H. Turner’s discussion of the dogmatic letters
of St Leo in the Miscellanea Ceriani (1910) and to the most
valuable Life and Times of St Leo the Great (1941),
by the Rev. T. G. Jalland, which contains a bibliography.
Place and date of birth unknown; died 10 November, 461. Leo's
pontificate, next to that of St. Gregory I, is the most significant and important
in Christian antiquity. At a time when the Church was experiencing the greatest
obstacles to her progress in consequence of the hastening disintegration
of the Western Empire, while the Orient was profoundly agitated over dogmatic
controversies, this great pope, with far-seeing sagacity and powerful hand,
guided the destiny of the Roman and Universal Church. According to the "Liber
Pontificalis" (ed. Mommsen, I, 101 sqq., ed. Duchesne, I, 238 sqq.), Leo
was a native of Tuscany and his father's name was Quintianus. Our earliest
certain historical information about Leo reveals him a deacon of the Roman
Church under Pope Celestine I (422-32). Even during this period he was known
outside of Rome, and had some relations with Gaul, since Cassianus in 430
or 431 wrote at Leo's suggestion his work "De Incarnatione Domini contra
Nestorium" (Migne, P.L., L, 9 sqq.), prefacing it with a letter of dedication
to Leo. About this time Cyril of Alexandria appealed to Rome against the
pretensions of Bishop Juvenal of Jerusalem. From an assertion of Leo's in
a letter of later date (ep. cxvi, ed. Ballerini, I, 1212; II, 1528), it is
not very clear whether Cyril wrote to him in the capacity of Roman deacon,
or to Pope Celestine. During the pontificate of Sixtus III (422-40), Leo
was sent to Gaul by Emperor Valentinian III to settle a dispute and bring
about a reconciliation between Aëtius, the chief military commander
of the province, and the chief magistrate, Albinus. This commission is a proof
of the great confidence placed in the clever and able deacon by the Imperial
Court. Sixtus III died on 19 August, 440, while Leo was in Gaul, and the
latter was chosen his successor. Returning to Rome, Leo was consecrated on
29 September of the same year, and governed the Roman Church for the next
twenty-one years.
In the Latin Church the feast day of the great pope is held
on 11 April, and in the Eastern Church on 18 February. |
180 St. Philip of Gortyna
Bishop of Gortyna, Crete. Little is known about him except for his authorship
of a now lost treatise against Marcionite Gnostics.
Philip of Gortyna B (RM)
Gortynæ, in Creta, sancti
Philíppi Epíscopi, vita et doctrína claríssimi,
qui, tempóribus Marci Antoníni Veri et Lúcii Aurélii
Cómmodi, Ecclésiam sibi créditam regens, a furóre
Gentílium et ab hæreticórum insídiis eándem
tutátus est.
At Gortina
in Crete, during the reign of Marcus Antoninus Verus and Lucius Aurelius
Commodus, St. Philip, bishop, well known for his life and his teaching.
He had defended the Church entrusted to his care against the fury of the
heathen and the snares of the heretics.
An early bishop of Gortyna, Crete,
Saint Philip authored a now-lost work against the Marcionite Gnostics (Benedictines).
|
300 Eustorgius a priest
of Nicomedia, Asia Minor M (RM)
Nicomedíæ sancti Eustórgii Presbyteri.
At Nicomedia, the priest St. Eustorgius.
Eustorgius, a priest of Nicomedia, Asia Minor, was probably
martyred under Diocletian (Benedictines). |
4th v. Saint Pharmuphios
lived at the same desert monastery where St John (March 29) lived in asceticism
within a well, to whom St Pharmuphios gave food.
Saint Pharmuphios lived during
the fourth century at the same desert monastery where St John (March 29)
lived in asceticism within a well, to whom St Pharmuphios gave food.
Saint John was a disciple of St Gregory the Decapolite (November
20). See April 18.
5th v. St. Machai Abbot
founder of a monastery on the isle of Bute in Ireland disciple of St. Patrick.
and leader of the evangelical mission there.
Machai of Bute, Abbot (AC) (also
known as Maccai) . Machai, a disciple of Saint Patrick, founded a monastery
on the isle of Bute (Benedictines, Husenbeth).
6th . St. Maedhog Irish abbot also called Aedhan or
Mogue ruled Clonmore Abbey Ireland associated with Sts. Oncho and Finan.
Maedhog- Aedhan, Abbot
(AC) (also known as Aedhan, Mogue)
The
Irish Abbot Saint Maedhog of Clonmore, was closely associated with SS. Onchu
and Finan (Benedictines).
Aid of Achad-Finglas
Abbot Saint Aid of Achard-Finglas, County Carlow, Ireland (AC)
may be identical with
Saint Aed Maedhog. He is the titular of a church, an abbey, and several chapels
(Benedictines, Husenbeth).
|
550 Isaac of Spoleto a Syrian
monk Hermit one of the restorers of eremitical life in 6th century
Italy (RM)
Spoléti sancti Isaac, Mónachi et Confessóris, cujus
virtútes sanctus Gregórius Papa commémorat.
At Spoleto, St. Isaac, monk and confessor, whose virtues
are recorded by Pope St. Gregory.
(also known as Isaac of Monteluco)
Saint Isaac was a Syrian monk who fled from the Monophysite persecution and
founded a laura at Monteluco, near Spoleto, Umbria, Italy. He
was one of the restorers of eremitical life in 6th century Italy (Benedictines).
550 ST ISAAC OF SPOLETO “A monk who wants earthly possessions is not a monk
at all”. The holy man was endowed with the gifts of prophecy and miracles.
THE ilex-covered slopes of Monte Luco, considered sacred since pagan times,
are honeycombed by caves which sheltered many a Christian solitary in the
early middle ages. One of the most famous of these recluses was St Isaac,
a man well known to St Gregory’s friend St Eleutherius, who furnished the
particulars about the hermit which are contained in the Dialogues.
Isaac was a Syrian, who left his native land in consequence of the monophysite
persecution to take up his residence in Italy. Upon his first arrival, in
Spoleto he entered a church, where he remained for three days and three nights,
absorbed in prayer. Mistrusting his motives, one of the custodians of the
building called him a hypocrite, struck him, and drove him from the church.
Retribution immediately overtook the man, for the Devil entered into him
and would not leave until St Isaac had stretched himself upon the body of
his assailant. “Isaac is driving me out!” exclaimed the evil spirit, thus
disclosing to the inhabitants of Spoleto the identity of the stranger. The
townsfolk, convinced that they had in their midst a very holy man, offered
him presents and would have built him a monastery, but he refused all gifts
and retired to a cave on Monte Luco. After several years spent in solitude,
he had a vision of our Lady in which she bade him train disciples. He then
became the director of a kind of laura, although he never founded a monastery.
Several times his followers asked him to sanction their acceptance of offerings
from the faithful, but he always replied, “A monk who wants earthly possessions
is not a monk at all”. The holy man was endowed with the gifts of prophecy
and miracles.
All that we
know of St Isaac is derived from the third book of the Dialogues
of St Gregory. See also the Acta Sanctorum, April,
vol. ii.
|
550 St. Barsanuphius
Hermit of Gaza in Israel Egyptian renowned for holiness and wisdom refusing
to speak communicating only in writing existing without food or water.
