Mary the Mother of Jesus

  Et álibi aliórum plurimórum sanctórum Mártyrum et Confessórum, atque sanctárum Vírginum.
And elsewhere in divers places, many other holy martyrs, confessors, and holy virgins.
Пресвятая Богородице спаси нас!  (Santíssima Mãe de Deus, salva-nos!)
R.  Deo grátias. R.  Thanks be to God.
April is dedicated to devotion of the Holy Eucharist and to the Holy Spirit.
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The saints are a “cloud of witnesses over our head”, showing us life of Christian perfection is possible.



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Acts of the Apostles

Nine First Fridays Devotion to the Sacred Heart From the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
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Mary Mother of GOD 15 Promises of the Virgin Mary to those who recite the Rosary  .

CAUSES OF SAINTS April

April 28 - Priestly Ordination of Saint Maximilian Kolbe (1918)
Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish Conventual Franciscan friar, volunteered to die in the place of a family man in the Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz. As a child, he had a vision of the Virgin of Czestochowa, who appeared to him and presented him with two crowns, one white, the other red, as symbols of purity and martyrdom.
As she invited him to choose one, his generous heart prompted him to accept them both.
Later on that day, this beloved child of the Virgin Mary resolved in his heart to “become better day after day.” (…)
Saint Louis de Montfort
By her and through her, each soul goes to Jesus in a much easier way than without her.
The writings of Saint Louis de Montfort taught him that “God wishes to reveal Mary, his masterpiece, and make her more known in these latter times, when Mary must shine forth more than ever in mercy, power and grace”
(Treatise on True Devotion to the Virgin Mary).
Maximilian gave his life to the Virgin Mary, saying:
“As the Immaculate belongs to Jesus and to God, each soul can belong to Jesus and to God by her
and through her, in a much easier way than without her.” (…) He was ordained on April 28, 1918.

 Mary's Divine Motherhood
Called in the Gospel "the Mother of Jesus," Mary is acclaimed by Elizabeth, at the prompting of the Spirit and even before the birth of her son, as "the Mother of my Lord" (Lk 1:43; Jn 2:1; 19:25; cf. Mt 13:55; et al.).
In fact, the One whom she conceived as man by the Holy Spirit, who truly became her Son according to the flesh, was none other than the Father's eternal Son, the second person of the Holy Trinity.
Hence the Church confesses that Mary is truly "Mother of God" (Theotokos).
Catechism of the Catholic Church 495, quoting the Council of Ephesus (431): DS 251.

 Be careful then to take part in one Eucharist. For there is one flesh of our Lord, Jesus Christ,
and one cup of His Blood that makes us one, and one altar.  -- St. Ignatius of Antioch

Mary is the Mediatrix of all Graces April 28 - Our Lady of Quito (Ecuador, 1534) -
Priestly Ordination of Saint Maximilian Kolbe (1918)
I would wish you each day, each moment, to draw ever closer to the Immaculate,
to know her better and better, and to love her more and more. (...)
Mary is the Mediatrix of all graces. It is to her that we go, as children to their mother...
The soul needs a very deep faith, a very strong love, and often needs to have recourse to the Mother of God,
because she is the Mother of supernatural life, the Mother of Divine Grace.
The Lord wishes us to receive graces through her and this can only be if we come close to her.
Writings of Saint Maximilian Kolbe (d.1941)
   The Commemoration of the Lady the Theotokos. (coptic)
Departure of St. Hierotheos of Athens priest  present at the time of the departure of the Lady Virgin Mary learned man in the city Athens met Apostle St. Paul visited St. Dionysius the Areopagite (coptic)
 63 Jason wurde von Paulus zum Bischof von Tarsus Sosipater und Gefährten eingesetzt und Sosipater zum Bischof von Ikonien mit sieben Dieben martyred zusammen:  Saturninus Iakischolus Faustianus Januarius Marsalius Euphrasius Mammius
 92 St. Mark of Galilee Martyred bishop of Marsi St. Theodora
1st v. St. Aphrodisius martyr with Sts. Caralippus, Agapius, Eusebius, supposedly sheltered the Holy Family when they fled into Egypt 1st century
1-2nd v. St. Vitalis & Valeria she suffered when attacked by the pagans they were martyred near Milan
 304 St Didymus & Theodora rescued from infamous brothel by Didymus Martyrs in Alexandria
 304 St. Pollio Martyr Christian community lector of Cybalae Pannonia serving as a lector {READ HIS LAST SERMON}
 305 Martyrs Dada, Maximus and Quinctilian suffered under the emperor Diocletian (284-305)
St. Patrick of Prusa; Several guards scalded Patrick untouched- "I do not condemn your gods, for no one can condemn what does not exist..."
        Martyrdom of St. Babnuda (Paphnute). (Coptic)
4th v. Probe and Germaine two were Irish virgins who refused marriage
 409   Medioláni sanctæ Valériæ Mártyris, uxóris sancti Vitális ac matris sanctórum Gervásii et Protásii.
 609 St. Artemius Bishop mentor of St. Bond or Balthus
 626 St. Cronan of Roscrea founded fifty monasteries hermit in Ireland
 639 Gerard the Pilgrim (AC)
 700 St. Pamphilus Bishop of Sulmona and Corfinium Abruzzi venerated for his deep sanctity
 700 + Prudentius of Tarazona hermit priest bishop B (RM)
1172 Blessed Gerard of Bourgogne, OSB Cist. Abbot (PC)
1182 Saint Cyril of Turov hermit monk to become an outstanding bishop preacher; pre-Mongol Russia Greek tradition theological devotion
1260 St. Luchesio first Franciscan tertiary works of mercy nursing sick visiting prisons gave all possessions to the poor
1716 Saint Louis de Monfort founded the Congregation of the Daughters of Divine Wisdom
1775 Sancti Pauli a Cruce, Presbyteri et Confessóris; qui Congregatiónis a Cruce et Passióne Dómini nostri Jesu Christi
Cross was endowed with extraordinary gifts. He prophesied future events, healed the sick, and even during his lifetime appeared on various occasions in vision to persons far away
1840 St. John Baptist Thanh native catechist Martyr of Vietnam
1840 St. Peter Hieu catechist native Vietnamese martyr
1841 St. Peter Chanel Priest Martyred in the New Hebrides model pupil vicar parish priest model missionary intelligence and simple piety
1962 Saint Gianna Beretta Molla M.D. gave special attention to mothers babies elderly and the poor gave her life to save that of her child (AC).
"All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord;
and all the families of the nations shall worship before him" (Psalm 21:28)
   The Commemoration of the Lady the Theotokos. (coptic)
   Departure of St. Hierotheos of Athens priest  present at the time of the departure of the Lady Virgin Mary; learned man in the city Athens; met Apostle St. Paul; visited St. Dionysius the Areopagite (coptic)
 63 Jason wurde von Paulus zum Bischof von Tarsus Sosipater und Gefährten eingesetzt und Sosipater zum Bischof von Ikonien mit sieben Dieben martyred zusammen:  Saturninus Iakischolus Faustianus Januarius Marsalius Euphrasius Mammius
 92 St. Mark of Galilee Martyred bishop of Marsi St. Theodora
  304 St. Pollio Martyr Christian community lector of Cybalae Pannonia serving as a lector {READ HIS LAST SERMON}
 305 Martyrs Dada, Maximus and Quinctilian suffered under the emperor Diocletian (284-305)
       St. Patrick of Prusa; Several guards scalded Patrick -- untouched- "I do not condemn your gods, for no one can condemn what does not exist..."
 626 St. Cronan of Roscrea founded fifty monasteries hermit in Ireland
1182 Saint Cyril of Turov hermit monk to become an outstanding bishop preacher; pre-Mongol Russia; Greek tradition, theological devotion
1716 Saint Louis de Monfort founded the Congregation of the Daughters of Divine Wisdom
1775 Sancti Pauli a Cruce, Presbyteri et Confessóris; qui Congregatiónis a Cruce et Passióne Dómini nostri Jesu Christi
Cross was endowed with extraordinary gifts. He prophesied future events, healed the sick, and even during his lifetime appeared on various occasions in vision to persons far away
1840 St. John Baptist Thanh native catechist Martyr of Vietnam
1840 St. Peter Hieu catechist native Vietnamese martyr
1841 St. Peter Chanel Priest Martyred in the New Hebrides; model pupil; vicar, parish priest, model missionary; intelligence and simple piety
1962 Saint Gianna Beretta Molla M.D. gave special attention to mothers, babies, elderly and the poor; gave her life to save that of her child (AC)
April 28 - Saint Louis de Montfort 
Mary is as terrible to the devil as an army in battle array 
Mary must become as terrible as an army in battle array to the devil and his followers, especially in these latter times.
For Satan, knowing that he has little time—even less now than ever—to destroy souls, intensifies his efforts and his onslaughts every day.
He will not hesitate to stir up savage persecutions and set treacherous snares for Mary's faithful servants and children
 whom he finds more difficult to overcome than others.
Saint Louis de Montfort In Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, §50

The Commemoration of the Lady the Theotokos. (coptic)
On this day, we celebrate the commemoration of the Lady Virgin Mary, the Mother of God the Word.
Her intercession be with us. Amen.
Departure of St. Hierotheos of Athens priest  present at the time of the departure of the Lady Virgin Mary; learned man in the city Athens met Apostle St. Paul visited St. Dionysius the Areopagite
On this day also, St. Hierotheos (Berutawos) of Athens, departed. This father was one of the learned men in the city of Athens. He met the Apostle St. Paul, and many discussions took place between them which led to his belief on the Apostle's hand. He baptized him, taught him the Ordinances and Law of the church, and then ordained him a priest for this city.
He frequently visited St. Dionysius the Areopagite, who was also one of the learned men in Athens.
This Saint was present at the time of the departure of the Lady Virgin Mary, and he stood in the midst of the apostles and comforted them with spiritual songs and hymns which he sang accompanied with musical instruments.
He converted many Jews and Gentiles to the knowledge of the Lord Christ. When the people wished to ordain him a bishop, he refused saying: "I just wish to be able to perform the duties of a priest."
Having finished his good strife, he went to the Lord Whom he loved.
His prayers be with us and Glory be to our God forever. Amen.
63 Jason wurde von Paulus zum Bischof von Tarsus Sosipater und Gefährten eingesetzt und Sosipater zum Bischof von Ikonien Im Gefängnis saßen sie mit sieben Dieben zusammen: Saturninus, Jakischolus (Inischolus), Faustianus, Januarius, Marsalius, Euphrasius und Mammius.
Orthodoxe Kirche: 28. April (Sosipater auch 10. November) Katholische Kirche: Jason - 12. Juli
Saturninus Iakischolus Faustianus Januarius Marsalius Euphrasius Mammius
Jason aus Tarsus und Sosipater aus Achaia waren Schüler und Gefährten des Apostels Paulus. Jason wurde von Paulus zum Bischof von Tarsus eingesetzt und Sosipater zum Bischof von Ikonien. Beide führten die Missionsarbeit Richtung Westen fort und im Jahr 63 kamen sie nach Kerkyra (Korfu). Hier errichteten sie eine Kirche, die Stephanus geweiht wurde und konnten viele Menschen taufen. Der Gouverneur der Insel hörte von ihren Erfolgen und ließ sie einkerkern. Im Gefängnis saßen sie mit sieben Dieben zusammen: Saturninus, Jakischolus (Inischolus), Faustianus, Januarius, Marsalius, Euphrasius und Mammius. Sie konnten diese zu Christus bekehren, worauf die sieben hingerichtet wurden. Der Gefängniswärter bekannte sich angesichts ihres Martyriums ebenfalls zu Christus und wurde enthauptet. Nun kam die Tochter des Gouverneurs namens Kerkyra zum Glauben und blieb gegenüber ihrem Vater standhaft. Dieser ließ sie daraufhin in eine eigene Zelle sperren und den Mörder Murinus zu ihr bringen, damit er sie schände. Murinus aber wurde von einem Bären angegriffen und schwer verwundet. Kerkyra heilte seine Wunden und bekehrte ihn zu Christus und daraufhin wurde auch Murinus hingerichtet. Der Gouverneur ließ nun das Gefängnis abbrennen, aber Kerkyra blieb am Leben. Sie wurde dann an einen Baum gebunden und von Bogenschützen mit Pfeilen erschossen. Der Gouverneur befahl, auch alle anderen Christen auf der Insel hinzurichten. Die Christen Zinon, Eusebios, Neonos and Vitalius wurden verbrannt; alle anderen Einwohner Kerkyras flohen mit Booten zu einer Nachbarinsel. Der Gouverneur wollte sie mit Soldaten verfolgen, wurde aber durch hohen Seegang gehindert. Daraufhin ließ er Jason und Sosipater in einen Kessel mit kochendem Pech werfen, aber die Apostel überstanden diese Folter unverletzt. Angesichts dieses Wunders bekehrte sich der Gouverneur und nahm den Namen Sebastian an. Nunmehr unterstützte der Gouverneur die Arbeit der beiden Apostel, die mehrere Kirchen bauen konnten und bis ins hohe Alter ihre Gemeinde führten.

The Apostle Jason was from Tarsus (Asia Minor). He was the first Christian in the city. The Apostle Sosipater was a native of Patra, Achaia. He is thought to be the same Sosipater mentioned in Acts 20:4. They both became disciples of St Paul, who even called them his kinsmen (Rom 16:21). St John Chrysostom (Homily 32 on Romans) says that this is the same Jason who is mentioned in Acts 17:5-9. St Jason was made bishop in his native city of Tarsus, and St Sosipater in Iconium. They traveled west preaching the Gospel, and in 63 they reached the island of Kerkyra [Korfu] in the Ionian Sea near Greece.

There they built a church in the name of the Protomartyr Stephen and they baptized many. The governor of the island learned on this and locked them up in prison, where they met seven thieves: Saturninus, Iakischolus, Faustianus, Januarius, Marsalius, Euphrasius and Mammius. The Apostles converted them to Christ. For their confession of Christ, the seven prisoners died as martyrs in a cauldron of molten tar, wax and sulfur.

The prison guard, after witnessing their martyrdom, declared himself a Christian. For this they cut off his left hand, then both feet and finally his head. The governor ordered the Apostles Jason and Sosipater to be whipped and again locked up in prison.

When the daughter of the governor of Kerkyra (Korfu), the maiden Kerkyra, learned how Christians were suffering for Christ, she declared herself a Christian and gave away all her finery to the poor. The infuriated governor attempted to persuade his daughter to deny Christ, but St Kerkyra stood firm against both persuasion and threats. Then the enraged father devised a terrible punishment for his daughter: he gave orders that she be placed in a prison cell with the robber and murderer Murinus, so that he might defile the betrothed of Christ

But when the robber approached the door of the prison cell, a bear attacked him. St Kerkyra heard the noise and she drove off the beast in the name of Christ. Then, by her prayers, she healed the wounds of Murinus. Then St Kerkyra enlightened him with the faith of Christ, and St Murinus declared himself a Christian and was executed.
The governor gave orders to burn down the prison, but the holy virgin remained alive.
Then on her enraged father's order, she was suspended upon a tree, choked with bitter smoke and shot with arrows. After her death, the governor decided to execute all the Christians on the island of Kerkyra. The Martyrs Zeno, Eusebius, Neon and Vitalis, after being enlightened by Sts Jason and Sosipater, were burned alive.

The inhabitants of Kerkyra, escaping from the persecution, crossed to an adjoining island. The governor set sail with a detachment of soldiers, but was swallowed up by the waves. The governor succeeding him gave orders to throw the Apostles Jason and Sosipater into a cauldron of boiling tar.
When he beheld them unharmed, he cried out with tears, "O God of Jason and Sosipater, have mercy on me!"

Having been set free, the Apostles baptized the governor and gave him the name Sebastian. With his help, the Apostles Jason and Sosipater built several churches on the island, and increased the flock of Christ by their fervent preaching. They lived there until they reached old age.
92 St. Mark of Galilee Martyred bishop of Marsi in the Abruzzi region of Italy.
Atínæ, in Campánia, sancti Marci, qui, a beáto Petro Apóstolo Epíscopus ordinátus, Æquícolis primus Evangélium prædicávit, et in persecutióne Domitiáni, sub Máximo Præside, martyrii corónam accépit.
 At Atino in Campania, St. Mark, who was made bishop by the blessed apostle Peter.  He was the first to preach the Gospel to the Equicoli, and received the crown of martyrdom in the persecution of Domitian, under the governor Maximus. A Galilean by birth, he was a missionary to Italy.
Mark of Galilee BM (RM) Saint Mark is said to have been a Galilean by descent and the first missionary bishop and martyr in the province of the Marsi (Abruzzi) in Italy (Benedictines).
1st v. St. Aphrodisius martyr with Sts. Caralippus, Agapius, Eusebius, supposedly sheltered the Holy Family when they fled into Egypt 1st century
Eódem die sanctórum Mártyrum Aphrodísii, Caralíppi, Agápii et Eusébii.
 On the same day, the holy martyrs Aphrodisius, Caralippus, Agapius, and Eusebius.
 
also involved in ancient tradition. St. Gregory of Tours related a legend that Aphrodisius was an Egyptian. He supposedly sheltered the Holy Family when they fled into Egypt. Aphrodisius and companions were martyred in Languedoc, France.

Aphrodisius, Caralippus, Agapitus & Eusebius MM (RM) 1st century. A French legend, now universally rejected, makes this Aphrodisius an Egyptian who sheltered the Holy Family during their flight into Egypt. He is alleged to have been martyred with the other three in Languedoc. Their story is related by Saint Gregory of Tours (Benedictines).
1-2nd v. St. Vitalis & Valeria she suffered when attacked by the pagans they were martyred near Milan
Ravénnæ natális sancti Vitális Mártyris, viri sanctæ Valériæ ac patris sanctórum Gervásii et Protásii; qui, cum beáti Ursicíni corpus sublátum débita honestáte sepelísset, tentus est a Paulíno Consulári, et, post equúlei torménta, jussus depóni in profúndam fóveam, et terra ac lapídibus óbrui; talíque martyrio migrávit ad Christum.
 At Ravenna, the birthday of St. Vitalis, martyr, father of the Saints Gervase and Protase.  When he had taken up and reverently buried the body of blessed Ursicinus, he was arrested by the governor Paulinus, and after being racked and thrown into a deep pit, was covered with earth and stones, and by this kind of martyrdom went to Christ.

From the Lives of Saintes by Alban Butler
About the year 62 ST. VITALIS, MARTYR,
From Fortunatus I. 1, carm 2, p. 33. His acts and thee supposititious letter under the name of St. Ambrose were only written in the ninth age
ST. VITALIS is honored as the principal patron of the city of Ravenna, in which he glorified God by martyrdom in the persecution of Nero. He was a citizen of Milan and is said to have been the father of SS Gervasius and Protasius.  The divine providence conducted him to Ravenna, where he saw a Christian named Ursicinius who was condemned to lose his head for his faith standing aghast at the sight of death, and seeming ready to yield.  Happy is he who, by a perfect diffidence in himself and a sincere humility, obtains strength and comfort above in the fiery trials of his last conflicts when the devil rages with the greatest fury, knowing that he has only a little time to compass the ruin of a soul forever.
     Vitalis was extremely moved at this spectacle.  The honor of God, which was in danger of being insulted by sin, and the soul of a brother in Christ which appeared to be upon the very brink of apostasy, were alarming objects to awake his zeal.   He who dreaded the presumption of rashly seeking the combat, knew his double obligation of preferring the glory of God, and the eternal salvation of his neighbor to his own corporeal life  he therefore boldly and successfully encouraged Ursicinius to triumph over death, and after his martyrdom carried off his body, and respectfully interred it.
   The judge, whose name was Paulinus, being informed of what he had done, caused him to be apprehended, stretched on the rack, and, after other torments, to he buried alive in a place called the Palm-tree, in Ravenna, as Fortunatus and his acts relate.  These acts add that his wife, Valeria, returning from Ravenna to Milan, was beaten to death by certain peasants, because she refused to join them in an idolatrous festival and riot.  The relics of St. Vitalis are deposited in the great church which bears his name in Ravenna, and was magnificently built by the emperor Justinian, in 547. It belongs to a noble Benedictine abbey, where in a ruinous private chapel are shown the tombs of the emperor Honorius, and of the princes and princesses of his family.

  We are not all called to the sacrifice of martyrdom but all are bound to make their whole lives a continued sacrifice of themselves to God, and to perform every action in this perfect spirit of sacrifice.  An ardent desire of devoting ourselves totally to God in life and in death, and a cheerful readiness to do and to suffer whatever he requires of us, in order constantly to accomplish His divine will is a disposition which ought to accompany and to animate all our actions.
   The perfection of our sacrifice depends on the purity, fervor, and constancy of this desire.  We must in particular make our bodies and our souls, with all their faculties, continual victims to God our bodies by patient suffering, voluntary mortification, chastity, temperance, and penitential labor; our souls by a continual spirit of compunction, adoration, love, and praise.   Thus we shall both live and die to God, perfectly resigned to his holy will in all his appointments.


2nd v. SS. VITALIS AND VALERIA, MARTYRS
Since this St Vitalis is named in the canon of the Mass according to the Milanese rite, is commemorated in the Roman rite to-day, and is the titular saint of the famous basilica of San Vitale at Ravenna, he should be mentioned here, though nothing certain is known about him beyond the fact that he and St Valeria were early martyrs, probably at or near Milan.
The spurious letter of St Ambrose which purports to narrate the history of the twin martyrs SS. Gervase and Protase states incorrectly that Vitalis and Valeria were their parents.
According to the legend, Vitalis was a soldier who, when the physician St Ursicinus of Ravenna wavered when faced with death for Christ, encouraged him to stand firm. The governor accordingly ordered Vitalis to be racked and then buried alive, which was done. His wife, St Valeria, was set upon by pagans near Milan, and died from their brutal treatment. These things are said to have happened during the persecution under Nero, but the second century, under Marcus Aurelius, is a more likely date for their martyrdom.
The story of St Vitalis is discussed in the Act Sanctorum, April, vol. iii, and by Tillemont in his Mémoires, vol. ii. See also the Analecta Bollandiana, vol. xlvi (1928), pp. 55—59.

According to an account that is doubtlessly spurious, Vitalis was a wealthy citizen of Milan, and perhaps a soldier. He was married Valeria, and they were the parents of SS. Gervase and Protase (which they were not). When he encouraged St. Ursicinus to be steadfast at his execution, the Vitalis was racked and then buried alive.

Valeria died as the result of injuries she suffered when attacked by the pagans. They were martyred near Milan probably under Emperor Marcus Aurelius (161-180) but all else is suspect.

St. Valerie a derivative of Valeria, an early martyr probably at or near Milan. According to legend, Vitalis was a soldier who, when the physician St. Ursicinus of Ravenna wavered when faced with death for Christ, encouraged him to stand firm. The governor accordingly ordered Vitalis to be racked and then buried alive, which was done. His wife, St. Valeria, was set upon by pagans near Milan and died from their brutal treatment. These things are said to have happened during the persecution under Nero, but the second century, under Marcus Aurelius, is a more likely date for their martyrdom.

St. Valeria Saintly matron Her existence is considered doubtful. supposedly the wife of St. Vitalis and mother of Sts. Gervase and Protase.

Valeria of Milan M (RM) 1st century? Allegedly, Valeria was the mother of SS. Gervase and Protase and wife of Saint Vitalis. She is said to have been martyred in Milan; however, she appears to be a fictitious character. The casket which once contained her supposed relics is in the British Museum (Attwater2, Benedictines, Farmer). In art, Saint Valeria is depicted with her sons, Gervasius and Protasius, and her husband Saint Vitalis of Milan. She may be shown being beaten with clubs for refusing to sacrifice to pagan gods. She is venerated in Milan (Roeder).

Vitalis of Milan M
1st century? There are two 2nd century saints called Vitalis, but the one who is commemorated today was reputedly a rich man who lived in Milan, Italy. He was happily married to Saint Valeria with at least two fine children, SS. Gervase and Protase, whose remains were discovered and enshrined by Saint Ambrose in the 4th century. The only crime of Vitalis was that he became a Christian. Another martyr was to be executed in Ravenna and Vitalis stood by him, urging him not to lose his faith in the face of this final trial. The authorities were enraged. They stretched Vitalis on a rack and then buried him alive.

His wife, too, was attacked by vicious pagans and died of her wounds just outside Milan when Marcus Aurelius was emperor. Because their acta are spurious, their cults have supposedly been discontinued; however, I still find their names on the revised calendar and in the canon of the Ambrosian Mass. A conundrum (Attwater2, Benedictines, Bentley, Encyclopedia, Farmer).

In art, Saint Vitalis is portrayed with stones in his lap, seated between his two sons, Gervasius and Protasius, who each hold a stone. He may also be shown (1) buried alive in a pit; (2) stoned; (3) with a whirlbat; or (4) as a young layman with two sons (Roeder).
AD 304 SS. DIDYMUS AND THEODORA, MARTYRS,
From the Lives of Saintes by alban Butler
AD 304 SS. DIDYMUS AND THEODORA, MARTYRS,
From their beautiful acts copied in part from the presidial registers, the rest being added by an eye-witness
Extant in Ruinart and the Bollandists, t. 3, Apr- in Append- p. lxiii. See also St. Ambrose de Virgin. L 2 c 4I