Apud Gazam in Palæstína,
sancti Barsanúphii Anachorétæ, sub Justiniáno
Imperatóre.
At Gaza in
Palestine, in the time of Emperor Justinian, St. Barsanuphius, an anchoret.
550 ST BARSANUPHIUS
THE Greeks held St Barsanuphius in so great honour that his eikon was placed
beside those of St Ephraem and St Antony in the church of the Holy Wisdom
at Constantinople. He was an Egyptian by birth, who lived in a cell adjoining
a monastery at Gaza in Palestine, in the time of the Emperor Justinian. He
communicated with no one except, by writing, so that the story got around
that he neither ate nor drank earthly food. Evagrius relates that Eustochius,
Patriarch of Jerusalem, doubting whether anyone could really be tending such
a life, caused the wall of the cell to be broken through, whereupon flames
burst out and consumed the unfortunate masons for their curiosity. A less
absurd version of this story says that Barsanuphius invited the doubters
into his cell and demonstrated the actuality of his existence by washing their
feet.
Whatever his own austerities, the anchorite’s written advice to others was
to eat, drink, sleep and clothe themselves sufficiently. He was particularly
resorted to by those who required assurance of the forgiveness of their sins,
a subject on which Barsanuphius had often to write.
We have to
depend on references in Evagrius (Eccl. Hist., iv, 33), the
Life of St Dositheus (February 23), and what can be gathered from the saint’s
“letters”, on which see two articles by S. Vailhé in
Échos d’Orient, vol. vii (1904), pp. 268 seq., and vol. viii (1905), pp. 14 seq. The
so-called “acts” of Barsanuphius are characterized by the Bollandists as
partly fabulous and partly doubtful (Acta Sanctorum, April,
vol. ii), while Fr Vailhé regards them as a tissue of fictions. In
MS. 5290, fond, latin, of the Bibliothèque Nationale,
Paris, is contained a fanciful and no doubt wholly fictitious account of
one Barsanorius, seemingly to be identified with the hermit referred to by
Evagrius. This text has been printed in the Catalogus Codicum
Hagiog. Paris, vol. i, pp. 525—535. The spiritual teaching of Barsanuphius
and of his friend John the Prophet is of considerable interest cf. the article s.v. “Barsanuphe” by Fr I.
Hausherr in the Dictionnaire de spiritualité, vol.
(1938) and Writings from the Phlokalia (1951),
pp. 341—381.
Hermit of Gaza, in Israel. An Egyptian, Barsanuphius maintained
his hermitage near a monastery in Gaza. He was renowned for his holiness and
wisdom, refusing to speak and communicating only in writing. He was famous
for existing without food or water. Barsanuphius maintained his hermitage
near a monastery in Gaza. He was renowned for his holiness and wisdom, refusing
to speak and communicating only in writing. He was famous for existing without
food or water.
Barsanuphius of Gaza, Hermit (RM) An Egyptian who for 50 years
lived in absolute seclusion for the love of God, near the monastery of Saint
Seridon of Gaza, Palestine, Saint Barsanuphius is greatly venerated by the
Greeks who keep his feast on February 6. He 'conversed' only through his
letters which have been preserved.
A village near Sipontum (current
Manfredonia) in southern Italy claims to possess his relics (Benedictines,
Encyclopedia).
Orthodoxe Kirche: 6. Februar
Barsanuphios und JohannesDie
beiden Mönche lebten im 6. Jahrhundert unter Kaiser Justinian (483-565)
in dem Kloster von Abba Serid nahe Gaza (Palästina). Barsanuphios wurde
in Ägypten geboren und ging schon als Jugendlicher in das Kloster, um
dort ein asketisches Leben zu führen. Er baute sich eine kleine Zelle
in der Nähe des Klosters und lebte hier einige Jahre. Dann bezog Barsanuphios
eine andere Zelle und sein Schüler Johannes lebte 18 Jahre in seiner
alten Zelle. Barsanuphios wurde von vielen Menschen um Rat und Hilfe angegangen,
er sprach aber nur mit Abba Serid, dem Abt des Klosters und Johannes und
ließ den Ratsuchenden seine Antworten schriftlich oder über Johannes
zugehen. Die Aufzeichnungen des Johannes wurden unter dem Titel "Antworten"
als Buch herausgegeben und fanden besonders im slawischen Raum weite Verbreitung.
Über Johannes ist weder
bekannt, woher er kam, noch, wann er geboren wurde und starb. Er hatte die
prophetische Gabe und sagte neben vielen anderen Ereignissen auch den Tod
von Abba Serid und seinen eigenen Tod voraus. Nachdem der Abt und Johannes
kurz nacheinander gestorben waren, soll Barsanuphios noch 50 Jahre in seiner
Zelle ohne jeden Kontakt zur Außenwelt gelebt haben. Einige Quellen
geben an, Barsanuphios sei 563 gestorben, nach anderen Quellen starb er vor
600.
|
680 Agericus of Tours
disciple of Saint Eligius abbot of Saint Martin's in Tours, France, and spent
himself entirely for his abbey OSB (PC)
(also known as Acry, Agery, Aguy, Airy)
Saint Agericus was a disciple of Saint Eligius, who became abbot of Saint
Martin's in Tours, France, and spent himself entirely for his abbey (Benedictines,
Encyclopedia). |
700 St. Godebertha establishing a convent in Noyon abbess miracle worker
who stopped a plague and a raging fire
Abbess who was received into
the religious life by St. Eligius, the bishop
of Noyon, France. Godebertha was from Amiens. After establishing a
convent in Noyon, she was made abbess. King Clotaire III built her convent.
Godebertha was a miracle worker who stopped a plague and a raging fire.
700 ST GODEBERTA, VIRGIN
WHEN the parents of St Godeberta considered that their daughter had reached
a marriageable age, they took her to court in order that a suitable match
might be arranged for her. That the maiden herself had a vocation for the
religious life did not enter into their calculations, but St Eligius, Bishop
of Noyon, who arrived during the deliberations and was perhaps in her confidence,
slipped off his ring and, giving it to Godeberta, announced that he was thus
affiancing her to our Lord Jesus Christ. She, greatly delighted, at once
begged the prelate to give her the veil and to become her spiritual director.
No serious opposition seems to have been made by her parents, who were no
doubt well satisfied when King Clotaire III announced his intention of bestowing
upon her his house of Noyon for a convent. Very soon there gathered round
her twelve maidens, who led a life of prayer and mortification which must
have contributed much to the Christian influences at work in a district which
had hitherto remained partially pagan. When a terrible plague had broken
out at Noyon, Godeberta urged the clergy to proclaim a three days’ fast and
general penance. Her suggestion was adopted and the scourge abated. This
was followed later on by
a great fire. Godeberta was ill at the time, but she caused herself to be
carried to the place where the flames were raging furiously and quenched
them— tradition says—by making the sign of the cross. During her life, the
saint had a great reputation as a wonder-worker, and ever since her death
she has been invoked in the diocese of Noyon against calamities of all sorts,
but especially against drought and epidemics.
There is a
Latin life of St Godeberta which has been printed in the Acta
Sanctorum, April, vol. ii; its authorship is ascribed to Radbod II, Bishop
of Noyon. See also Laffineur, Vie de Ste Godeberthe (1856)
and Corblet, Hagiographie d’Amiens (1870), vol. ii, pp. 550—569.
Godeberta of Noyon, Abbess V
(AC) (also known as Godebertha) Born in the diocese of Amiens, France. Godeberta
received the veil from Saint Eligius, bishop of Noyon, who also composed
a rule for the convent of which she was the first abbess. It is said that
she was a discrete advisor of Saint Eligius (Benedictines, Encyclopedia).
|
714
Guthlac of Croyland, OSB Hermit imitate the rigors of the old desert fathers
"Those who choose to live apart from other humans become the friends of wild
animals; and the angels visit them, too- -for those who are often visited
by men and women are rarely visited by angels." prophet visions incorrupt
(AC)
714 ST GUTHLAC God gave the recluse great spiritual consolations, besides
bestowing upon him the gifts of prophecy and miracles. “Have you not read
that he who elects to be unknown of men becomes known of wild creatures and
is visited by angels? For he who is frequented by men cannot be frequented
by the holy angels.”
THE great Norman abbey of Croyland or Crowland, the ruins of which are still
standing, replaced more than one earlier monastery on the site sanctified
by the life and death of the holy hermit St Guthlac. Whilst it was the monks
who reclaimed the swamp, joining the island to the mainland and rendering
it arable and fertile, it was in the name of the recluse, their patron, that
they obtained from the council of the realm permission to make of Croyland
a sanctuary of refuge where fugitives could be secure from their pursuers.
St Guthlac, who was of noble race, joined the army of Ethelred of Mercia
as a fighting man when he was very young. At the age of twenty-four, however,
he laid down his arms to enter the double monastery of Repton, at that time
under the rule of the abbess Elfrida. The handsome young novice, though amiable
and courteous to all, was at first unpopular owing to his austerity and especially
to his total abstinence from any intoxicating drink, but as soon as his brethren
came to know him better they appreciated his sincerity and goodness. For
two years he remained at Repton, acquiring monastic discipline and studying
the Scriptures, and then he was seized with the desire to take up the life
of a hermit. He was told of a dismal island in the Fens, described as being
so dank and so haunted by monsters and evil spirits that no one had hitherto
been able to live in it. He persuaded his informant to take him there in
a fishing boat, and decided that it was the place he sought. He returned
with two or three companions to Croyland, where he was to end his days.
With certain modifications necessitated by the difference in place and climate
his life reproduced that of the fathers of the desert, and in addition to
severe interior trials he experienced violent temptations, not unlike those
which St Athanasius describes of St Antony. Moreover, he was savagely attacked
by wild beings whom he regarded as monsters, but who seem to have been the
descendants of Britons who had fled into the Fens to avoid their Saxon conquerors.
On the other hand God gave the recluse great spiritual consolations, besides
bestowing upon him the gifts of prophecy and miracles. St Hedda, Bishop of
Dorchester, conferred holy orders upon him when he had been six years on
the island. In his solitude St Guthlac possessed a great attraction for wild
nature: the fish in the marshes would swim towards him at his call, and he
was constantly surrounded by birds, who flocked into his cell, ate from his
hands, and built their nests in the places he selected. When the crows robbed
him of some of his few possessions, he bore with their depredations, “deeming
that an example of patience ought to be set not only to men but also to birds
and beasts”. One day, as he was talking with a man called Wilfrid, two swallows
alighted on his shoulders and then perched on his arms and knees, chattering
all the time as though quite at home. In reply to Wilfrid’s exclamations
of surprise St Guthlac said, “Have you not read that he who elects to be
unknown of men becomes known of wild creatures and is visited by angels?
For he who is frequented by men cannot be frequented by the holy angels.”
When the saint had been living as a hermit for a period variously computed
as fifteen and twenty-one years, God revealed to him the date of his death,
which was very near. It also became known in some way to Edburga, abbess
of Repton, for she sent him a leaden coffin and a shroud. On the Wednesday
in Holy Week 714, he sent word to his sister St Pega, inviting her to come
to his funeral. Although she had been living as an anchoress at Peakirk (Pegkirk),
close to Croyland, her brother had always refrained from seeing her, deeming
it desirable that they should not meet in this world that they might meet
with greater joy in the next. On the seventh day of his illness, after taking
viaticum from his altar, he passed to his eternal reward. His burial was
attended by St Pega and by his disciples, Cissa, Egbert, Bettelin and Tatwin,
who occupied cells not far from that of their master. St Guthlac’s tomb became
a great place of pilgrimage, especially after Ceolnoth, Archbishop of Canterbury,
had been cured of ague through the intercession of Guthlac in the year 851.
There is a
trustworthy life of St Guthlac written in the eighth century by Felix which
is printed both by Mabillon, Acta Sanctorum
O.S.E. (vol. iii, part 1, pp. 264—284) and by the Bollandists. Though little
fresh information is obtainable from any other source, there are two Anglo-Saxon
poems of contemporary date which have been attributed to Cynewulf (on which
see the Cambridge History of English Literature,
vol. i, p. 58, etc.), which are of great literary interest. Other
lives, such as that by Peter of Blois, have no historical value. See also
W. de Gray Birch, Memorials of St Guthlac of Crowland (1881)
and his edition of Felix’s vita; DNB., vol. xxiii, p. 373
and DCB., vol. ii, pp. 823—826. From the frequent occurrence of the name
of St Guthlac in English calendars it is plain that there was a very general
popular cultus. A new edition of the Felix vita, by B. Colgrave,
is announced.
Born in Mercia, c. 673; died at Crowland, Lincolnshire, England,
in 714; feast day formerly on April 12; feast of his translation is August
30 and there is a commemoration on August 26.
As a young man of royal blood from the tribe of Guthlacingas,
Guthlac had been a soldier for nine years, fighting for Ethelred, the King
of Mercia. At age 24, he renounced both violence and the life of the world
and became a monk in an Benedictine double abbey at Repton, which was ruled
by an abbess named Elfrida.
Even in these early years his discipline was extraordinary. Some
of the monks in fact disliked him because he refused all wine and cheering
drink. But he lived down the criticism and gained the respect of his brothers.
After two years in the monastery it seemed to him far too agreeable a place.
On the feast of Saint Bartholomew about 701, he found a wet, remote, unloved
spot on the River Welland in the Fens, which could be reached only by boat,
and lived there for the rest of his life as a hermit, seeking to imitate
the rigors of the old desert fathers.
His temptations rivalled theirs. Wild men came out of the forest
and beat him. Even the ravens stole his few possessions. But Guthlac was patient,
even with wild creatures. Bit by bit the animals and birds came to trust
him as their friend. A holy man named Wilfrid once visited Guthlac and was
astonished when two swallows landed on his shoulders and then hopped all
over him. Guthlac told him, "Those who choose to live apart from other humans
become the friends of wild animals; and the angels visit them, too- -for
those who are often visited by men and women are rarely visited by angels."
Apparently, Guthlac was also had a vision of Saint Bartholomew, his patron. Nor was
he entirely alone in his refuge: He had several disciples, Saints Cissa,
Bettelin, Egbert, and Tatwin, who had cells nearby. Bishop Hedda of Dorchester
ordained him to the priesthood during a visit. The exiled prince Ethelbald,
often came to him for advice, learned from Guthlac that he would wear the
crown of the Mercians.