EUSTRATIUS PROCULTIS, imperial prefect of Alexandria, being seated on his tribunal, said : ``Call hither the virgin Theodora."  A sergeant of the court answered: `` She is here." The prefect said to her: "Of what condition are you?"  Theodora replied: "1 am a Christian."   PREFECT.  "Are you a slave or a free woman?" Theodora "I am a Christian, and made free by Christ; I am also born of what the world calls free parents." PREFECT- "Call hither the bailiff of the city." When he was come, the prefect asked him what he knew of the virgin Theodora.  Lucius, the bailiff, answered: "I know her to be a free woman, and of a very good family in the city."  "What is the reason, then," said the judge to Theodora, "that you are not married” THEODORA. "That I may render myself the more pleasing and acceptable to Jesus Christ, who being became man, hath withdrawn us from corruption and as long as I continue faithful to him, will, I hope, preserve me from all defilement."  Prefect. “The emperors have ordered that you virgins haft either sacrifice to the gods, or be exposed in infamous places."  Theodora " I believe you are not ignorant that it is the will which God regards in every action; and that if my soul continue chaste and pure, it can receive no prejudice from outward violence pact. PREFECT "Your birth and beauty make me pity you: but this compassion shall not save you unless you obey.  I swear by the gods, you shall either sacrifice or be made the disgrace of your family, and the scorn of all virtuous and honorable persons." He then repeated the ordinance of the emperors, to which Theodora made the same reply as before, and added: "if you cut off unjustly my arm or head, will the guilt be charged to me, or to him that commits the outrage? I am united to God by the vow i have made to him of my virginity; he is the master of my body and my soul, and into his hands I commit the protection of both my faith and chastity."  PREFECT “Remember your birth: will you dishonor your family by an eternal infamy “Theodora. “The source of true honor is Jesus Christ: my soul draws all its lustre from him.  He will preserve his dove from falling into the power of the hawk."  PREFECT. "Alas, silly woman do you place your confidence in a crucified man? Do you imagine it will be in his power to protect your virtue if you expose it to the trial?" Theodora. "Yes, I most firmly believe that Jesus, who suffered under Pilate, will deliver me from all who have conspired my ruin, and will preserve me pure and spotless.  Judge, then, if I can renounce him."  PREFECT. "I bear with you a long time, and do not yet put you to the torture.  But if you continue thus obstinate, I will have no more regard for you than for the most despicable slave." Theodora. “You are master of my body: the law has left that at your disposal; but my soul you cannot touch, it is in the power of God alone."
PREFECT. "Give her two great buffets to cure her of her folly, and teach her to sacrifice." Theodora Through the assistance of Jesus Christ, I will never sacrifice to, nor adore devils.  He is my protector." Prefect."You compel me, notwithstanding your quality, to affront you before all the people. This is a degree of madness." THE0D0RA. "This holy madness is true wisdom; and what you call an affront will be my eternal glory." PREFECT. "1 am out of patience; I will execute the edict. I should myself be guilty of disobeying the emperors, were I to delay any longer." THEODORA. "You are afraid of displeasing a man, and can you reproach me because I refuse to offend God, because I stand in awe of the emperor of heaven and earth, and seek to obey his will."  Prefect. "In the meantime you make no scruple of slighting the commands of the emperors, and abusing my patience. AD 304 SS. DIDYMUS AND THEODORA, MARTYRS 1 will, notwithstanding, allow you three days to consider what to do; if within that term you do not comply with what I require, by the gods, you shall be exposed, that all other women may take warning from your example." Theodora. “Look on these three days as already expired.   You will find me the same then as now.   There is a God who will not forsake me.  Do what you please.   My only request is, that I may be screened in the meantime from insults on my chastity." Prefect "That is but just.  I therefore ordain that Theodora be under guard for three days, and that no violence be offered her during that time, nor rudeness shown her, out of regard to her birth and quality."   The three days being elapsed, Proculus ordered Theodora to be brought before him: and seeing she persisted in her resolution, said: "The just fear of incurring the indignation of the emperors obliges him to execute their commands: wherefore sacrifice to the gods, or I pronounce the threatened sentence.  We shall see if your Christ, for whose sake you continue thus obstinate, will deliver you from the infamy to which the edict of the emperors condemns you." Theodora. "Be in no pain about that."  Sentence hereupon being pronounced the saint was conducted to the infamous place.  On entering it, she lifted up her eyes to God, and said: "Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, assist me and take me hence: Thou, who delivered Saint Peter from prison without his sustaining any harm, guard and protect my chastity here, that all may know I am thy servant! A troop of debauchees quickly surrounded the house, and looked on this innocent beauty as their prey.
        But Jesus Christ watched over his spouse, and sent one of his servants to deliver her. Among the Christians of Alexandria, there was a zealous young man, named Didymus, who, desiring earnestly to rescue the virgin out of her danger habited himself like a soldier, and went boldly into the room where she was, Theodora, seeing him approach her, was at first much troubled, and fled from him into the several corners of the room.  He, overtaking her, said to her: “sister fear nothing from me. I am not such a one as you take meto be. I am your brother in Christ, and has thus disguised myself for purpose to deliver you.   Come, let us change habits: take you my clothes and go out, and I will remain here in yours: thus disguised, save yourself."   Theodora did as she was desired: she also put on his armor, and he pulled down the hat over her eyes, and charged her in going out to cast them on the ground, and not stop to speak to anyone, but walk fast, in imitation of a person scorning ashamed, and fearing to be known after the perpetration of an infamous action. When Theodora was by this stratagem out of danger, her soul took its flight towards heaven, in ardent ejaculations to God her deliverer.  A short time after, came in one of the lewd crew on a wicked intent, but was extremely surprised to find a man there instead of the virgin: and hearing from him the history of what had passed, went out, and published it abroad.   The judge, being informed of the affair, sent for the voluntary prisoner, and asked him his name.  He answered: "I am called Didymus? The prefect then asked him who put him upon this extraordinary adventure Didymus told him it was God that had inspired him, with this method to rescue his handmaid.  The prefect then said: "Before I put you to the torture, declare where Theodora is."    Didymus. "By Christ, the Son of God, I know not.  All that I certainly know of her is, that she is a servant of God, and that He has preserved her spotless: God hath done to her according to her faith in him."  Prefect. "Of what condition are you?"  Didymus. "I am a Christian, and delivered by Jesus Christ." Prefect. "Put him so the torture doubly to what is usual, as the excess of his insolence deserves." Didymus. "I beg you to execute speedily on me the orders of your masters, whatever they may be."  PREFECT. "By the gods, the torture doubled is your immediate lot, unless you sacrifice: if you do this your first crime shall be forgiven you."  Didymus. "I have already given proof that I am a champion of Christ, and fear not to suffer in his cause.  My intention in this matter was twofold, to prevent the virgin's being deflowered, and to give an instance of my steady faith and hope in Christ; being assured I shall survive all the torments you can inflict upon me.  The dread of the cruelest death you can devise will not prevail on me to sacrifice to devils."  PREFECT. `For your bold rashness, and because you have contemned the commands of our lords the emperors, you shall be beheaded, and your corpse shall be, burnt." Didymus. "Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath not despised my offering, and hath preserved spotless his handmaid Theodora. He crowns me doubly." Didymus was, according to this sentence, beheaded, and his body burnt.
   Thus far the acts St. Ambrose, who relates this history of Theodora, (whom he calls by mistake a virgin of Antioch,) adds, that she ran to the place of execution to Didymus, and would needs die in his place, and that she was also beheaded; which the Greeks say happened shortly after his martyrdom.
       St. Ambrose most beautifully paints the strife of these holy martyrs, at the place of execution, which of the two should bear away the palm of martyrdom virgin urged, that she owed indeed to him the preservation of her corporal integrity but would not yield to him the privilege of carrying away her crown. "You were bail," said she, "for my modesty, not for my life. If my virginity be in danger, your bond holds good: if my life be required, this debt. I myself can discharge. The sentence of condemnation was passed upon me  I am further obnoxious, not only by my flight, but by giving occasion to the death of another. I fled, not from death, but from an injury to my virtue.   This body, which is not to be exposed to an insult against its integrity, is capable of suffering for Christ.   If you rob me of my crown, you have not saved but deceived me."  The two saints, thus contending for the palm, both conquered: the crown was not divided, but given to each. St. Didymus is looked upon to have suffered under Dioclesian, in 301, and at Alexandria.   The Roman Martyrology commemorates these two saints on this day.
AD 304 ST. POLLIO, LECTOR,
From the Lives of Saintes by Alban Butler
AND HIS COMPANIONS IN PANNONIA, MARTYRS.
From his genuine acts probably extracted from the public court register though collected under the emperor Valentinian extant at Ruinart
Probus, governor of Pannonia, under Dioclesian, in 304, having put to death St. Montanus, priest at Singidon, St. Irenaeus, bishop of Sirmium, and others, arrived at Cibales, a great town between the rivers Save and Drave afterwards the birthplace of the emperor Valentinian, but now destroyed;  the very same day on which he arrived, Polio, the first of the readers of that church, was apprehended; a person of great virtue and a lively faith, of which he had already given signal proofs.  He was presented to the governor as he was coining out of his chariot, and accused as the most impious of the Christians, and one who spoke disrespectfully of the gods.  Probus having asked his name, and if he were a Christian, inquired of him what office he bore.  "I am," said Pollio, "the chief of the readers." Probus "Of what readers? " P0LLI0. "Why, of those who read the word of God to the people."  Probus. "I suppose you mean by that name a set or men who find ways and means to impose on the credulity of fickle and silly women, and persuade them to observe chastity, and refrain from marriage."
P0LLI0. "Those, are the fickle and foolish who abandon their Creator to follow your superstitions; while our hearers are so steady in the profession of the truths they have imbibed from our lectures, that no torments prevail with them to transgress the precepts of the eternal King."  PROBUS. "Of what king and of what precepts do you speak?"  Probus. "I mean the holy precepts of the eternal King, Jesus Christ."  Probus. "What do those precepts teach!"  Polio. "They inculcate the belief and adoration of one and only God, who causes thunder in the heavens; and they teach that what is made of wood or stone, deserves not to be called God.   They correct sinners, animate and strengthen the good in virtue: teach virgins to attain to the perfection of their state, and the married to live up to the rules of conjugal chastity: they teach masters to command with mildness and moderation, slaves to submit with love and affection, subjects to obey all in power in all things that are just  in a word, they teach us to honor parents, requite our friends, forgive our enemies, exercise hospitality to strangers, assist the poor, to be just, kind, and charitable to all men; to believe a happy immortality prepared for those who despise the momentary death which you have power to inflict."  PROBUS." Of what felicity is a man capable after death?"  POLLI0.   There is comparison between the happiness of this and the next life.  The fleeting comforts of this mortal state deserve not the name of goods, when compared with the permanent joys of eternity." Probus. This is foreign to our purpose let us come to the point of the edict."   Pollio. "What is the purport of it Probus. That you must sacrifice to the gods" Pollio.  "Sacrifice I will not, let what will be the consequence; for it is written he that shall sacrifice to devils, and not to God, shall be exterminated.'   Probus.  Then you must resolve to die." Pollio My resolution is fixed do what you are commanded.''  Probus thereupon condemned hint to be burnt alive; and the sentence was immediately executed, at the distance of a mile from the town.  Thus the acts.  He suffered on the 27th off April, in 304, the same day on which, according to the acts of Pollio, St. Eusebius, bishop of the same city, had suffered several years before, perhaps under Valerian.
305 Martyrs Dada, Maximus and Quinctilian suffered under the emperor Diocletian (284-305)  issued a decree requiring everyone to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods during the public festivals, and to put Christians to death.

Tarquinius and Gabinius, the emperor's representatives in Dorostolum, made a sumptuous feast, attended not only by the inhabitants of the city, but also people from the surrounding villages.
After the festivities, someone reported to the emperor that three brothers, Dada, Maximus and Quinctilian, did not obey the imperial decree and withdrew themselves into the Ozovia forest. Soldiers were sent after them, who caught the holy brothers at prayer and led them forth for trial. The governors interrogated the brothers, who confessed themselves Christians. Tarquinius offered to make St Maximus a pagan priest of Zeus, but the saint called Zeus a foul adulterer and again confessed the True God.
Tarquinius attempted to reason with Sts Dada and Quinctilian. They said that their brother was well versed in the Holy Scripture and they would follow him in everything. They threw the martyrs into prison, but they thought only of the salvation of their souls. At midnight when the saints were asleep, the devil appeared to them. When the martyrs woke, they beheld an angel who said, "Fear not, for God your hope brings you to Himself. He is not far from you and will sustain you."
In the morning, Tarquinius told the brothers that the gods had revealed their will to him in a dream: they were to be put to death if they did not offer sacrifice. The martyrs answered that the Lord had commanded them to endure torments for His sake. The tortures and interrogations continue for several days from morning to evening. Finally, they sentenced the martyrs to death, led them out under guard to their forest and beheaded them with a sword.

Martyrdom of St. Babnuda (Paphnute). (Coptic)
On this day, St. Babnuda (Paphnute), who was from Dandara (Dendereh), was martyred. This Saint was a hermit monk. The angel of the Lord appeared to him and told him to put on the priesthood vestments and go appear before Arianus, the governor.

Arianus arrived with his ship and embarked by the city of Dandara, looking for that Saint. The Saint came to Arianus and cried out in his face with a loud voice, saying: "I am Christian, and I believe in the lord Christ." When the Governor knew that he was the anchorite for whom he sought, he ordered him to be tortured severely. He chained him with iron fetters and cast him in a dark prison. A heavenly light shone upon him and an angel of the Lord appeared to him, healed his wounds, and comforted him.

There was in the city a man, whose name was Kyrillos, with his wife, his daughter, and twelve young men. The Saint preached them and confirmed them in faith. They were all martyred by cutting of their heads, and they received the crown of martyrdom. The Governor was raged of him and ordered to hang a rock in his neck and cast him in the sea, and St. Babnuda received the crown of martyrdom.
His prayers be with us and Glory be to our God forever. Amen.
304 St. Pollio Martyr lector of the Christian community of Cybalae Pannonia serving as a lector
In Pannónia sancti Polliónis Mártyris, sub Diocletiáno Imperatóre.
In Hungary, St. Pollio, martyr, under the Emperor Diocletian.
304 ST POLLIO, MARTYR
THE scene of the martyrdom of St Pollio was the ancient town of Cybalae or Cibalis in Lower Pannonia (now Mikanovici in Yugoslavia), the birth-place of the Emperors Gratian, Valentinian and Valens. He was a lector in the church, and, after the martyrdom of his bishop Eusebius, he became the leader of those Christians in the diocese who disregarded the edicts of Diocletian. He was accordingly brought before Probus the president, before whom he made a bold confession. Because he refused to offer sacrifice to the gods and to render divine honours to the emperors he was condemned to death, and was burnt at the stake a few years after the martyrdom of Eusebius.
There can be no doubt about the historical existence of St Pollio, although his reputed acts may not deserve to be included, as Ruinart ranks them, among the acta sincera. The text is printed in the Acta Sanctorum, April, vol. iii, and also by Ruinart. Pollio unquestionably figures in the “Hieronymianum”. As to Eusebia, there may be some confusion with a presby­ter who is commemorated on this day in the Syriac “Breviarium”, who suffered at Nicomedia.
Pollio was a member of the Christian community of Cybalae, Pannonia, a province on the Danube, serving as a lector. He was put to death during the persecution launched by Emperor Diocletian.

Pollio of Pannonia & Companions MM (RM) Died April 27, c. 304. We have the passio of Saint Pollio, a lector of the Church of Cybalae in Pannonia (Hungary), who was burnt alive under Diocletian. Governor Probus had already killed the priest Saint Montanus at Singidon, Bishop Saint Irenaeus at Sirmium, and others.

On the day the governor arrived at the town of Cibales, Pollio was arrested. The lector Pollio, a man of great virtue and a lively faith, was presented to Probus as he alighted from his chariot and accused of irreligious speech and action. Probus asked his name. "I am Pollio, the chief of the readers."
Probus: "Of what readers?"
Pollio: "Why, of those who read the word of God to the people."
Probus: "I suppose you mean by that name a set of men who find ways and means to impose on the credulity of fickle and silly women, and persuade them to observe chastity, and refrain from marriage."

Pollio: "Those are the fickle and foolish who abandon their Creator to follow your superstitions; while our hearers are so steady in the profession of the truths they have imbibed from our lectures, that no torments prevail with them to transgress the precepts of the eternal King."
Probus: "Of what king, and of what precepts do you speak?"
Pollio: "I mean the holy precepts of the eternal King, Jesus Christ."
Probus: "What do those precepts teach?"
Pollio: "They inculcate the belief and adoration of one only God, who causes thunder in the heavens; and they teach that what is made of wood or stone, deserves not to be called God. They correct sinners, animate and strengthen the good in virtue: teach virgins to attain to the perfection of their state, and the married to live up to the rules of conjugal chastity: they teach masters to command with mildness and moderation slaves to submit with love and affection, subjects to obey all in power in ail things that are just; in a word, they teach us to honor parents, requite our friends, forgive our enemies, exercise hospitality to strangers, assist the poor, to be just, kind, and charitable to all men; to believe a happy immortality prepared for those who despise the momentary death which you have power to inflict."
Probus: "Of what felicity is a man capable after death?"
Pollio: "There is no comparison between the happiness of this and the next life. The fleeting comforts of this mortal suite deserve not the name of goods, when compared with the permanent joys of eternity."
Probus: "This is foreign to our purpose; let us come to the point of the edict."
Pollio: "What is the purport of it?"
Probus: "That you must sacrifice to the gods."
Pollio: "Sacrifice I will not, let what will be the consequence; for it is written: He that shall sacrifice to devils, and not to God, shall be exterminated."
Probus: "Then you must resolve to die."
Pollio: "My resolution is fixed: do what you are commanded."
Probus then condemned him to be burnt alive; and the sentence was immediately executed a mile outside town (Attwater2, Benedictines, Husenbeth).
St. Patrick of Prusa; Several guards were scalded by the water which left Patrick untouched--much like the three children in the Babylonian furnace Patrick: "I do not contemn your gods, for no one can condemn what does not exist..."
Prusæ, in Bithynia, sanctórum Mártyrum Patrícii Epíscopi, Acátii, Menándri et Polyǽni.
 At Broussa in Bithynia, the holy martyrs Patrick, a bishop, Acatius, Menander, and Polyaenus.
 
Martyr with Polyaenus and Menander, put to death in Prusa, in the Roman province of Bithynia, in Asia Minor. No date can be attached to the event, but The account of his death, the Acts of Patrick, is considered by scholars to be authentic, although the names of the others were probably added to the calendar over succeeding centuries.

Patrick (Patricius), Acatius, Menander & Polyenus MM (RM) Date unknown (though it is recorded on May 19, this second feast celebrated by the Greeks).

The acta of Prusa's (Broussa in Bithynia) second bishop, Patrick, are considered authentic. The names of the others have been added in the early calendars. His acta say that Proconsul Julius of Bithynia, having come to Prusa to bath in its famous hot springs and sacrifice to the Esculapius and to Health, found himself refreshed and invigorated. He attributed his renewed well-being to these divinities and gratefully wanted to make a return by obliging Patrick to sacrifice to them.

He had the bishop brought before him and said, "You, who being led away by silly tales, are weak enough to invoke Christ, deny if you can the power of our gods, and their providential care over us. In granting us these mineral waters, endued by them with salutary virtues. I therefore insist on your sacrificing to Esculapius, as you hope to avoid being severely tormented for your non-compliance."

Patrick: "How many wicked things are contained in the few words you have bean uttering!"
Julius: "What wickedness can you discover in my discourse, who have advanced nothing in it but what is plain matter of fact? Are not the daily cures, wrought by these waters, clear and manifest? Don't we see and experience them?"
Patricius did not deny the salutary effects of the waters, nor the cures wrought by them, but endeavored to convince the governor and the listeners that these waters, and all other things, had received their being and perfection from the one only true God, and his Son Jesus Christ. And while he was endeavoring to account for their heat and ebullition, from secondary causes, he was interrupted by the proconsul's crying out:
"You pretend, then, that Christ made these waters, and gave them their virtue?"
Patrick: "Yes; without all doubt he did."
Julius: "If I throw you into these waters to punish you for your contempt of the gods, do you imagine your Christ, whom you suppose the maker of them, will preserve your life in the midst of them?"
Patrick: "I do not contemn your gods, for no one can contemn what does not exist: I would have you convinced that Jesus Christ can preserve my life, when I am thrown into these waters, as easily as he can permit them to take it away: and that whatever relates to me, or is to befall me, is perfectly known to him, as he is present everywhere; for not a bird falls to the ground, nor a hair from our heads, but by his good will and pleasure. This I would have all look upon as an oracle of truth itself; and that an eternal punishment in hell awaits all such as, like you, adore idols."