When he was dying, Guthlac sent for his sister, Saint Pega, who was a hermitess in the
same neighborhood (Peakirk or Pega's church). Abbess Edburga of Repton sent
him a shroud and a leaden coffin. A year after his death, Guthlac's body
was exhumed and found to be incorrupt. Soon his shrine, to which his sister
had donated his Psalter and scourge, began popular. When both King Wiglaf
of Mercia (827-840) and Archbishop Ceolnoth of Canterbury (who was cured
by Guthlac of the ague in 851) became devotees, Guthlac's cultus grew and
spread.
A monastery was established on the site of Saint Guthlac's hermitage,
which developed into the great abbey of Crowland, to which his relics were
translated in 1136. There was another translation in 1196.
Guthlac's vita was recorded
in Latin by his near contemporary Felix. Several others were composed in
Old English verse and prose.
Together with Saint Cuthbert, Guthlac was one of England's most
popular pre-Conquest hermit saints (Attwater, Benedictines, Bentley, Farmer,
Gill, Husenbeth).
In art, Saint Guthlac is depicted
holding a scourge in his hand and a serpent at his feet. At times he may
be shown (1) receiving the scourge from Saint Bartholomew; (2) being ordained
priest by Saint Hedda of Winchester; or (3) with devils molesting and angels
consoling him (Roeder). A magnificent pictorial record of his life survives
in the late 12th-century Harleian Roll Y.6 at the British Museum, which is
usually called the Guthlac Roll. This is a series of eighteen roundels, cartoons
for stained glass windows, based on Felix's vita and the pseudo-Ingulph's
history of Crowland.
Crowland also has several 13th-century sculptures of his life.
Abbot Henry of Crowland's 13th-century seal depicts Guthlac receiving
a scourge from Saint Bartholomew for fending off diabolical attacks (Farmer).
He is venerated in Lincolnshire (Roeder). |
1079
St. Stanislaus ordained at Szczepanow near Cracow noted for preaching
sought after spiritual adviser martyred by cruel King
Stanislaus was born of noble parents on July 26th at Szczepanow
near Cracow, Poland. He was educated at Gnesen and was ordained there. He
was given a canonry by Bishop Lampert Zula of Cracow, who made him his preacher,
and soon he became noted for his preaching. He became a much sought after
spiritual adviser. He was successful in his reforming efforts, and in 1072
was named Bishop of Cracow. He incurred the enmity of King Boleslaus the
Bold when he denounced the King's cruelties and injustices and especially
his kidnapping of the beautiful wife of a nobleman. When Stanislaus excommunicated
the King and stopped services at the Cathedral when Boleslaus entered, Boleslaus
himself killed Stanislaus while the Bishop was saying Mass in a chapel outside
the city on April 11.
Stanislaus has long been the
symbol of Polish nationhood. He was canonized by Pope Innocent IV in 1253 and is the principle
patron of Cracow.
Stanislaus Szczepanowsky BM
(RM) (also known as Stanislaus of Cracow) Born at Szczepanow, Poland,
on July 26, 1030; died at Cracow, Poland, on April 11, 1079; canonized by
Pope Innocent IV in 1253; feast day formerly on May 7. Stanislaus was
born to noble parents who had been childless and prayed for a child. They
raised him religiously, encouraging him in his devotion to God. He was educated
at Gnesen and Paris, and was ordained a priest by Bishop Lampert Zula of Cracow.
He was given a canonry in the cathedral and was later appointed preacher
and archdeacon by the bishop.
His expressive preaching and
good example brought about a spiritual revival among his congregation, and
he was sought out by clergy and laymen for his spiritual advice. He was generous
to the poor and was successful in bringing about religious reforms. The bishop
wished to resign his office to Stanislaus, but Stanislaus convinced him not
to. When the bishop died, however, Stanislaus was chosen to succeed him; after
Pope Alexander II endorsed the choice, he was consecrated in 1072. He was
a tireless preacher, zealous reformer, and generous benefactor to the poor.
At that time Poland was governed
by Boleslaus II--"King Boleslav the Cruel"--whose virtues were eclipsed by
his unbridled lust and savage cruelty. The story commonly told is that Stanislaus
chastised King Boleslaus for his disordered private behavior. At first the
king did what many of us do--he tried to justify his actions, but the saint
pressed the ruler until he was temporarily brought to repentance. But his
good intentions did not last long, and he had the beautiful wife of one of
his noblemen kidnapped and taken to his palace. Stanislaus was the only one
of the clergy or offended nobility brave enough to confront Boleslaus, whom
he reprimanded for his action. Finding this to be in vain, he excommunicated
the king, and the king feigned nonchalance.
When Boleslaus entered the cathedral
of Cracow, Stanislaus halted the services. Enraged, Boleslaus followed him
to the chapel of Saint Michael outside the city and ordered his guards to
kill him. The men returned and said that they could not kill him because
he was surrounded by a divine light. Upbraiding his men for their cowardice,
the king himself entered the chapel and killed Stanislaus as he was celebrating
the Mass. The guards cut the body up and scattered it to be eaten by wild
animals. Three days later his remains were collected by cathedral canons
and buried at the door of the chapel.
It is probable that the murder
was motivated by politics--some historians hold that Stanislaus was conspiring
to dethrone Boleslaus--but the available evidence is variously interpreted
by historians. Boleslaus's action, however, did speed his fall from power.
Pope Saint Gregory VII placed Poland under an interdict and Boleslaus fled
the country, dying as a fugitive in Hungary (Attwater, Benedictines, Delaney,
Farmer, Walsh, White).
Stanislaus, the symbol of Polish
nationhood, is the patron saint of Poland and Cracow. He is depicted in art
being hacked to pieces at the foot of an altar (Roeder, White). He is invoked
by soldiers in battle (Roeder), and is the patron of Poland. His cultus extends
also to Lithuania, Byelorussia, and the Ukraine (Farmer).
|
1138
Blessed Waltmann of Cambrai accompanied Saint Norbert to Cambrai to preach
against heresy O. Praem., Abbot (AC)
1138 BD WALTMAN, ABBOT
TOWARDS the close of the first quarter of the twelfth century a layman called
Tanchelm originated a new sect in Antwerp, which gained a considerable following.
Its adherents held that bishops and priests were unnecessary and denied the
efficacy of the sacraments, whilst permitting themselves great relaxation
of morals. The archbishop of Cambrai, in whose diocese Antwerp then lay,
greatly perturbed at the progress of the heresy, persuaded the canons of
St Michael’s in the city to enlist the help of St Norbert to combat the evil.
In response to the invitation, the great Premonstratensian founder duly arrived
with two of his disciples, Evermod and a learned and pious canon of the name
of Waltman. Thanks to the zeal and preaching of these three, the people were
soon won back to the faith, the sect lost its hold, and Tanchelm had to beat
an ignominious retreat. As a token of their gratitude the secular canons
presented St Michael’s to St Norbert, they themselves retiring to Notre-Dame,
now the cathedral. Waltman became abbot of the newly-formed Premonstratensian
establishment.