Enraged at these words, the proconsul commanded that Patrick be stripped and cast into the scalding water. As they carried out the order, he prayed: "Lord Jesus Christ, assist Your servant."

Several of the guards were scalded by the dashing of the water, which left Patrick untouched--much like the three children in the Babylonian furnace. Julius grew more angry that God protected the saint. He next ordered that Patrick be decapitated. The martyr, having recommended his soul to God by a short prayer, knelt down, and had his head struck off pursuant to the sentence. The faithful that were present at the execution carried off his body, and gave it a decent interment near the high road. Some name Constantinople as the chief place of his veneration and suggest that he suffered there and that his relics were preserved in a famous church which bore his name. Both the Greek and Roman calendars join him with Saint Acacius, Menander, and Polyaenus, who were also beheaded for the faith (Benedictines).
4th v. Probe and Germaine two were Irish virgins who refused marriage 4th century VV MM (AC)
These two were Irish virgins who refused marriage and were found near Laon, then murdered (Encyclopedia).
409  Medioláni sanctæ Valériæ Mártyris, uxóris sancti Vitális ac matris sanctórum Gervásii et Protásii.
      At Milan, the martyr St. Valeria, who was the wife of St. Vitalis and the mother of Saints Gervase and Protase.

Vitalis und Valeria von Ravenna Vitalis und Agricola
Katholische Kirche: Vitalis und Valeria - 28. April Katholische Kirche: Vitalis und Agricola - 4. November

Um 380 wurden in Bologna Reliquien aufgefunden und im Beisein von Bischof Ambrosius feierlich erhoben. Die Reliquien wurden Vitalis und Valeria zugeschrieben. Der Vitaliskult breitete sich in Italien schnell aus, im 6, Jahrhundert entstanden auch zwei Legenden. Nach der einen Legende war Vitalis ein reicher Italiener, der mit seiner Ehefrau Valeria und den Kindern Gervasius und Protasius in Mailand lebte. Vitalis stand einem Christen, der in Ravenna hingerichtet wurde, bei und wurde daraufhin ergriffen, gefoltert und lebendig verbrannt oder lebendig begraben oder enthauptet. Seine Ehefrau wurde ebenfalls hingerichtet. Ihr Martyrium soll unter Kaiser Mark Aurel geschehen sein.

Nach der anderen Legende soll Vitalis ein Sklave des Agricola in Bologna gewesen sein und mit diesem um 304 unter Diokletian das Martyrium erlitten haben. Agricola hatte seinen Sklaven zum Christentum bekehrt und als dieser das Martyrium erlitt, bekannte sich auch Agricola zu Christus. Er soll mit zahlreichen Nägeln durchbohrt und gekreuzigt worden sein. Ihre Leichen wurden auf dem jüdischen Friedhof von Bologna verscharrt, wo Ambrosius sie 393 erhob. Die katholische Kirche gedenkt dieser beiden Märtyrer am 4. November. Um 409 überführte Kaiserin Galla Placida Reliquien von Vitalis sowie von Gervasius und Protasius nach Ravenna. Möglicherweise liegt hier der Anlaß für die Zusammenfassung dieser Märtyrer zu einer Familie.
Auch die orthodoxe Kirche gedenkt am 28. April eines Märtyrers Vitalis
609 St. Artemius Bishop, mentor of St. Bond or Balthus.
Artemius a native of Sens, France, where he was appointed bishop. He trained St. Bond in the spiritual life.
Artemius of Sens B (AC) Born in Sens, France; Artemius became bishop of Sens. He admitted to public penance a Spaniard named Baldus (Bond), whom he trained to be a great saint (Benedictines).
626 St. Cronan of Roscrea founded fifty monasteries hermit in Ireland
From the Lives of Saintes by Alban Butler
640 AD ST CRONAN, ABBOT OF ROSCREA,
A MONASTERY which he founded in the county of Tipperary, in Ireland; which afterwards became a bishop's see, long since united to that of KillaLoe.
   St. Cronan died about the year 640, and was honored as titular saint of the church of Rosetta which was possessed of his relics.  See Usher's Antiq., p. 502.
626 ST CRONAN OF ROSCREA, ABBOT
St CRONAN of Roscrea was one of the greatest Irishmen of his age, but for the history of his life we have nothing more reliable than accounts compiled centuries after his death, apparently from oral traditions rather than from written records. His father’s name was Odran, and the saint was born in the district of Ely O’Carroll, in Offaly. Cronan made his first monastic settlement at Puayd, where he lived for some time, but afterwards he showed his charity in a fashion as practical as it was unusual, for we read that he built as many as fifty houses, which he relinquished one after another to anchorites who required homes. Moreover, he would take nothing away with him when he left these houses, and actually made one of his disciples do penance for the rest of his life because he had removed a sackful of things which he thought might prove useful.
St Cronan seems to have established communities at Lusmag in Offaly and at Monahincha near Roscrea, where a flourishing abbey, to which a school was attached, may perhaps be traced to his foundation. Not far off, beside the present bog of Monela, he built himself a cell at Seanross, and here he was visited by St Molua to whom he gave viaticum. Cronan became blind a few years before his death, which took place when he was an extremely old man. One of the strangest incidents recorded of St Cronan is thus summarized by Father John Ryan in his Irish Monasticism (1931): “He worked a miracle to provide his guests with beer, and the result was so successful that they all became inebriated.”
There is a Latin life printed in the Acta Sanctorum, April, vol. iii, and re-edited by Hummer in VSH., vol. ii, pp. 22—31. See also O’Hanlon, US., vol. iv, pp. 516 seq., and D. F. Gleeson, Roscrea (1947).

He was the son of Odran, born in Munster, or possibly Ely O’Carroll, Offaly, Ireland. Cronan founded fifty monasteries, the first at Puay and the most famous at Roscrea. He ended his life as a blind hermit.
Cronan of Roscrea, Abbot (AC) also known as Croman Born in Munster, Ireland; Cronan was a monk and maker of monks, but there are no reliable accounts of his life. He is patron of Roscrea, County Tipperary, one of the several monasteries that he founded, and highly venerated in the region (Attwater2, Benedictines, Encyclopedia, Gill, Husenbeth, Montague).
639 Gerard the Pilgrim (AC)
Gerard was one of four English pilgrims--the other three were Ardwine, Bernard, and Hugh--who died at Galinaro in southern Italy. Many scholars doubt their historicity (Benedictines).
   700 St. Pamphilus Bishop of Sulmona and Corfinium Abruzzi venerated for his deep sanctity gift of miracles
Corfínii, in Pelígnis, sancti Pámphili, Valvénsis Epíscopi, caritáte in páuperes et virtúte miraculórum illústris; cujus corpus Sulmóne cónditum est.
 At Corfinio in Peligno, St. Pamphilus, bishop of Valva, illustrious for his charity towards the poor and the gift of miracles.  His body was buried at Solmona.
700 ST PAMPHILUS, BISHOP OF SULMONA
DURING the last quarter of the seventh century there was living in the Abruzzi a bishop called Pamphilus, who ruled over the united dioceses of Sulmona and Corfinium. He was a very holy man, a zealous teacher, austere in his life and generous to the poor, but he aroused hostility by introducing certain innovations. On Sunday mornings he would rise shortly after midnight and, after the solemn singing of the night offices, he would proceed at once to celebrate Mass. Then he would distribute alms, and at daybreak would provide for the poor a meal which he shared with his guests.
   Some of his clergy and people strongly objected to this hour for offering the holy Sacrifice. They pointed out that no other bishop in Italy had Mass celebrated before the second or third hour. They actually went so far as to denounce him as an Arian to the pope, before whom he was summoned. So completely did Pamphilus succeed in vindicating his orthodoxy that the pontiff sent him home with a liberal donation for his poor. St Pamphilus was greatly venerated in his own neighbourhood, and his cultus afterwards spread to Germany.
See the Acta Sanctorum, April, vol. iii, where a short Latin life is printed, but of no great authority.

Italy. While venerated for his deep sanctity, he was nevertheless accused before Pope Sergius of being an Arian. The basis of the charge was that Pamphilus said Mass before sunrise on Sunday morning.
Completely vindicated, Pamphilus was sent a gift by the pope to be distributed to the poor. 

Pamphilus of Sulmona B (RM) Bishop Pamphilus of Sulmona (a see later joined to that of Valva) and Cofinium, in the Abruzzi, was accused by his flock to Pope Sergius of Arian practices, chiefly, it seems because of his singing Mass before daybreak on Sundays--but he completely vindicated himself (Attwater2, Benedictines).

Pamphilos und Porphyrios  Orthodoxe Kirche: 16. Februar - Pamphilos und Porphyrios  Katholische Kirche: 16. Februar / 28. April - Pamphilos (von Sulmona)
Der Presbyter Pamphilos und sein Diener Porphyrios wurden in der Verfolgung unter Diokletian hingerichtet.
Nach einer anderen Überlieferung war Pamphilos Bischof von Sulmona (Italien). Er lebte im 7. Jahrhundert. Er war den Armen gegenüber freigebig. Nach nächtlichem Gebet und Messen nach altem Ritus vor Sonnenaufgang frühstückte er mit Armen. Da die Gemeinden von ihren Priestern einen ebenso frommen Lebenswandel forderten, verdächtigten diese Pamphilos des Arianismus. Papst Sergius verhörte ihn, sprach ihn frei und gab ihm eine große Summe für seine Armen. Pamphilos starb um 700.
700 + Prudentius of Tarazona hermit priest bishop B (RM)
Turiasóne, in Hispánia Tarraconénsi, sancti Prudéntii, Epíscopi et Confessóris.
    At Tarrazona in Spain, St. Prudentius, bishop and confessor.

Born in Armentia, Alava, Spain; died in Tarazona, Spain, after 700. After having been a hermit for some years, Prudentius was ordained a priest and became bishop of Tarazona (not Tarragona) in Aragon. He is the patron of that diocese (Benedictines).
909 Blessed Adalbero of Augsburg monk  well-versed in science the arts esp music OSB B (PC)

Adalbero, scion of the family of the counts of Dillingen, was uncle to Saint Ulric. He became a monk in 850 and afterwards was successively abbot of Ellwangen, abbot-restorer of Lorsch, and bishop of Augsburg (after 887).
Adalbero also served as chief adviser of Arnulf of Bavaria, tutor to his son Louis, and regent of the Empire during the latter's childhood.
He was well-versed in science and the arts, especially in music (Benedictines).
1172 Blessed Gerard of Bourgogne, OSB Cist. Abbot (PC)
Gerard followed Saint Fastred(1163 - who followed Saint Bernard) as abbot of the Cistercian monastery of Cambron (Benedictines).
1182 Saint Cyril of Turov hermit monk to become an outstanding bishop preacher pre-Mongol Russia Greek tradition theological devotion B
1182 ST CYRIL, Bishop of Turov
CYRIL of Turov is one of the three outstanding figures in Russian Christian culture before the Mongol invasions (the other two are Clement Smoliatich and Hilarion, both metropolitans of Kiev). But in spite of this practically nothing is known about his life: if anybody wrote his biography it has not survived, and the chronicles tell us nothing.
   He lived during the middle of the twelfth century, and was first. a monk, then a recluse, and left his cell to be bishop of Turov, a town not far from Kiev. Professor Fedotov says of him that “From his writings one receives the impression of a man who stands very remote from life, even from the moral needs of life, and who is entirely elevated to the sphere of religious worship and thought, with its dogmatic or would-be dogmatic mysteries: he is a unique example of theological devotion in ancient Russia”.
It is remarkable about St Cyril of Turov that “he is nothing but an exponent of the Greek tradition on the Russian soil”, lacking any specifically Russian feature. Whether in fact he knew Greek and read the Greek fathers of the Church in the original tongue is debated: but on the whole it seems that he probably did not, and the extent of his patristic learning is undetermined. But he was the best biblical scholar among the early Russian writers, though Fedotov points out some remarkable inaccuracies. His interpretation was allegorical, and he carried it to extravagant lengths. His ascetical ideals, at any rate for monks, emphasized spiritual mortification, especially by way of obedience as the outward fruit of humility: “You are a piece of cloth, and you may be conscious of yourself only until someone picks you up: do not worry if you are then torn up for footwear”.
But it was as a preacher that St Cyril of Turov was most famous, and he faithfully followed his Greek models in their rhetoric and flowing oratory; but he never “unbends” as, for example, St John Chrysostom so often does, and he so ignores the practical application of his theology to human life that some have dismissed his sermons as pure oratory—overlooking that St Cyril was really carried away by the contemplation of divine mysteries.
The balance, both in manner and matter, is somewhat restored by certain prayers which he wrote; their language is more straightforward and they are predominantly concerned with the writer’s sinfulness and need of forgiveness. It was to bring forgiveness and salvation that God became man and died on the cross, and it was this divine salvation that provides the theme for some of the finest passages in Cyril’s sermons.
What part St Cyril of Turov took in the ecclesiastical affairs of his time is not known; it is recorded that he wrote certain letters about them, but they have been lost. He died in the year 1182.
There is a good deal about St Cyril and his sermons and writings in Professor Fedotov’s The Russian Religious Mind (1946), especially at pages 69-84 and 136—141. Cf. also general bibliographical notes under St Sergius of Radonezh on September 25.

Few details of the life of Saint Cyril survive. He was a hermit monk, who left his cell to become an outstanding bishop and preacher in pre-Mongol Russia.
Cyril is said to have been "an exponent of the Greek tradition on the Russian soil," "an unique example of theological devotion in ancient Russia," and a biblical scholar (Attwater2, Coulson).
Saint Cyril, Bishop of Turov, was born of rich parents in the thirties of the twelfth century in the city of Turov at the River Pripyat.

From his early years St Cyril eagerly read the sacred books and attained a profound understanding of them. He studied not only in Russian, but also in Greek. When he reached maturity St Cyril refused his inheritance and was tonsured in Turov's St Boris and Gleb monastery. He struggled much in fasting and prayer and taught the monks to obey the igumen. A monk who is not obedient to the igumen does not fulfill his vow, and therefore is not able to be saved.

Three writings of St Cyril on monastic life have survived, one of which, "A Narrative on the Black Clergy from the Old Law and from the New," may be ascribed to a period of his being in the monastery.
After a certain while St Cyril lived on a pillar, where he increased his asceticism, and meditated on the Holy Scripture. Many turned to him for counsel in the spiritual life.

St Cyril's holiness of life and profound enlightenment became known to many, and so he was chosen as Bishop of Turov.
   In 1169 St Cyril took part in a council censuring Bishop Theodore, who occupied the Vladimir-Suzdal cathedra and who sought to separate from the metropolitanate of Kiev. St Cyril denounced the heresy of Theodore and wrote many letters to the holy prince Andrew Bogoliubsky (July 4), in which he provided him instruction and guidance in discovering the cause of church disorders in the Rostov region.