No independent
account of the activities of Bd Waltman seems to have come down to us from
early times, but we hear of him in the Life of St Norbert (see the Acta Sanctorum, June, vol. i) and in the notices which chroniclers
have devoted to the heresy of Tanchelm. Cf. I. van Spillbeeck, Vie de saint Norbert; tableaux Historiques du XIIe siècle
(1898), and C. J. Kirkfleet, History of St Norbert
(1916).
Waltmann accompanied Saint Norbert to Cambrai to preach against
heresy. He remained there as abbot of Saint Michael's of Anvers, which he
directed with great vigor (Benedictines, Encyclopedia). |
1146 The Departure
of holy father Anba Michael, the Seventy First Pope of the See of St. Mark.
{Coptic church}
On this day also of the year
862 A.M. (March 29th. 1146 A.D.) the holy father Pope Michael, the seventy
first Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, departed. He longed to the pure life
since his young age so he became a monk in the monastery of St. Macarius.
He lived in the desert until he was an old man, in a good pleasing life to
God.
When Pope Gabriel (70) departed,
the bishops, the priests and the lay leaders spent three month searching
for who was best suited to succeed him. A monk from the monastery of St.
Macarius, called Yoannis Ebn Kedran, came forward nominating himself supported
in that by Anba Yacoub, bishop of Lekanah, Anba Christodolus, bishop of Fowa,
and Anba Michael, bishop of Tanta.
Nevertheless, the bishops of
Upper Egypt, the priests of Alexandria and the lay leaders of Cairo did not
accept that choice. Finally they all agreed to choose three of the monks
and those were: Yoannis Abu El-Fatah, Michael of St. Macarius monastery,
and Soliman El-Dekhiary of El-Baramous monastery. They cast a lot among them,
and the lot fell on the monk Michael, and they ordained him a Patriarch on
the 5th of Mesra, 861 A.M. (July 29th, year 1145 A.D.). He was an honorable
old man loving for the poor and the needy. He took for himself a scribe to
write his sermons and teachings that he sent to the bishops and priests.
When he fell sick, he went to the monastery of St. Macarius, where he departed
in peace, after he stayed on the Chair for eight month. May his prayers be
with us and glory be to God forever.
|
1209
Blesseds Stephen abbot & Hilderbrand one of his monks, were killed
by the Albigenses at Saint-Gilles, Languedoc OSB Cist. MM (PC)
Stephen, a Cistercian abbot,
and Hilderbrand, one of his monks, were killed by the Albigenses at Saint-Gilles,
Languedoc, where they are venerated through a popular cultus (Benedictines).
|
1237 Blessed Raynerius
Inclusus, Hermit (i.e., 'shut up') lived as a hermit in a cell near the cathedral
of Osnabrück heavy chains next to his skin (AC)
1237 BD RAINERIUS INCLUSUS
ADJOINING the cathedral of Osnabruck in the early part of the thirteenth
century was a hermit’s cell, with a squint which commanded a view of the
altar inside the church. Shut up (inclusus) for twenty-two years in the narrow
enclosure lived a recluse called Rainerius (in English, Rayner) who, by his
extraordinary austerities even more than by the few words he allowed himself
to utter, recalled many a sinner and worldly man to repentance and newness
of life. Although he had lived blamelessly from childhood, Rainerius used
every device he could imagine to chastise and mortify his flesh. On his naked
body he wore a shift of chain-mail and hair, concealed by a coarse habit,
and he scourged himself regularly until the blood ran. When asked why he
thus tortured his body, he would reply, “As our Lord Jesus Christ suffered
in all His limbs for me, so do I wish, out of love for Him, to suffer in
all my members”. On Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays he fasted on bread and
vegetables, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays on bread and beer, while
on Fridays he took only bread and water. He daily recited the psalter and
so many other prayers for the living and the dead that sometimes he had not
time enough to eat. He observed absolute silence except on feast-days, when
he spoke a little but only for edification, usually keeping a stone in his
mouth lest he might be tempted to vain words; his requirements were made
known by nods and signs. Bd Rainerius is said to have died in 1237.
Raynerius Inclusus (i.e., 'shut up') lived as a hermit in a cell near the
cathedral of Osnabrück. He spent 22 years in his cell wearing a coat
of mail and heavy chains next to his skin (Benedictines).
|
1303 Blessed John of Cupramontana
cave of Cupramonatan on Mount Massaccio for many years as a Camaldolese monk-hermit
OSB Cam. (AC)
John lived in the cave of Cupramonatan on Mount Massaccio
for many years as a Camaldolese monk-hermit (Benedictines). |
XIV v. The Monk Jakov
of Bryleevsk was a disciple of the Monk Jakov of Zheleznoborovsk founded
the Bryleevsk wilderness-monastery
(Comm. 11 April) and was a "trudnik"
at his monastery (the word "trudnik" has two meanings: "truzhenik"-"toiler"
and "posluzhnik"-"obedient"). He later founded the Bryleevsk wilderness-monastery
in honour of the Entry into the Temple of the MostHoly Mother of God at a
distance of 5 versts from the Zheleznoborovsk ForeRunner monastery, off in
the direction of the city of Bua.
The Monk Jakov died during the
XV Century and was buried in the Entry into the Temple church. His memory
is marked likewise on the Day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the
Apostles (i.e. Pentecost).
|
XVI v. The Monk Evphymii
{Euphymius} and his disciple the Monk Khariton example to the brethren in
prayer, and in the works of construction and supervision
They asceticised at the River
Syanzhema during the close of the XV to the beginning XVI Centuries. The
Monk Evphymii came to the Spasokamensk monastery from the Volokolamsk outskirts.
For a long time he continued as a novice-obedient at the monastery, but later
he settled on the eastern shore of Lake Kuben near the mouth of the River
Kushta. Amidst the impenetrable swamps and dense woods there, the saint built
himself a small cell, wherein he asceticised in total solitude. After a certain
while there came to him the Monk Alexander
of Kushtsk (+ 1439, Comm. 9 June), who also had set out from the Spasokamensk
monastery and at first settled at the River Syanzhema. The Monk Alexander
besought the Monk Evphymii to switch cells with him, since he was seeking
a place of complete quiet.
Transferring himself over to the River Syanzhema, the Monk Evphymii
did not refuse the local people his spiritual counsel and guidance. And there
too the Monk Khariton came to him.
The Monk Evphymii built a church
in honour of the Ascension of Christ and made next it a monastery. At Rostov,
under Sainted Archbishop Dionysii (1418-1425),
he received the permission to build, and evidently, he also received there
the priestly dignity and was made hegumen of the monastery started by him.
Both monks were an example to
the brethren in prayer, and in the works of construction and supervision.
They made do with such food and clothing, as even the brethren reckoned worthless.
In temple the Monk Evphymii stood in fear and trembling, and the brethren
often saw upon his face tears of tenderness. Working at hand-crafts, the
monk always sang psalms. The Monk Evphymii died in about the year 1465, though
the actual day of his death is unknown.