Because of his love for solitude, St Cyril left his See (by the year 1182, Bishop Laurence is mentioned as the Bishop of Turov) and he devoted himself fully to spiritual writing. He composed a discourse on the yearly cycle of the Lord's Feasts, but not all of them have been preserved. The works of St Cyril deserve a place beside the works of the holy Fathers in book collections.
The most complete collection of works by St Cyril of Turov, published by Bishop Eugenius of Turov in 1880, includes:
Sermon on Palm Sunday, from Gospel accounts
Sermon on Holy Pascha on the Radiant Day of the Resurrection of Christ, from the prophetic accounts
Sermon on the Sunday after Pascha, on the Renewal of the Resurrection, on the Artos [loaf blessed on Pascha], and on Thomas Touching the Side of the Lord
Sermon on Taking down the Body of Christ and on the Myrrh-bearing Women, from the Gospel account, and in praise of Joseph on the Third Sunday After Pascha
Sermon on the Paralytic from Genesis and from the Gospel account, on the Fourth Sunday After Pascha
Sermon on the Blind man and the enmity of the Jews from the Gospel account, on the Fourth Sunday After Pascha
Sermon on the Ascension of the Lord, on Thursday of the Sixth Week After Pascha, from prophetic decrees, and on Raising the Race of Adam from Hades
Sermon on the Holy 318 Fathers, from the Holy Books, on Christ the Son of God, and in praise of the Fathers of the Holy Council of Nicea, on the Sunday Before Pentecost
Parable on the Blind and the Lame
Parable on the Human Soul, and on the Body, and on Breaking God's Commandments, and on the Resurrection of the Human Body, and on the Future Judgment, and on the Torment
Narrative on the Black Clergy, from the Old Testament and from the New, bearing a common form, and the accomplishing of this matter
To Igumen Basil: a Parable on the White Clergy, and on Monasticism, and on the Soul, and on Repentance
Letter of a certain Elder to the Blessed Archimandrite Basil on the Schema
Four Prayers on Sunday (after Matins, Hours, and two after Vespers)
Four Prayers on Monday
Four Prayers on Tuesday
Five Prayers on Wednesday (after Matins, Hours, and three after Vespers)
Three Prayers on Thursday (after Matins, Hours, Vespers)
Four Prayers on Friday (after Matins, Hours, and two after Vespers)
Six Prayers on Saturday (two after Matins, one after Hours, and three after Vespers)
Molieben Canon
Confession and Remembrance.

Later, the "Sermon on the Enlightenment of our Lord Jesus Christ" was discovered. The saint also composed a "Great Canon of Repentance to the Lord in Alphabetic Chapters."
As a theologian St Cyril believed his task was to discern the true and hidden meaning of various texts of Holy Scripture.

St Cyril died on April 28, 1183. His contemporaries regarded him as a Russian Chrysostom. The saint humbly wrote of himself: "I am not a harvester, but I gather sheaves of grain; I am not an artist in literary matters." He was always conscious of the sublime hierarchical service to which the Lord had called him: "If I were to speak of my own opinions, you would do well not to come to church, but I proclaim to you the Word of God. I read to you the accounts of Christ. I present to you the words of God, finer than gold or other stones, sweeter than mead or honeycomb, and you would be deprived of them by not coming to church, ... but I praise and bless those of you who do come."

Cyril of Turov, alternately Kirill of Turov (Church Slavonic Кѷриллъ Туровськiй, Belarusian: Кірыла Тураўскі, Russian: Кирилл Туровский; 1130–1182) was a bishop and saint of the Russian Orthodox Church. He was one of the first and finest theologians of Kievan Rus'; he lived in Principality of Turov, now southern Belarus.[3] His feast day in the Eastern Orthodox Church is on 28 April.

Cyril of Turov
For centuries Cyril of Turov enjoyed considerable prestige as a writer; his works were continuously copied and imitated. According to Zenkovsky's assessment of Cyril's heritage: "Cyril, Bishop of Turov, was probably the most accomplished master of Orthodox theology and the Byzantine style of writing. He had an excellent command of Greek and his literary achievements surpass those of any other Russian man of letters of that era. Of all his works, Cyril's sermon with the triumphant description of spring as the symbol of the Resurrection was the most popular." Indeed, this sermon is one of his best known works in which he creates some of his more compelling images like a simile comparing the melting of ice in the spring and Thomas's dissolving doubts about Christ's resurrection: "Ныне зима греховнаа покаянием престала есть и лед невериа богоразумием растаяся... лед же Фомина невериа показанием Христов ребр растаяся." [Today the winter of sin has stopped in repentance, and the ice of unbelief is melted by wisdom spring appears...] It is often emphasized that Kirill was an accomplished author who exerted influence on subsequent generations of East Slavs (continuing through the 17th century). The question of Kirill's heritage is problematic to some degree. First of all, there is the problem with the historically verifiable existence of Kirill of Turov; the questions as to whether he ever existed and who he might have been have not been answered definitively.

Biographic detailsare scant and because none come from sources contemporary with Kirill, many are debated. All we have in terms of his biography is a short Synaxarion Life: Life of Kirill of Turov (28 April) which was written no earlier than the mid-13th century. This terse formulaic composition draws heavily on the hagiographic conventions and yields very few historical details. He was born in a thriving town of Turov, the son of wealthy parents. He was characterized by extreme piety at a young age and he entered a monastery still a young man. In the monastery he was respected for his asceticism and his learned interpretation of biblical texts. He is said to be the consecrated bishop of Turov in the 1160s. With the support of the Metropolitan in 1169 he became involved in deposing Fedor, who occupied the bishopric of Rostov. Usually he is thought to have died in 1182. According to an alternative line of thought, he became a bishop after 1182, remaining a monk throughout the period of the 1160s and 1170s. Even the dates of Kirill's life and work are debated. The dates 1130-1182 had been commonly accepted but among notable scholars, Simon Franklin vigorously disputes them. Kirill's title the Bishop of Turov is usually agreed to be a later invention arising out of a desire to designate an appropriately high status to the author of extremely popular and influential words. Even though Kirill came to be known as the Bishop of Turov his works deal most extensively with a theme of monasticism. It is often emphasized that Kirill's points of reference are located within the walls of the monastery. Monks are Kirill's most frequent addressees.

Alternative names and attributions; Generally, Kirill's autographs are not available and the manuscript sources are separated from the assumed time of composition by centuries. The medieval habit of anonymity and pseudonymity further complicates the process of attribution. Apart from the very rare "Kirill of Turov" (even when this designation occurs, it tends to be just one of several variant readings), the headings in 'his' manuscripts include "Kirill the monk," "Kirill the philosopher," "Saint Kirill," "The Blessed father Kirill," "the blessed monk Kirill," "Kirill the unworthy monk," "the venerable Kirill." Given this variety of labels, 'Kirill's' texts invite several candidates for being their more likely authors (writers whose existence has been substantiated with historical facts). Hypothetically, each work can be allocated to one of several real Kirills and Cyrils: Cyril of Jerusalem (ca. 315-386); Cyril of Alexandria (d. 444); Cyril of Scythopolis (mid-sixth century); Konstantin-Cyril, apostle of the Slavs(d. 869); Metropolitan Kirill I of Kiev (1223–1233); Metropolitan Kirill II of Kiev (1243–1290); Bishop Kirill of Rostov (1231–1262); Kirill of Turov. There are also numerous Kirills who may have been active but were not recorded by chroniclers and hagiographers. Matters are further complicated by the fact, that these labels appear to have been used interchangeably as Simon Franklin points out.
Works
Prayer book by Kirill of Turov, 16th century manuscript. Questions of authorship notwithstanding, a remarkable corpus of works in different genres has been attributed to Kirill of Turov: festal homilies, monastic commentaries, some letters, and a cycle of prayers, other hymnological texts, several versions of a penitential Prayer Canon, a Canon of Olga and an abecedarian prayer. These works constitute what came to be known as Corpus Cyrillianium (which at its core has only eleven works which are agreed by the majority to be by Kirill of Turov.)
This is a 19th-century consensus which is generally assumed but continuously questioned. In manuscript sources, there are 23 prayers attributed to Kirill, as well as an additional nine unattributed prayers that are regularly copied together as a group. The prayers form a seven-day liturgical cycle. His homilies are also a cycle based on the ecclesiastical calendar from Palm Sunday to the Sunday before Pentecost. His allegorical commentaries are directed at a monastic audience.

As a scholar of Kyrill, C.M. MacRobert summarizes the state of scholarship: "Even if further early copies of the texts attributed to Kirill of Turov come to light, it may well not be possible to reconstruct his kanon in the form in which he wrote it—supposing that he did write it—or to determine the original wording of his prayers. The attempt to establish a canon of his liturgical works may ultimately be vain: what we have to deal with is not necessarily the recognizable oeuvre of one man, but rather a devotional tradition, a profoundly penitential spirituality which was cultivated among the East Slavs during the medieval period and taken up by other Orthodox Slavs under the pressure of social and political vicissitudes." Another problem that complicates any precise attribution is the traditionalism of the Corpus Cyrillianum and the genre itself. The Kirillic genres themselves are deliberately constructed so as to give an impression of timelessness and universality. Details of contemporary "relevance" yielding specific clues as to time, place, and people (like Kirill's admonition of Feodorek – Bishop Fedor of Rostov called so in depreciation) are rare and skillfully disguised. Kirill-the author identifies himself as a humble monk (following the tradition of humility topos) who fades before the ultimate author and authority of God. Here is an example of Kyrill's humility topos taken from "A Tale of a layman, and on monasticism, and on the soul, and on repentance"; by the most sinful monk Kirill, for Vasilij, abbot of the Caves: " And me: I beg you, do not spurn me like a dog, but remember me even here in your prayers, and there throw me scraps from that holy table, and may all Christians be judged worthy of that life, through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom glory with the Father and with the Holy Spirit, now and ever."And another one from: A Sermon for Low Sunday by the unworthy monk Kirill in praise of the resurrection, and concerning the paschal bread, and concerning Thomas's resting of the Lord's ribs: " The Church requires a great teacher and a wise interpreter to adorn the feast. But we are poor in word and dim in mind, and we lack the fire of the Holy Spirit to compose words to benefit the soul. Yet, for the love of the brethren that are with me, I shall say a few words concerning the renewal of the resurrection of Christ."

Style: Kirill's traditionalism
Most Kievan Rus' literature is based on the Eastern Christian tradition which came to Rus' from Byzantium via Slavonic translations originating mainly in Bulgaria. "The homiletic and exegetic genres are among the 'purest' versions of the rhetorical tradition inherited from Byzantium, relatively uncontaminated in language and structure," as Franklin affirms. These genres within the tradition of Christian rhetoric became Kievan elite culture, eagerly imitated by Rus' medieval authors who "played the game according to received rules". The Byzantines also valued the stability of form and expression-the impression of timelessness. Consequently, in creating their native tradition, Kievan writers drew on the "tradition one of whose higher aesthetic virtues was traditionalism itself". As Franklin sees it, Kirill's "self-imposed task was to perpetuate a tradition, not to change or modernize it; to become authoritative by following authority rather than by challenging it".

Kirill's works are not original in form because they closely follow the Byzantine style. In content it relies heavily on quotes from the Holy Texts. Kirill's texts are characterized by their extreme citationality. Simon Franklin in his most current English translation of the sermons numbers about 370 biblical quotation and allusions. Further textual sources for almost all of Kirill's works are also identified. They are works by early Christian and Byzantine churchmen that would have been available to Kirill in Slavonic translations: John Chrysostom, Epiphanius of Salamis, Ephrem of Syrus, Gregory of Nazianzus, Eusebius of Caesarea, and the scholia of Nicetas of Heraclea, Titus of Bostra, Theophylact of Ohrid, and the chronicler George the monk (George Hamartolus). As Ingunn Lunde points out, Kirill's technique of quotations is based on the convention of the epideictic discourse where the establishment of verbal correspondences and parallels through emphasis and amplification serve to invocation of the authority of the sacred texts. "What is essential is the recognition of certain layer of sacred texts or voice in the orators' discourse".
 If we accept the conventional attributions of works to Kyrill of Turov,
he can be justly named the most prolific extant writer of Kievan Rus'.
1260 St. Luchesio the first Franciscan tertiary works of mercy nursing sick visiting prisons gave away all his possessions to the poor
1260 BD LUCHESIO the birth-place of Luchesio, or Lucius, the first Franciscan tertiary
THE Val d’Elsa, then Florentine territory, was the birth-place of Luchesio, or Lucius, the first Franciscan tertiary. As a young man he was wholly engrossed in worldly interests, especially politics and money-making. So unpopular did he make himself by his violent partisanship of the Guelf cause that he found it advisable to leave Gaggiano, his native place, and to settle in Poggibonsi, where he carried on business as a provision merchant and money-lender.
   Then, when he was between thirty and forty a change came over him, partly perhaps as the result of the death of his children. His heart was touched by divine grace and he began to take interest in works of mercy, such as nursing the sick and visiting the prisons. He even gave away to the poor all his possessions, except a piece of land, which he determined to cultivate himself. Soon afterwards St Francis of Assisi came to Poggibonsi. He had for some time contemplated the necessity of forming an association for persons desiring to live the religious life in the world, but Luchesio and his wife Bonadonna were actually, it is said, the first man and woman to receive from the Seraphic Father the habit and cord of the third order.
  From that moment they gave themselves up to a penitential and charitable life. Sometimes Luchesio would give away every scrap of food that was in the house, and at first Bonadonna would demur, for she did not at once rise to such perfect trust in divine Providence: but experience taught her that God supplies His faithful children with their daily bread. Her husband attained to great sanctity, and was rewarded by ecstasies and the gift of healing. When it became evident that he had not long to live, his wife begged him to wait a little for her, so that she who had shared his sufferings here might participate in his happiness above. Her wish was granted, and she died shortly before her husband passed to his reward. Bd Luchesio’s cultus was confirmed in 1694.
Though a life of Bd Luchesio seems to have been written by a contemporary it has unfortunately not been preserved, and we are dependent upon that compiled a century later by Father Bartholomew Tolomei which is printed in the Acta Sanctorum, April, vol. iii. It is to be noted that this text by no means clearly asserts that Luchesio and his wife were the first to receive the habit as tertiaries; it rather implies the contrary. See also F. Van den Borne, Die Anfange des Franziskanischen Dritten Ordens (1925), and Léon, Auréole Séraphique (Eng. trans.), vol. ii, pp. 132—137.

The Val d'Elsa, then Florentine territory, was the birthplace of Luchesio, or Lucius, the first Franciscan tertiary. As a young man he was wholly engrossed in worldly interests, especially politics and money making. So unpopular did he make himself by his violent partisanship of the Guelf cause, that he found it advisable to leave Gaggiano, his native place, and to settle in Poggibonsi, where he carried on business as a provision merchant and money lender.
Then, when he was between thirty and forty, a change came over him, partly perhaps as the result of the death of his children. His heart was touched by divine grace and he began to take interest in works of mercy, such as nursing the sick and visiting the prisons. He even gave away to the poor, all his possessions, except a piece of land which he determined to cultivate himself. Soon afterwards St. Francis of Assisi came to Poggibonsi. He had for some time contemplated the necessity of forming an association for persons desiring to live the religious life in the world, but Luchesio and his wife Bonadonna were actually, it is said, the first man and woman to receive from the seraphic father, the habit and cord of the Third Order. From that moment they gave themselves up to a penitential and charitable life. Sometimes Luchesio would give away every scrap of food that was in the house, and at first, Bonadonna would demur, for she did not at once rise to such perfect trust in divine Providence: but experience taught her that God supplies His faithful children with their daily bread. Her husband attained to great sanctity, and was rewarded by ecstacies and the gift of healing. When it became evident that he had not long to live, his wife begged him to wait a little for her, so that she who had shared his sufferings here, might participate in his happiness above. Her wish was granted, and she died shortly before her husband passed to his reward. Blessed Luchesio's cultus was confirmed in 1694.
(also known as Luchesio, Lucius) Born near Poggibonsi, Umbria, Italy; Luchesius, a miserly grocer, money changer, and corn merchant, is venerated as the first Franciscan tertiary. About 1221, Saint Francis of Assisi relieved of him wicked practices by enlisting him in the Third Order along with his wife Blessed Bonadonna. Thereafter the couple spent their lives in almsdeeds and penance (Attwater2, Benedictines, Encyclopedia).
1716 Saint Louis de Monfort  founded the Congregation of the Daughters of Divine Wisdom
In pago sancti Lauréntii ad Séparim, diœcésis Lucionénsis, sancti Ludovíci Maríæ Grignion a Montfort, Confessóris, Fundatóris Missionariórum Societátis Maríæ et Filiárum a Sapiéntia, apostólicæ vitæ forma, prædicatióne et devotióne mariáli insígnis, quem Pius Papa Duodécimus Sanctórum catálogo adscrípsit.
    At St. Laurent sur Sèvres, in the diocese of Luçon, St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, confessor and founder of the Missionaries of the Company of Mary and the Sisters of Wisdom, a form of apostolic life.  He was renowned for his preaching and devotion to the Blessed Mother, and was added to the number of the saints by Pope Pius XII.
Born: Jan 31. 1673 Canonized: 1947 by Pope Pius XII He was born poor. Studied in Paris, and ordained in 1700. While a seminarian he delighted in researching the writings of Church Fathers, Doctors, and Saints as they related to the Blessed Virgin Mary, to whom he was singularly devoted.
  1716 St Louis Mary Of Montfort, Founder Of The Company Of Mary And Of The Daughters Of Wisdom
ST Louis Mary was the eldest of the eight children of John Baptist Grignion, and was born in modest circumstances at Montfort, then in the diocese of Saint-Malo, in 1673. After being educated at the Jesuit college in Rennes, he went at the age of twenty to Paris to prepare for the priesthood; but being unable through poverty to gain admittance to the seminary of Saint-Sulpice, he entered a small institution conducted by the Abbé de la Barmondière. At the abbé’s death he moved to a still more Spartan establishment: real penury reigned, and the wretched food was cooked by the students, who all in turn “had the pleasure of poisoning themselves”, as one of them afterwards ironically observed. Louis himself fell so dangerously ill that he had to be removed to the hospital. When at last he recovered, it was made possible for him to enter Saint-Sulpice to complete his religious course. We find him selected as one of the two exemplary students who were annually sent on pilgrimage to one of our Lady’s shrines, on this occasion Chartres.
                 His success while still a seminarist in giving catechetical instruction to the roughest and most undisciplined children in Paris, confirmed Louis Grignion in the desire to undertake apostolic work. Therefore, after his ordination in 1700, he spent a short time at Nantes with a priest, who trained men for home missions, before proceeding to Poitiers, where he was appointed chaplain to the hospital. In this institution for nursing the sick poor he soon produced a much-needed reformation, and organized from amongst the female staff and residents the nucleus of the congregation of Daughters of the Divine Wisdom, for whom he compiled a rule. Nevertheless the very improvements he introduced aroused resentment, and he was obliged to resign his post. At once he began to give missions to the poor, who flocked to hear him, but the bishop of Poitiers, at the instigation of the critics of Father Grignion, forbade him to preach in his diocese. Undismayed, he set off on foot for Rome to seek authority from Pope Clement XI, who received him encouragingly and sent him back to France with the title of missionary apostolic. As Poitiers remained closed to him, he returned to his native Brittany, where he embarked on a course of missions which he continued almost uninterruptedly until his death.
             Although the majority of parishes received St Louis Mary with open arms, adverse criticism continued to dog his steps, and he found himself excluded from certain churches and even dioceses by ecclesiastics of Jansenist proclivities. Moreover, his methods sometimes startled the conventional. He would invite his audience to bring their irreligious books to be burnt on a great pyre surmounted by an effigy of the Devil represented as a society-woman; or he would himself realistically act the part of a dying sinner whose soul was being contended for by the Devil and his guardian angel, personated by two other priests standing beside his prostrate form. But, if he seemed to appeal to the emotions, the response he elicited was frequently practical and lasting. It often expressed itself in the restoration of some dilapidated church, in the setting up of huge memorial crosses, in liberal alms to the poor and in a real spiritual revival.  
                     Nearly sixty years after the holy man’s death, the curé of Saint-La declared that many of his parishioners still practised the devotions Louis had inculcated in one of his missions. The first and foremost of these was the rosary, for the recitation of which he established numerous confraternities. Then there were hymns or metrical prayers of his own composition, many of which are sung to this day in parts of France. It seems to have been his great love for the rosary which led him to become a tertiary of the order of St Dominic.  But St Louis did not confine his evangelistic efforts to his missions—he believed in preaching the word of God in season and out of season. On one occasion, when travelling on a market-boat between Rouen and Dinant, he asked his fellow passengers, who were singing obscene songs, to join him in the rosary. Twice they answered his invitation with jeers, but eventually they not only recited it reverently on their knees, but also listened attentively to the homily with which he followed it. Another day-it was a rough alfresco dance which he brought to an end in the same way.
          Perhaps his greatest triumphs were won in the Calvinistic stronghold of La Rochelle, where he held several crowded missions in rapid succession, and reconciled a number of Protestants to the Church. St Louis had long desired to form an association of missionary priests, but it was only a few years before his death that he succeeded in attaching to himself a few ordained men who became the first Missionaries of the Company of Mary. He was in the midst of a mission at Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre when he was attacked by a sudden illness which proved fatal. He was only forty-three years of age when he died in 1716.
Apart from his verses and hymns, St Louis Mary Grignion’s chief literary work was the well-known treatise on “True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin”, in which a renewal of interest was caused by his canonization in 1947.
Leaving out of account earlier biographies, such as those of the contemporary J. Grandet and of P. de Clorivière (1775), special mention must be made of A. Laveille’s Le b,. L.-M. Grignion de Montfort d’après des documents inédits (1907); but there are many other Lives in French, among the more recent being those by G. Bernoville (1946) and Fr Morineau (1947). L. Jac’s volume in the series “Les Saints” can also be recommended. There is a long life in Italian by Cardinal E. Tisserant (1943). The fullest work in English is Dr Cruikshank’s Ad Louis Marie Grignon de Montfort and His Devotion (2 vols., 1892); see also a shorter life by Fr E. C. Bolger (1952). For the testament dictated by the saint just before he died, see Analecta Bollandiana, vol. lxviii (1950), pp. 464—474.

Under Mary's inspiration, he founded the Congregation of the Daughters of Divine Wisdom, a religious institute of women devoted to the care of the destitute. During this work, he began his apostolate of preaching the Rosary and authentic Marian devotion. He preached so forcefully and effectively against the errors of Jansenism that expelled from several dioceses in France. In Rome, Pope Clement XI conferred on him the title and authority of "Missionary Apostolic", which enabled him to continue his apostolate after returning to France. He preached about the Blessed Mother Mary everywhere and to everyone. A member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic, Saint Louis was one of the greatest apostles of the Rosary in his day, and by means his miraculously inspiring book, "The Secret of the Rosary", he is still so today; the most common manner of reciting the Rosary is the method that originated with Saint Louis's preaching. In 1715, he founded a missionary band known as the Company of Mary. His greatest contribution to the Church and world is Total Consecration

St. Louis de Montfort
Confessor, Marian devotee, and founder of the Sisters of Divine Wisdom He was born Louis Maie Grignon in Montfort, France, in 1673. Educated at Rennes, he was ordained there in 1700, becoming a chaplain in a hospital in Poitiers. His congregation, also called the Daughters of Divine Wisdom, started there. As his missions and sermons raised complaints, Louis went to Rome, where Pope Clement XI appointed him as a missionary apostolic. Louis is famous for fostering devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Rosary. In 1715, he also founded the Missionaries of the Company of Mary. His True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin remains popular. Louis died at Saint-Laurent-sur-Sevre. He was canonized in 1947.
1775 Sancti Pauli a Cruce, Presbyteri et Confessóris; qui Congregatiónis a Cruce et Passióne Dómini nostri Jesu Christi nuncupátæ Institútor fuit, atque in Dómino obdormívit quintodécimo Kaléndas Novémbris.
 St. Paul of the Cross, priest and confessor, founder of the Congregation of the Cross and Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He went to his repose in the Lord on the 18th of October.
St. Paul of the Cross Paul Francis Daneii, born at Ovada, Genoa, Italy, 3 January, 1694; died in Rome, 18 October, 1775.
1775 St Paul Of The Cross, Founder Of The Barefooted Clerks Of The Holy Cross And Passion
THE founder of the Passionists, St Paul-of-the-Cross, was born at Ovada in the republic of Genoa in 1694—the year which saw also the birth of Voltaire.

Paul Francis, as he was called, was the eldest son of Luke Danei, a business man of good family, and his wife, both exemplary Christians. Whenever little Paul shed tears of pain or annoyance his mother used to show him the crucifix with a few simple words about the sufferings of our Lord, and thus she instilled into his infant mind the germs of that devotion to the Sacred Passion which was to rule his life. The father would read aloud the lives of the saints to his large family of children, whom he often cautioned against gambling and fighting. Although Paul seems to have been one of those chosen souls who have given themselves to God almost from babyhood, yet at the age of fifteen he was led by a sermon to conclude that he was not corresponding to grace. Accordingly, after making a general confession, he embarked on a life of austerity, sleeping on the bare ground, rising at midnight, spending hours in prayer, and scourging himself. In all these practices he was imitated by his brother John Baptist, his junior by two years. He also formed a society for mutual sanctification among the youths of the neighbourhood, several of whom afterwards joined religious communities.
     In 1714 Paul went to Venice in response to the appeal of Pope Clement XI for volunteers to fight in the Venetian army against the Turks, but a year later he obtained his discharge, having discovered that the army was not his vocation. Convinced that he was not meant to lead the ordinary life in the world he refused a good inheritance and a promising marriage; but before he or his directors could perceive his true vocation he was to spend (at Castellazzo in Lombardy, then his home) several years in almost unbroken prayer which sometimes attained to the highest degree of contemplation.
         During the summer of 1720, in three extraordinarily vivid visions, Paul beheld a black habit with the name of Jesus in white characters, surmounted by a white cross, emblazoned upon the breast. On the third occasion our Lady, attired in the tunic, told him that he was to found a congregation, the members of which would wear that habit and would mourn continually for the passion and death of her Son. A written description of these visions was submitted to the bishop of Alessandria, who consulted several spiritual guides, including Paul’s former director, the Capuchin Father Columban of Genoa. In view of the heroic life of virtue and prayer led by the young man since his childhood, all agreed that the call must have come from God. The bishop therefore authorized him to follow his vocation and invested him with the black habit, stipulating, however, that the badge was not to be worn until papal approval had been obtained. Paul’s next step was to compose a rule for the future congregation. He retired for a forty days’ retreat into a dark, damp, triangular cell adjoining the sacristy of St Charles’s church at Castellazzo, where he lived on bread and water and slept on straw. The rules which he drew up at that time, without book or earthly guide, are substantially the regulations followed by the Passionists to-day. It was during this retreat that the saint first felt impelled to pray for the conversion of England: “That country is always before my eyes””, he said in later years. “If England again becomes Catholic, immeasurable will be the benefits to Holy Church.”
For a short time after the retreat he remained with John Baptist and another disciple in the neighbourhood of Castellazzo, rendering assistance to the local clergy by catechizing the children and giving missions, which were very successful. Nevertheless he soon realized that if he wished to carry out his vocation he must seek the highest sanction. Bareheaded, barefoot and penniless, he set out for Rome, refusing the escort of John Baptist beyond Genoa. Upon his arrival he presented himself at the Vatican, but as he had not thought of providing himself with an introduction or credentials he was turned away. He accepted the rebuff as a sign that his hour was not yet come, and started on his homeward journey, visiting on the way the solitary slopes of Monte Argentaro, which the sea almost severs from the mainland. So great was the attraction he felt to this spot that he soon returned to it, accompanied by John Baptist, to lead in one of its derelict hermitages a life almost as austere as that of the fathers in the desert. They left for a time to stay in Rome, where they were ordained to the sacred ministry, but in 1727 they made their way back to Monte Argentaro, prepared to start their first house of retreat on the strength of the papal permission Paul had received to accept novices.
         Numerous were the difficulties with which they had to contend. Their first recruits found the life too hard and all withdrew; war was threatening; benefactors who had offered assistance declared themselves unable to fulfil their undertakings; a serious epidemic broke out in the nearest villages. Paul and John Baptist, who had received faculties for missionary work soon after they had left Rome: went about fearlessly ministering to the dying, nursing the sick, and reconciling sinners to God. The missions they thus inaugurated proved so fruitful that more distant towns applied for the services of the missioners. Fresh novices came—not all of whom remained—and in 1737 the first Passionist Retreat (as their monasteries are called) was completed. The little band could now move from its inadequate quartets in the old hermitage. From this time onwards there was a steady progress, although many trials and disappointments had still to be faced. In 1741 Pope Benedict XIV granted a general approbation to the rules after their severity had been somewhat mitigated, and immediately a number of promising candidates offered themselves. Six years later, when the congregation had three houses, the first general chapter was held. By this time the fame of the Passionists, of their missions and of their austerity, was spreading throughout Italy. St Paul himself evangelized in person nearly every town in the Papal States as well as a great part of Tuscany, taking always as his theme the Sacred Passion. When, cross in hand, with arms outstretched, he preached about the sufferings of Christ, his words seemed to pierce the stoniest hearts and when he scourged himself pitilessly in public for the offences of the people, hardened soldiers and even bandits wept, confessing their sins. “Father, I have been in great battles without ever flinching at the cannon’s roar”, exclaimed an officer who was attending one of the missions. “But when I listen to you I tremble from head to foot.” Afterwards in the confessional the apostle would deal tenderly with his penitents, confirming them in their good resolutions, leading them on to amendment of life and suggesting practical aids to perseverance.
           St Paul-of-the-Cross was endowed with extraordinary gifts. He prophesied future events, healed the sick, and even during his lifetime appeared on various occasions in vision to persons far away. In the cities which he visited crowds followed him, desiring to touch him or to carry off some fragment of his habit as a relic, but he deprecated all tokens of esteem. In 1765 he had the grief of losing John Baptist, from whom he had scarcely ever been separated and to whom he was united by a bond of love as rare as it was beautiful. Unlike in disposition, the one brother seemed the complement of the other as they strove side by side to attain to perfection. Since their ordination they had been each other’s confessors, inflicting penances and reproofs in turn. Once only had a shadow of disagreement ever arisen between them, and that was upon the only occasion John Baptist ever ventured to praise his brother to his face. St Paul’s humility was so deeply wounded that he put them both to penance, forbidding his brother to approach him. Not until the third day, when John Baptist crept on his knees to implore pardon, did the cloud lift—never to descend again. It was in memory of the close association between the two men that Pope Clement XIV long afterwards bestowed upon St Paul-of-the-Cross the Roman basilica dedicated in the names of Saints John and Paul.
          The new institute in 1769 received from Clement XIV the final authorization which placed it on the same footing as other approved religious institutes. Now St Paul would fain have retired into solitude, for his health was failing and he thought that his work was done. His sons, however, would have no other superior, whilst the pope, who was greatly attached to him, insisted upon his spending part of the year in Rome. During the latter part of his life, he was much preoccupied by arrangements for the establishment of Passionist nuns. After many disappointments the first house was opened at Corneto in 1771, but the founder was not well enough to be present, nor did he ever see his spiritual daughters in their habit. So ill was he indeed during this year, that he sent to ask for the papal blessing, only to be told by Pope Clement that he must live a little longer because he could not yet be spared. The saint actually rallied and survived for three years, dying in Rome on October 18, 1775, at the age of eighty. His canonization took place in 1867.