His successor as hegumen was
his beloved disciple -- the Monk Khariton. For more than 40 years he continued
the work at the monastery, and he died in old age on 11 April 1509. Both
monks were buried at the Ascension church. The memory of the Monk Evphymii
is celebrated also on 20 January, and that of the Monk Khariton on 28 September,
on the days of their saints-names in common.
|
1442
Saint James of Zhelezny Bor sanctity prophet many years of common ascetical
efforts monks entreated St James to be their igumen ordained a priest
Son of the noble Anosov (or
Amosov) line, which had their lands at Kostroma Galich, was born in the second
half of the fourteenth century.
As a youth he went to St Sergiua
of Radonezh, received monastic tonsure from him, and lived at the Trinity
monastery for several years.
In 1392 St James settled in
a dense forest near iron mines, at a place which was called the Iron Pines,
at the banks of the rivulet Tebza. His sanctity of life was already known
in his own time. In 1415 the wife of Great Prince Basil (1389-1425), Sophia
(in monasticism Syncletica, + 1453) fell seriously ill before childbirth.
The Great Prince sent a message to St James begging the monk to pray for
his wife, and asking whether she would live. The saint told him to pray to
the holy Martyr Longinus and foretold
the happy birth of a son, Basil.
(In 1450, this son, Great Prince Basil (1425-1462), visited the
monastery of St James and prayed there with gratitude for his victory over
Prince Demetrius Shemyaka).
The grateful Prince Basil generously
rewarded St James and gave him money to build a monastery with a church in
honor of the holy Prophet John the Forerunner. In 1429, the Khazan Tatars
laid waste the surroundings of Galich. St James hid deep in the forest with
his disciples. When they returned, they found the monastery in ruins. Everything
had to be rebuilt. The saint built a church dedicated to St Nicholas, and he dug out ponds with
the brethren. On the example of the Trinity-Sergiev monastery a strict cenobitic
rule was introduced. Many of the hungry and destitute people, devastated
by the Tatars, were fed at the monastery.
After many years of common ascetical
efforts, the monks entreated St James to be their igumen. He humbly submitted
to their request and journeyed to Moscow, where he was ordained a priest.
St James died on April 11, 1442
and was buried at the John the Forerunner
church of the monastery he founded.
|
1576 Sainted Varsonophii
bishop of Tver died at the Transfiguration monastery founded by him in the
city of Kazan in the year 1576
Born in the year 1495. In 1567 he was ordained bishop of Tver. He died
at the Transfiguration monastery founded by him in the city of Kazan in the
year 1576. © 1999 by translator Fr S Janos |
1576 Saint Barsanuphius
of Tver captured by the Crimean Tatars After 3years John's father ransomed
him became a monk proficient in virtue and piety
Born in the year 1495, and was
from Serpukhov. He was named John in Baptism, and he was taught to read and
write. While still a youth, he was captured by the Crimean Tatars. Accepting
this as the Lord's will, he meekly submitted to his masters, and dutifully
accomplished the work they assigned him to do. After three years, John's
father ransomed him. He then went to Moscow and became a monk in the Andronikov Monastery, where he received
the monastic name Barsanuphius. Devoting himself to the ascetical life,
he became proficient in virtue and piety.
In 1544, he was appointed as igumen of the Pesnosha Monastery.
Later, he went to Kazan and founded a monastery dedicated to the Transfiguration
of the Lord.
While in Kazan, Archimandrite
Barsanuphius was able to help St Gurias
(December 5) in spreading Christianity among the Moslems and pagans. His
knowledge of the Tatar language proved to be very useful in this work.
In 1567, St Barsanuphius was
consecrated Bishop of Tver. He healed many sick people with his knowledge
of medicine, but he also healed those suffering from infirmities of the soul.
When the God-pleaser reached
old age, he returned to Kazan and to the Transfiguration Monastery which
he founded. There he received the Great Schema, and he died at the monastery
in 1576.
The holy relics of Sts Gurias
and Barsanuphius were uncovered on October 4, 1596. They were placed in shrines
in a side chapel of the church at the orders of Patriarch Job. On June 20,
1630 their grace-filled relics were transferred from the Transfiguration
Monastery to the Cathedral of the Annunciation
|
1608 Blessed George Gervase
adventurous career with Francis Drake in the West Indies ordained to the
priesthood and died for his priesthood OSB M (AC)
1608 BD GEORGE GERVASE, MARTYR
GEORGE GERVASE (Jervis) was born in 1569 at the port of Bosham in Sussex,
in the register of whose famous parish church the entry of his christening
may still be read. He was apparently brought up a Protestant, or else left
the Church for a time, though his mother belonged to the, well-known Catholic
family of Shelley that gave Bd Edward Shelley to the Church. Challoner relates
that at the age of twelve George was kidnapped by pirates and carried off
to the West Indies for the next twelve years of his life. What really happened
was that, when he was twenty-six, he was with Sir Francis Drake’s last and
disastrous expedition to the Indies, which left Plymouth in 1595 and for
which George may well have been “ pressed” as he seems to have gone against
his will. On his return he served for nearly two years in Flanders, with
the Spanish army this time, and apparently it was not till the beginning
of 1599 that he “enrolled himself in a better kind of service and became
a soldier of Christ in the English College of Douay.”
Mr Gervase was ordained priest at Cambrai in 1603 and in the following year
was sent on the mission. He ministered in various parts of the country for
two years, till he was arrested at Haggerston; his examination by the dean
of Durham is still extant, and valuable for Gervase’s own testimony about
himself. Then he was imprisoned in London, till July 1606 when, with other
priests, including several future martyrs, he was banished the realm. George
Gervase then made a pilgrimage to Rome, and it is likely that there he determined
to offer himself to the English Benedictines; for in the same year, 1607,
between returning to Douay in July and again setting out for the mission
in September, he was duly clothed a monk by the prior general, Dom Augustine
Bradshaw. On account of the opposition of the English College to the Benedictines,
this was done without the knowledge of the college authorities.
Father George had been back in England only two months when he was taken
up and committed to the Gatehouse prison at Westminster. At his trial at
the Old Bailey he refused the oath of allegiance, tendered in the form which
had been condemned by the Holy See, while protesting his loyalty to the Crown;
and when pressed for his opinion on the pope’s deposing power, replied, “I
say that the pope can depose kings and emperors when they deserve it”. He
also admitted that he was a priest, and so was condemned to death without
more ado.
His confessor, Robert Chamberlain, records that as the rope was put round
his neck Father George stretched out his arms and looked upward, standing
like a monastic novice at his profession, singing the Suscipe. And so, “flinging
out his hands like the wings of a bird”, he met his passion.
Bd George Gervase, the protomartyr of St Gregory’s, Douay (now St. Gregory’s,
Downside), suffered on April ii, 1608. It was noted that at the same day
and hour a fire consumed much of the town of Bury St Edmunds, where the martyr
had spent much of his youth.
Camm gives
a full account in Nine Martyr Monks (1931), drawing on Pollen’s
Acts of the English Martyrs, letters in the Westminster Archives, vol. ix, the Middlesex County
Records, vol. ii, an Italian account of the trial and execution in the
Record Office, a letter of the Spanish ambassador, Don Pedro de Zuniga, in
the Vatican Library, and other sources. The last-named library has a manuscript
account of the martyr written from the persecutors’ point of view: Camm gives
a translation of this.
Born in Bosham, Sussex, England; died at Tyburn, England, in 1608;
beatified in 1929. In his youth, George had an adventurous career with Francis
Drake in the West Indies. Later he was educated for the priesthood and entered
the Benedictines at Douai. In 1603 George was ordained to the priesthood
and sent to the English mission, where he was condemned and died for his
priesthood (Benedictines). |
1771
St. Mary Margaret d'Youville
Foundress of the Sisters of Charity directress of Montreal’s General Hospital,
operated by her community
Grey Nuns of Canada. She was
born at Varennes, Quebec, and was baptized Marie Marguerite Dufrost de Ia
Jemmerais. After being educated by the Ursulines, she was married to Francois
d’Youville in 1722, becoming a widow eight years later. Mary Margaret worked
to support herself and her children, aiding the Confraternity of the Holy
Family as well. In 1737, she founded the Sisters of Charity, the Grey Nuns,
with three companions. A formal declaration took place in 1745, and two years
later she became directress of Montreal’s General Hospital, operated by her
community. The Grey Nuns expanded to the United States, Africa, and South
America. Mary Margaret died in Montreal on December 23. She was canonized
by Pope John Paul II in 1990.
|
1845 holy monastic Fathers
Saints Theocharis and Apostolos are local saints of Arta On Bright Wednesday
we commemorate them
who have shone forth on the
God-trodden Mt Sinai. This commemoration was established by the Church of
Russia on April 17, 1997.
Saints Theocharis and Apostolos
are local saints of Arta. The first fell asleep in 1845 and the second a
little later. St Theocharis was a teacher at Komboti, Arta.
The icons of these saints are in the church of Holy Wisdom (Hagia
Sophia) in Arta.
The Kasperov Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also
commemorated today.
Tradition says that this holy
icon had been brought to Cherson from Transylvania by a Serb at the end of
the sixteenth century. Passing down from parent and child, the icon had come
to a certain Mrs. Kasperova of Cherson in 1809. One night in February of
1840 she was praying, seeking consolation in her many sorrows. Looking at
the icon of the Virgin, she noticed that the features of the icon, darkened
by age, had suddenly become bright. Soon the icon was glorified by many miracles,
and people regarded it as wonder-working.
During the Crimean War (1853-1856),
the icon was carried in procession through the city of Odessa, which was
besieged by enemy forces. On Great and Holy Friday, the city was spared.
Since that time, an Akathist has been served before the icon in the Dormition
Cathedral of Odessa every Friday.
The icon is painted with oils
on a canvas mounted on wood. The Mother of God holds Her Son on her left
arm. The Child is holding a scroll. St John the Baptist (Janurary 7) is depicted
on one side of the icon, and St Tatiana (January 12) on the other. These
were probably the patron saints of the original owners of the icon. The Kasperov
Icon is commemorated on October 1, June 29, and Bright Wednesday.
|
1878 George Augustus
Selwyn studierte in Cambridge und wurde 1833 zum Diakon und 1834 zum Priester
geweiht 1841 wurde er zum ersten Bischof Neuseelands ernannt
Anglikanische Kirche: 11. April
George Augustus Selwyn wurde
am 5.4.1809 in Middlesex geboren. Er studierte in Cambridge und wurde 1833
zum Diakon und 1834 zum Priester geweiht. 1841 wurde er zum ersten Bischof
Neuseelands ernannt. Auf der langen Seereise nach Neuseeland erlernte er
die Sprache der Maori und konnte bei seiner Ankunft in der Landessprache
predigen. Er gründete Kirchen in Neuseeland ebenso wie in Melanesien
(Aufgrund eines Irrtums der Verwaltung in der Ernennungsurkunde umfaßte
seine Diözese die Gebiete bis zum 34. nördlichen Breitengrad -
sie sollte aber nur bis zum 34. südlichen Breitengrad reichen). In dem
zehn Jahre andauernden Krieg zwischen Maoris und europäischen Einwanderern
versuchte Selwyn zu vermitteln. Auf der ersten Generalsynode der Kirche von
Neuseeland 1859 konnte er eine Verfassung durchsetzen, die den Maori-Christen
die volle Teilhabe in der Kirche sicherte. 1867 wurde Selwyn gegen seinen
Willen zum Bischof von Lichfield in England ernannt. Er mußte Neuseeland
verlassen und starb am 11.4.1878 in Lichfield. 1882 wurde zu seiner Erinnerung
das Selwyn College in Cambridge gegründet.
|
1903 St. Gemma Galgani
stigmata many mystical experiences and special graces Gemma was miraculously
cured by the Venerable Passionist Gabriel Possenti
Lucæ, in Etrúria, sanctæ Gemmæ Galgáni, Vírginis,
contemplatióne Domínicæ Passiónis et vitæ
sanctitátis mirábilis, quam Pius Papa Duodécimus in
Sanctárum númerum rétulit.
At Luca in Etruria, St. Gemma Galgani, virgin, renowned
for her contemplation of the Passion of our Lord, and for a life of holiness,
and whom Pope Pius XII joined to the number of the Saints.
1903 ST GEMMA GALGANI, VIRGIN
THE short life of this saint, who was born at Camigliano in Tuscany in 1878,
and died at Lucca at the age of twenty-five, was in one sense uneventful.
It is a story of very fervent piety, charity and continuous suffering. These
sufferings were caused partly by ill-health, partly by the poverty into which
her family fell, partly by the scoffing of those who took offence at her
practices of devotion, ecstasies and other phenomena, partly by what she
believed to be the physical assaults of the Devil. But she had the consolation
of constant communion with our Lord, who spoke to her as if He were corporeally
present, and she also met with much kindness from the Giannini family, who
in her last years after her father’s death treated her almost as an adopted
daughter.
Gemma’s ill-health seems to have been congenital; she suffered from tuberculosis
of the spine with aggravated curvature. The doctors despaired of any remedy,
but she was cured (instantaneously and, it was then believed, completely)
after an apparition of St Gabriel-of-the-Sorrows, to whom she was very devout.
She earnestly desired to be a Passionist nun, but, the miracle notwithstanding,
she could never obtain that medical certificate of sound health which was
very wisely required before admission into the noviceship. She had periodically
recurring stigmata from June 1899 to February 1901, as well as the marks
of our Lord’s scourging at a later time. She was also at one period obsessed
by the Devil, and in these attacks she even spat upon the crucifix ‘and broke
her confessor’s rosary. On the other hand, her normal state was one of great
spiritual peace and love. During her many ecstasies she used to commune with
her heavenly visitants in a low sweet voice, and the bystanders often took
down her words in writing. After a long and painful illness St Gemma died
very peacefully on Holy Saturday, April 11, 1903.
A great popular cultus, stimulated by the accounts which were written of
her by her spiritual directors, followed shortly after St Gemma Galgani’s
death. She was beatified in 1933, and canonized in 1940. Her cause met with
considerable opposition on account of the very extraordinary nature of some
of her experiences. It is noteworthy that the Congregation of Rites, in declaring
that Gemma practised the Christian virtues in a heroic degree, expressly
refrained from passing any judgement upon the preternatural character of
the phenomena recorded of her. This is a matter, the congregation added,
upon which no decision is ever made.