Apart from the depositions of witnesses in the process of beatification, the most important contribution which has been made to the history of the founder of the Passionists is the publication in 1924 of his letters, in four volumes Lettere di S. Paolo della Croce, disposte ed annotate dal P. Amadeo della Madre del Buon Pastore.
           In particular the spiritual journal of the forty days’ retreat made at Castellazzo in 1720 is worthy of attention as enabling the reader better than any other document to enter into the workings of St Paul’s soul. Other biographies are numerous in most European languages. The earliest was that written by St Vincent Strambi of which an English version in three volumes was published in 1853 in the Oratorian series. A revised edition of the English life by Father Pius a Spiritu Sancto was issued in 1924, and there is a study by Father Edmund, c.p., Hunter of Souls (1946). Several others might be cited, but the religious names of their authors, such as “Father Pius of the Name of Mary”, “Father Louis of Jesus Agonizing”, not to speak of “Father Amadeus of the Mother of the Good Shepherd”, mentioned above, do not encourage the bibliographer to make a long catalogue.

His parents, Luke Danei and Anna Maria Massari, were exemplary Catholics. From his earliest years the crucifix was his book, and the Crucified his model. Paul received his early education from a priest who kept a school for boys, in Cremolino, Lombardy. He made great progress in study and virtue; spent much time in prayer, heard daily Mass, frequently received the Sacraments, faithfully attended to his school duties, and gave his spare time to reading good books and visiting the churches, where he spent much time before the Blessed Sacrament, to which he had an ardent devotion. At the age of fifteen he left school and returned to his home at Castellazzo, and from this time his life was full of trials. In early manhood he renounced the offer of an honourable marriage; also a good inheritance left him by an uncle who was a priest. He kept for himself only the priest's Breviary.

Inflamed with a desire for God's glory he formed the idea of instituting a religious order in honour of the Passion. Vested in a black tunic by the Bishop of Alessandria, his director, bearing the emblem of our Lord's Passion, barefooted, and bareheaded, he retired to a narrow cell where he drew up the Rules of the new congregation according to the plan made known to him in a vision, which he relates in the introduction to the original copy of the Rules. For the account of his ordination to the priesthood, of the foundation of the Congregation of the Passion, and the approbation of the Rules, see PASSIONISTS. After the approbation of the Rules and the institute the first general chapter was held at the Retreat of the Presentation on Mount Argentaro on 10 April, 1747. At this chapter, St. Paul, against his wishes, was unanimously elected first superior general, which office he held until the day of his death. In all virtues and in the observance of regular discipline, he became a model to his companions. "Although continually occupied with the cares of governing his religious society, and of founding everywhere new houses for it, yet he never left off preaching the word of God, burning as he did with a wondrous desire for the salvation of souls" (Brief of Pius IX for St. Paul's Beatification, 1 Oct., 1852). Sacred missions were instituted and numerous conversions were made. He was untiring in his Apostolic labours and never, even to his last hour, remitted anything of his austere manner of life, finally succumbing to a severe illness, worn out as much by his austerities as by old age.

Among the distinguished associates of St. Paul in the formation and extension of the congregation were: John Baptist, his younger brother and constant companion from childhood, who shared all his labours and sufferings and equaled him in the practice of virtue; Father Mark Aurelius (Pastorelli), Father Thomas Struzzieri (subsequently Bishop of Amelia and afterwards of Todi), and Father Fulgentius of Jesus, all remarkable for learning, piety, and missionary zeal; Venerable Strambi, Bishop of Macerata and Tolentino, his biographer. Constant personal union with the Cross and Passion of our Lord was the prominent feature of St. Paul's sanctity. But devotion to the Passion did not stand alone, for he carried to a heroic degree all the other virtues of a Christian life. Numerous miracles, besides those special ones brought forward at his beatification and canonization, attested the favour he enjoyed with God. Miracles of grace abounded, as witnessed in the conversion of sinners seemingly hardened and hopeless. For fifty years he prayed for the conversion of England, and left the devotion as a legacy to his sons. The body of St. Paul lies in the Basilica of SS. John and Paul, Rome. He was beatified on 1 October, 1852, and canonized on 29 June, 1867. His feast occurs on 28 April. [Editor's note: It was later transferred to 19 October.] The fame of his sanctity, which had spread far and wide in Italy during his life, increased after his death and spread into all countries. Great devotion to him is practiced by the faithful wherever Passionists are established.
1840 St. John Baptist Thanh native catechist Martyr of Vietnam
John was associated with priests of the Society of Foreign Missions. He was executed in the anti-Christian persecutions. Pope John Paul II canonized him in 1988.
1840 St. Peter Hieu catechist native Vietnamese martyr
He joined the Foreign Missions of Paris and served as a catechist to his own people. Arrested by government authorities, he and two companions were beheaded. He was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1988.
Blessed Paul Khoan, Peter Hieu, & John Baptist Thauh MM (AC) beatified in 1900 (they may be included in the Martyrs of Vietnam who were canonized in 1988). During the first 20 years of the 19th century, Christianity made steady progress in Vietnam until it was dramatically interrupted by the persecution of the Annamite king Minh-Mang (1820-1841).

From 1832, Minh excluded all foreign missionaries and ordered Vietnamese Christians to renounce their faith by trampling on the crucifix. Churches were destroyed and evangelization forbidden. Death and hardship was the lot of those who continued to hold on to the faith. Some of those captured were drugged to induce temporary retractions: others endured fearsome tortures, including cutting of the limbs joint by joint.

Paul Khoan was a native of Tonkin, and a priest attached to the Paris Foreign Missions Society for 40 years. He was in prison for two years before he was beheaded. Peter Hieu and John Baptist Thauh were also natives of Tonkin and catechists attached to the society. They were beheaded with Khoan (Benedictines, Farmer).
1841 St. Peter Chanel Priest Martyred in the New Hebrides; model pupil, vicar, parish priest, model of missionary intelligence and simple piety
1841     ST PETER MARY CHANEL, MARTYR
THE first martyr of Oceania and of the Society of Mary, Peter Louis Mary Chanel, was born in 1803 in the diocese of Belley. Set to mind his father’s sheep from the age of seven, he was one day noticed by the Abbé Trompier, parish priest of Cras, who was struck by his intelligence and piety, and obtained leave from the boy’s parents to educate him in the little Latin school which he had started. “He was the flower of my flock”, the curé was wont afterwards to declare, and indeed both as a student at Cras and in the seminary Peter won the affectionate esteem of masters and pupils alike. A bishop who was very welt acquainted with him said, “He had a heart of gold with the simple faith of a child, and he led the life of an angel”.
A year after his ordination he was appointed to the parish of Crozet—a district which bore a bad reputation. In the three years he remained there he brought about a great revival of religion, his devotion to the sick opening to him many doors which would otherwise have remained closed. But his heart had long been set on missionary work, and in 1831 he joined the Marists, who had recently formed themselves into a society for evangelistic work at home and abroad.

    His aspirations were not at once realized, for he was given professorial work for five years in the seminary of Belley.

   However, in 1836, Pope Gregory XVI gave canonical approval to the new congregation, and St Peter was one of a small band of missionaries commissioned to carry the faith to the islands of the Pacific. Peter with one companion went to the island of Futuna in the New Hebrides. They were well received by the people, whose confidence they gained by healing the sick. But after the missionaries had acquired the language and had begun to teach, the chieftain’s jealousy was aroused. Suspicion turned to hatred when his own son expressed a desire for baptism, and on April 28, 1841, he sent a band of warriors, one of whom felled St Peter with his club and the rest cut up the martyr’s body with their hatchets. The missionary’s death swiftly completed the work he had begun, and within a few months the whole island was Christian.
     Peter was canonized in 1954, and his feast is kept in Australia and New Zealand as well as by the Marists.
There is a French biography by C. Nicolet (1920). See also J. Hervier, Les missions marines en Océanie (1902); and F. Gilmore, The Martyr of Futuna (1917).

The protomartyr of the South Seas, St. Peter Chanel was born in 1803 at Clet in the diocese of Belley, France. His intelligence and simple piety brought him to the attention of the local priest, Father Trompier, who saw to his elementary education.

Entering the diocesan Seminary, Peter won the affection and the esteem of both students and professors. After his ordination he found himself in a rundown country parish and completely revitalized it in the three year span that he remained there. However, his mind was set on missionary work; so, in 1831, he joined the newly formed Society of Mary (Marists) which concentrated on missionary work at home and abroad. To his dismay, he was appointed to teach at the seminary at Belley and remained there for the next five years, diligently performing his duties.

In 1836, the Society was given the New Hebrides in the Pacific as a field for evangelization, and the jubilant St. Peter was appointed Superior of a little band of missionaries sent to proclaim the Faith to its inhabitants. On reaching their destination after an arduous ten month journey, the band split up and St. Peter went to the Island of Futuna accompanied by a laybrother and an English layman, Thomas Boog. They were at first well received by the pagans and their king Niuliki who had only recently forbidden canabalism. However, the kings jealousy and fear were aroused when the missionaries learned the language and gained the people's confidence; he realized the adoption of the Christian Faith would lead to the abolition of some of the prerogatives he enjoyed as both highpriest and sovereign. Finally, when his own son expressed a desire to be baptized, the king's hatred erupted and he dispatched a group of his warriors to set upon the saintly head of the missionaries.

Thus, on April 28, 1841, three after his arrival, St. Peter was seized and clubbed to death by those he had come to save. And his death brought his work to completion - within five months the entire island was converted to Christianity.

Peter Louis Mary Chanel, Priest M (AC) Born at Cluet, near Belley, France, in 1803; died on Futuna, Oceania, in April 28, 1841; canonized in 1954.
Peter Chanel was a model pupil, model vicar, model parish priest, and model missionary. He began life as a shepherd to his father's sheep. The Abbé Trompier of the parish of Cras, however, recognized the intelligence and devoutness of the young boy and obtained permission to have Peter attend the small school he had started. Peter performed well and went on to the seminary.

After his ordination in 1827, he was given the parish of Crozet, which had earned a bad reputation. Over three years, his attendance to the sick gained the confidence of the parishioners and brought about a spiritual revival.

In 1831, wishing to become a missionary, the peasant's son was one of the first to join the missionary Society of Mary which was formed at Lyons, France, in 1822, but taught another five years in the seminary of Belley. In 1836, the Marists received papal approval, and Peter was sent with a small band of missionaries to New Hebrides in the Pacific. With a lay-brother and an English layman, Thomas Boog, Peter went to the Islands of Futuna, under French sovereignty near Fiji, where cannibalism had only recently been forbidden by the local ruler, Niuliki.

The missionaries gained the confidence of the people by attending the sick, learning the language, and beginning to teach. The chieftain Niuliki became jealous of their influence, however, and was further angered when his own son said he wished to be baptized. Three years after his arrival, when his companions were away, Peter was attacked by a band of warriors who killed him with a club and cut up his body with their hatchets.

His martyrdom served his cause, however, for within a few months the island was Christianized. When called upon to justify his conversion, one of Chanel's catechumens had said of him, "He loves us. He does what he teaches. He forgives his enemies. His teaching is good."

Because he was the first martyr of the South Seas, Peter Chanel is the patron of Oceania (Attwater, Benedictines, Bentley, Delaney, Encyclopedia, White).
1962 Saint Gianna Beretta Molla M.D. gave special attention to mothers babies elderly and the poor gave her life to save that of her child (AC) Canonized May 16 2004
Pope John Paul II  Homily Canonization of Gianna Beretta Molla  May 15, 2004
 Gianna Beretta Molla was a simple, but more than ever, significant messenger of divine love. In a letter to her future husband a few days before their marriage, she wrote:
"Love is the most beautiful sentiment the Lord has put into the soul of men and women".
 Following the example of Christ, who "having loved his own... loved them to the end" (Jn 13: 1), this holy mother of a family remained heroically faithful to the commitment she made on the day of her marriage.
The extreme sacrifice she sealed with her life testifies that only those who have the courage to give of themselves totally to God and to others are able to fulfill themselves.

"The extreme sacrifice that sealed her life is a testimony as only a person who has the courage to give themselves completely to God and to their brothers and sisters can make. May our age discover once again through the example of Gianna Beretta Molla, the pure, chaste and fruitful beauty of conjugal love, lived as a response to the divine call!".

Born in Magenta (near Milan), Italy, on October 4, 1922; died April 28, 1962. Gianna Beretta, the tenth of 13 children, was raised and educated by pious parents, who taught her the life is a great gift from God to be embraced with gratitude. Consequently, she had a strong hope in God's providence and was convinced of the effectiveness of prayer.

As a teenager and young adult, she was a member of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society and volunteered her time to work among the elderly and poor. At the same time she diligently applied herself to her studies, earning degrees in medicine and surgery from the University of Pavia in 1949. The following year, she opened a medical clinic in Mesero near her hometown. She specialized in pediatrics at the University of Milan in 1952 and thereafter gave special attention to mothers, babies, the elderly, and the poor.

Gianna saw medicine as her means of serving the Creator; thus, she increased her generous service to Catholic Action. Yet, unlike many of the earlier saints, Gianna exhibited a real joy for living. She loved skiing and trekking through the mountains. Some thought that such a good Christian woman should enter the convent; but after prayerful reflection, she knew that her vocation was marriage and cooperation with God "to forming a truly Christian family."

On September 24, 1955, she married Pietro Molla in Saint Martin's Basilica in Magenta, and she became a happy wife. Gianna was no cardboard saint. She knew and joyfully embraced the demands of balancing her obligations as a career woman, wife, and mother. In November 1956, to her great joy, she became the mother of Pierluigi; in December 1957 of Mariolina; in July 1959 of Laura.

In September 1961, towards the end of the second month of pregnancy, she discovered that she had developed a fibroma in her uterus. Before the required surgical operation, and conscious of the risk that her continued pregnancy brought, she pleaded with the surgeon to save the life of the child she was carrying, and entrusted herself to God's care. The life was saved, for which she thanked the Lord. She spent the next seven months joyfully dedicating herself to her tasks as mother and doctor; however, she was worried that the baby in her womb might be born in pain, and she asked God to prevent that.

A few days before the child was due, although trusting as always in Providence, she was ready to give her life in order to save that of her child: "If you must decide between me and the child, do not hesitate: choose the child--I insist on it. Save the baby." Thus, Gianna Emanuela was born on the morning of April 21, 1962. Despite all efforts to save both mother and child, today's saint died less than a week later in horrible pain. After repeatedly exclaiming, "Jesus, I love you. Jesus, I love you," the mother died. She was 39 years old. Her funeral was an occasion of profound grief, faith and prayer.
The body of the new blessed lies in the cemetery of Mesero near Magenta (L'Osservatore Romano, 4/27/94).



THE PSALTER OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY PSALM 348

My enemies have often troubled me from my youth up: deliver me, O Lady, and vindicate my cause from them.

Give them not power over my soul: keep my interior and my exterior.

Obtain for us pardon for our sins: let it be given to us by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Make us do penance worthily and praiseworthily: that we may come to God by a blessed end.

Show us then with a gracious and serene countenance: the glorious fruit of thy womb.