For English
readers the two fullest and most accessible biographies, both translations
from the Italian, are those by Father Germanus, ce. (1914) and Father Amadeus,
c.p. (1914). The later Italian editions of the first of these contain a considerable
amount of matter not found in the translation. For a fuller insight into
Gemma’s devotional spirit see Lettere ed Estasi della beata Gemma
Galgani (1909), edited by Fr Germanus. There are other lives in English
by Bishop Leo Prosperpio (1941) and Fr P. Coghlan (1949); Sr M. St Michael’s
Portrait of St Gemma (1950) is made from her letters
and reported speech. The decree of beatification is in Acta Apostolicae
Sedis, vol. xxv (1933), pp. 363—367 and see also vol. xxiv (1932), p. 57. Cf. H. Thurston, Physical
Phenomena of Mysticism (1952).
Gemma Galgani was born on March 12, 1878, in a small Italian
town near Lucca. At a very young age, Gemma developed a love for prayer.
She made her First Communion on June 17, 1887. As a pupil at the school run
by the Sisters of St. Zita, Gemma was loved by her teachers and her fellow
pupils. Although quiet and reserved, she always had a smile for everyone.
Although a good student, she had to quit school due to chronic ill health
before completing the course of study.
Throughout her life, Gemma was to be favored with many mystical
experiences and special graces. These were often misunderstood by others,
causing ridicule.
Gemma suffered these heartaches
in reparation, remembering that Our Lord Himself had been misunderstood and
ridiculed.
Gemma had an immense love for
the poor, and helped them in any way she could. After her father's death,
the nineteen year old Gemma became the mother of her seven brothers and sisters.
When some were old enough to share this responsibility, she lived briefly
with a married aunt. At this time, two young men proposed marriage to her.
Gemma however, wanted silence
and retirement, and more that ever, she desired to pray and speak only to
God.
Gemma returned home and almost
immediately became very ill with meningitis. Throughout this illness, her
one regret was the trouble she caused her relatives who took care of her.
Feeling herself tempted by the devil, Gemma prayed for help to the Venerable
Passionist, Gabriel Possenti. (Gabriel was later canonized) Through his intercession,
Gemma was miraculously cured.
Gemma wished to become a nun, but her poor health prevented her from being
accepted. She offered this disappointment to God as a sacrifice.
Gemma predicted that the Passionists would establish a monastery at Lucca;
this came to pass two years after her death.
Today, Gemma's mortal remains
are still treasured at the Passionist monastery in Lucca.
On June 8, 1899, Gemma had an
interior warning that some unusual grace was to be granted to her. She had
pain in her hands, feet and heart and blood was coming from the places where
she had pain. These were the marks of the stigmata. Each Thursday evening,
Gemma would fall into rapture and the marks would appear. The stigmata remained
until Friday afternoon or Saturday morning when the bleeding would stop,
the wounds would close, and only white marks would remain in place of the
deep gashes. Gemma's stigmata would continue to appear until the last three
years of her life, when her confessor forbade her to accept them.
Through her prayers, this phenomenon
ceased, but the whitish marks remained on her skin until her death.
Through the help of her confessor,
Gemma went to live with a family named Giannini, where she was allowed more
freedom than at home for her spiritual life. She had many ecstacies and her
words spoken during these raptures, were recorded by her confessor and a
relative of her adoptive family. At the end of her ecstacies, she returned
to normal and went quietly and serenely about the family life. Gemma often
saw her guardian angel, with whom she was on familiar terms.
She often sent her guardian angel
on errands, usually to deliver a letter or oral message to her confessor
in Rome.
During the apostolic investigations
into her life, all witnesses testified that there was no artfulness in Gemma's
manner. Most of her severe penances and sacrifices were hidden from most
who knew her.
In January of 1903, Gemma was diagnosed as having tuberculosis.
She died quietly in the company of the parish priest, on April 11 at age twenty-five.
He said, "She died with a smile which remained upon her lips, so that I could
not convince myself that she was really dead." She was beatified in 1933
and canonized on May 2, 1940, only thirty-seven years after her death.
Gemma Galgani V (RM) Born at Borgo Nuovo di Camigliano near
Lucca, Tuscany, Italy, 1878; died April 11, 1903; beatified in 1933; canonized
in 1940.
Gemma's was the daughter of
a poor pharmacist. Her mother died when she was seven, and from then on her
life was one of domestic trials and great physical and spiritual pain. Through
it all, however, she remained at peace and was the subject of extraordinary
supernatural phenomena--visions, ecstasies, revelations, supernatural knowledge,
visible conversations with her guardian angel, prophecy, miracles, recurring
periodic stigmata, and diabolic assaults.
When she was 18, her father
died, and Gemma joined the household of Matteo Giannini at Lucca as a domestic
servant. She wished to join the Passionist congregation of which her spiritual
director was a member, but she was prevented from doing so by her physical
frailties, which included a condition of the spine (tuberculosis). Later
Gemma believed herself to have been cured of the tuberculosis by the intercession
of Saint Gabriel Possenti, who had himself died of consumption.
She was of a remarkably fervent
religious disposition. Between 1899 and 1901, she was subject to various
supernatural phenomena, which were carefully investigated by her confessor,
Father Germano. For over 18 months she suffered the stigmata of Christ's
Crucifixion and marks of His scourging while she prayed. She experienced
visions of Christ, the Blessed Virgin, and her guardian angel. When she spoke
in ecstasies, the sound of her voice changed, and listeners recorded her
words.
At other times, however, she
seemed to suffer possession and performed such acts as spitting on a crucifix
and breaking a rosary. Throughout her life she patiently endured her spiritual
and physical sufferings--which included the scorn of unbelieving relatives
and townspeople--and practiced severe austerities.
She died an early death on Holy
Saturday and shortly thereafter a popular cult developed. Her popularity
increased in 1943, when her correspondence with her spiritual director was
published. She was canonized, despite much opposition because of some of
the phenomena connected with her, based not on the phenomenal nature of her
religious experiences but on the holiness of her life (Attwater, Benedictines,
Delaney, Encyclopedia, White).
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Saints of this Day April 11 Tértio Idus
Aprílis 
April 11 - Madonna Bambino
di Brindisi (Italy, 1598) 
Fr_McNichols_with_John_Paul_II
I honor and reverence the Byzantine icons and the profound
spirituality of the Orthodox Churches. 
Quote: Pope Paul VI’s 1969
Benedict
XVI met with Aram I Catholicos
of Cilicia, the highest
authority of the Orthodox
Church. The
Pope remembered the martyrs
of the Armenian Church and the
Armenian genocide, without
explicitly mentioning it, and
denounced the persecution of Christians
in modern times.
Benedict XVI
Among
the most important titles we have in the Catholic Church
for the Blessed Virgin Mary are Our Lady of Victory
and Our Lady of the Rosary. These titles can be traced back
to one of the most decisive times in the history of the world
and Christendom. The Battle of Lepanto took place on October
7 (date of feast of Our Lady of Rosary), 1571. This proved to
be the most crucial battle for the Christian forces against the
radical Muslim navy of Turkey. Pope Pius V led a procession around
St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City praying the Rosary. He showed
true pastoral leadership in recognizing the danger posed to Christendom
by the radical Muslim forces, and in using the means necessary
to defeat it. Spiritual battles require spiritual weapons, and
this more than anything was a battle that had its origins in the
spiritual order—a true battle between good and evil.