Let every spirit praise Our Lady

Rejoice, ye Heavens, and be glad, O Earth: because Mary will console her servants and will have mercy on her poor.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost as it was in the beginning and will always be.

God loves variety. He doesn't mass-produce his saints. Every saint is unique, for each is the result of a new idea.  As the liturgy says: Non est inventus similis illis--there are no two exactly alike. It is we with our lack of imagination, who paint the same haloes on all the saints. Dear Lord, grant us a spirit that is not bound by our own ideas and preferences.  Grant that we may be able to appreciate in others what we lack in ourselves. O Lord, grant that we may understand that every saint must be a unique praise of Your glory. Catholic saints are holy people and human people who lived extraordinary lives.  Each saint the Church honors responded to God's invitation to use his or her unique gifts.   God calls each one of us to be a saint in order to get into heaven:  only saints are allowed into heaven. The more "extravagant" graces are bestowed NOT for the benefit of the recipients so much as FOR the benefit of others.
There are over 10,000 named saints beati  from history
 and Roman Martyology Orthodox sources
Patron_Saints.html  Widowed_Saints html  Indulgences The Catholic Church in China
LINKS: Marian Shrines   India Marian Shrine Lourdes of the East   Lourdes 1858  China Marian shrines 1995
Kenya national Marian shrine  Loreto, Italy  Marian Apparitions (over 2000)  Quang Tri Vietnam La Vang 1798
  Links to Related MarianWebsites  Angels and Archangels  Saints Visions of Heaven and Hell
Widowed Saints  html
Doctors_of_the_Church   Acts_Of_The_Apostles  Roman Catholic Popes  Purgatory  Uniates  Chalcedon
Mary the Mother of Jesus Miracles_BC  Lay Saints  Miraculous_Icons  Miraculous_Medal_Novena Patron Saints
Miracles by Century 100   200   300   400   500   600   700    800   900   1000    1100   1200   1300   1400  1500  1600  1700  1800  1900 2000
Miracles 100   200   300   400   500   600   700    800   900   1000  
 1100   1200   1300   1400  1500  1600  1700  1800   1900 Lay Saints

The great psalm of the Passion, Chapter 22, whose first verse “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
Jesus pronounced on the cross, ended with the vision: “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord;
and all the families of the nations shall worship before him” For kingship belongs to the LORD, the ruler over the nations. All who sleep in the earth will bow low before God; All who have gone down into the dust will kneel in homage. And I will live for the LORD; my descendants will serve you. The generation to come will be told of the Lord, that they may proclaim to a people yet unborn the deliverance you have brought.
Pope Benedict XVI to The Catholic Church In China {whole article here} 2000 years of the Catholic Church in China
The saints “a cloud of witnesses over our head”, showing us life of Christian perfection is possible.

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Saint Frances Xavier Seelos  Practical Guide to Holiness
1. Go to Mass with deepest devotion. 2. Spend a half hour to reflect upon your main failing & make resolutions to avoid it.
3. Do daily spiritual reading for at least 15 minutes, if a half hour is not possible.  4. Say the rosary every day.
5. Also daily, if at all possible, visit the Blessed Sacrament; toward evening, meditate on the Passion of Christ for a half hour, 6.  Conclude the day with evening prayer & an examination of conscience over all the faults & sins of the day.
7.  Every month make a review of the month in confession.
8. Choose a special patron every month & imitate that patron in some special virtue.
9. Precede every great feast with a novena that is nine days of devotion. 10. Try to begin & end every activity with a Hail Mary
My God, I believe, I adore, I trust and I love Thee.  I beg pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not
O most Holy trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly.  I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the Tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifference by which He is offended, and by the infite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  I beg the conversion of poor sinners,  Fatima Prayer, Angel of Peace
The voice of the Father is heard, the Son enters the water, and the Holy Spirit appears in the form of a dove.
THE spirit and example of the world imperceptibly instil the error into the minds of many that there is a kind of middle way of going to Heaven; and so, because the world does not live up to the gospel, they bring the gospel down to the level of the world. It is not by this example that we are to measure the Christian rule, but words and life of Christ. All His followers are commanded to labour to become perfect even as our heavenly Father is perfect, and to bear His image in our hearts that we may be His children. We are obliged by the gospel to die to ourselves by fighting self-love in our hearts, by the mastery of our passions, by taking on the spirit of our Lord.
   These are the conditions under which Christ makes His promises and numbers us among His children, as is manifest from His words which the apostles have left us in their inspired writings. Here is no distinction made or foreseen between the apostles or clergy or religious and secular persons. The former, indeed, take upon themselves certain stricter obligations, as a means of accomplishing these ends more perfectly; but the law of holiness and of disengagement of the heart from the world is general and binds all the followers of Christ.
God loves variety. He doesn't mass-produce his saints. Every saint is unique each the result of a new idea.
As the liturgy says: Non est inventus similis illis--there are no two exactly alike.
It is we with our lack of imagination, who paint the same haloes on all the saints.
Dear Lord, grant us a spirit not bound by our own ideas and preferences.
 Grant that we may be able to appreciate in others what we lack in ourselves.
O Lord, grant that we may understand that every saint must be a unique praise of Your glory.
 Catholic saints are holy people and human people who lived extraordinary lives.
Each saint the Church honors responded to God's invitation to use his or her unique gifts.
The 15 Promises of the Virgin Mary to those who recite the Rosary ) Revealed to St. Dominic and Blessed Alan)
1.    Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall receive signal graces. 2.    I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary. 3.    The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies. 4.    It will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of people from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things.  Oh, that soul would sanctify them by this means.  5.    The soul that recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary shall not perish. 6.    Whoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying themselves to the consideration of its Sacred Mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune.  God will not chastise them in His justice, they shall not perish by an unprovided death; if they be just, they shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life. 7.    Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the Sacraments of the Church. 8.    Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plentitude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the Saints in Paradise. 9.    I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary. 10.    The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in Heaven.  11.    You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the Rosary. 12.    I shall aid all those who propagate the Holy Rosary in their necessities. 13.    I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of death. 14.    All who recite the Rosary are my children, and brothers and sisters of my only Son, Jesus Christ. 15.    Devotion to my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.
His Holiness Aram I, current (2013) Catholicos of Cilicia of Armenians, whose See is located in Lebanese town of Antelias. The Catholicosate was founded in Sis, capital of Cilicia, in the year 1441 following the move of the Catholicosate of All Armenians back to its original See of Etchmiadzin in Armenia. The Catholicosate of Cilicia enjoyed local jurisdiction, though spiritually subject to the authority of Etchmiadzin. In 1921 the See was transferred to Aleppo in Syria, and in 1930 to Antelias.
Its jurisdiction currently extends to Syria, Cyprus, Iran and Greece.
Aramaic dialect of Edessa, now known as Syriac
The exact date of the introduction of Christianity into Edessa {Armenian Ourhaï in Arabic Er Roha, commonly Orfa or Urfa, its present name} is not known. It is certain, however, that the Christian community was at first made up from the Jewish population of the city. According to an ancient legend, King Abgar V, Ushana, was converted by Addai, who was one of the seventy-two disciples. In fact, however, the first King of Edessa to embrace the Christian Faith was Abgar IX (c. 206) becoming official kingdom religion.
Christian council held at Edessa early as 197 (Eusebius, Hist. Ecc7V,xxiii).
In 201 the city was devastated by a great flood, and the Christian church was destroyed (“Chronicon Edessenum”, ad. an. 201).
In 232 the relics of the Apostle St. Thomas were brought from India, on which occasion his Syriac Acts were written.

Under Roman domination martyrs suffered at Edessa: Sts. Scharbîl and Barsamya, under Decius; Sts. Gûrja, Schâmôna, Habib, and others under Diocletian. 
In the meanwhile Christian priests from Edessa evangelized Eastern Mesopotamia and Persia, established the first Churches in the kingdom of the Sassanides.  Atillâtiâ, Bishop of Edessa, assisted at the Council of Nicæa (325). The “Peregrinatio Silviæ” (or Etheriæ) (ed. Gamurrini, Rome, 1887, 62 sqq.) gives an account of the many sanctuaries at Edessa about 388.
Although Hebrew had been the language of the ancient Israelite kingdom, after their return from Exile the Jews turned more and more to Aramaic, using it for parts of the books of Ezra and Daniel in the Bible. By the time of Jesus, Aramaic was the main language of Palestine, and quite a number of texts from the Dead Sea Scrolls are also written in Aramaic.
Aramaic continued to be an important language for Jews, alongside Hebrew, and parts of the Talmud are written in it.
After Arab conquests of the seventh century, Arabic quickly replaced Aramaic as the main language of those who converted to Islam, although in out of the way places, Aramaic continued as a vernacular language of Muslims.
Aramaic, however, enjoyed its greatest success in Christianity. Although the New Testament wins written in Greek, Christianity had come into existence in an Aramaic-speaking milieu, and it was the Aramaic dialect of Edessa, now known as Syriac, that became the literary language of a large number of Christians living in the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire and in the Persian Empire, further east. Over the course of the centuries the influence of the Syriac Churches spread eastwards to China (in Xian, in western China, a Chinese-Syriac inscription dated 781 is still to be seen); to southern India where the state of Kerala can boast more Christians of Syriac liturgical tradition than anywhere else in the world.

680 Shiite saint Imam Hussein, grandson of Islam's Prophet Muhammad Known as Ashoura and observed by Shiites across the world, the 10th day of the lunar Muslim month of Muharram: the anniversary of the 7th century death in battle of one of Shiite Islam's most beloved saints.  Imam Hussein died in the 680 A.D. battle fought on the plains outside Karbala, a city in modern Iraq that's home to the saint's shrine.  The battle over a dispute about the leadership of the Muslim faith following Muhammad's death in 632 A.D. It is the defining event in Islam's split into Sunni and Shiite branches.  The occasion is the source of an enduring moral lesson. "He sacrificed his blood to teach us not to give in to corruption, coercion, or use of force and to seek honor and justice."  According to Shiite beliefs, Hussein and companions were denied water by enemies who controlled the nearby Euphrates.  Streets get partially covered with blood from slaughter of hundreds of cows and sheep. Volunteers cook the meat and feed it to the poor.  Hussein's martyrdom recounted through a rich body of prose, poetry and song remains an inspirational example of sacrifice to many Shiites, 10 percent of the world's estimated 1.3 billion Muslims.
Meeting of the Saints  walis (saints of Allah)
Great men covet to embrace martyrdom for a cause and principle.
So was the case with Hazrat Ali. He could have made a compromise with the evil forces of his time and, as a result, could have led a very comfortable, easy and luxurious life.  But he was not a person who would succumb to such temptations. His upbringing, his education and his training in the lap of the holy Prophet made him refuse such an offer.
Rabia Al-Basri (717–801 C.E.) She was first to set forth the doctrine of mystical love and who is widely considered to be the most important of the early Sufi poets. An elderly Shia pointed out that during his pre-Partition childhood it was quite common to find pictures and portraits of Shia icons in Imambaras across the country.
Shah Abdul Latif: The Exalted Sufi Master born 1690 in a Syed family; died 1754. In ancient times, Sindh housed the exemplary Indus Valley Civilisation with Moenjo Daro as its capital, and now, it is the land of a culture which evolved from the teachings of eminent Sufi saints. Pakistan is home to the mortal remains of many Sufi saints, the exalted among them being Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, a practitioner of the real Islam, philosopher, poet, musicologist and preacher. He presented his teaching through poetry and music - both instruments sublime - and commands a very large following, not only among Muslims but also among Hindus and Christians. Sindh culture: The Shah is synonymous with Sindh. He is the very fountainhead of Sindh's culture. His message remains as fresh as that of any present day poet, and the people of Sindh find solace from his writings. He did indeed think for Sindh. One of his prayers, in exquisite Sindhi, translates thus: “Oh God, may ever You on Sindh bestow abundance rare! Beloved! All the world let share Thy grace, and fruitful be.”
Shia Ali al-Hadi, died 868 and son Hassan al-Askari 874. These saints are the 10th and 11th of Shia's 12 most revered Imams. Baba Farid Sufi 1398 miracle, Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki renowned Muslim Sufi saint scholar miracles 569 A.H. [1173 C.E.] hermit gave to poor, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti greatest mystic of his time born 533 Hijri (1138-39 A.D.), Hazrat Ghuas-e Azam, Hazrat Bu Ali Sharif, and Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Sufi Saint Hazrath Khwaja Syed Mohammed Badshah Quadri Chisty Yamani Quadeer (RA) 1236-1325 welcomed people of all faiths & all walks of life.
801 Rabi'a al-'Adawiyya Sufi One of the most famous Islamic mystics
(b. 717). This 8th century saint was an early Sufi who had a profound influence on later Sufis, who in turn deeply influenced the European mystical love and troubadour traditions.  Rabi'a was a woman of Basra, a seaport in southern Iraq.  She was born around 717 and died in 801 (185-186).  Her biographer, the great medieval poet Attar, tells us that she was "on fire with love and longing" and that men accepted her "as a second spotless Mary" (186).  She was, he continues, “an unquestioned authority to her contemporaries" (218).
Rabi'a began her ascetic life in a small desert cell near Basra, where she lost herself in prayer and went straight to God for teaching.  As far as is known, she never studied under any master or spiritual director.  She was one of the first of the Sufis to teach that Love alone was the guide on the mystic path (222).  A later Sufi taught that there were two classes of "true believers": one class sought a master as an intermediary between them and God -- unless they could see the footsteps of the Prophet on the path before them, they would not accept the path as valid.  The second class “...did not look before them for the footprint of any of God's creatures, for they had removed all thought of what He had created from their hearts, and concerned themselves solely with God. (218)
Rabi'a was of this second kind.  She felt no reverence even for the House of God in Mecca:  "It is the Lord of the house Whom I need; what have I to do with the house?" (219) One lovely spring morning a friend asked her to come outside to see the works of God.  She replied, "Come you inside that you may behold their Maker.  Contemplation of the Maker has turned me aside from what He has made" (219).  During an illness, a friend asked this woman if she desired anything.
"...[H]ow can you ask me such a question as 'What do I desire?'  I swear by the glory of God that for twelve years I have desired fresh dates, and you know that in Basra dates are plentiful, and I have not yet tasted them.  I am a servant (of God), and what has a servant to do with desire?" (162)
When a male friend once suggested she should pray for relief from a debilitating illness, she said,
"O Sufyan, do you not know Who it is that wills this suffering for me?  Is it not God Who wills it?  When you know this, why do you bid me ask for what is contrary to His will?  It is not  well to oppose one's Beloved." (221)
She was an ascetic.  It was her custom to pray all night, sleep briefly just before dawn, and then rise again just as dawn "tinged the sky with gold" (187).  She lived in celibacy and poverty, having renounced the world.  A friend visited her in old age and found that all she owned were a reed mat, screen, a pottery jug, and a bed of felt which doubled as her prayer-rug (186), for where she prayed all night, she also slept briefly in the pre-dawn chill.  Once her friends offered to get her a servant; she replied,
"I should be ashamed to ask for the things of this world from Him to Whom the world belongs, and how should I ask for them from those to whom it does not belong?"  (186-7)
A wealthy merchant once wanted to give her a purse of gold.  She refused it, saying that God, who sustains even those who dishonor Him, would surely sustain her, "whose soul is overflowing with love" for Him.  And she added an ethical concern as well:
"...How should I take the wealth of someone of whom I do not know whether he acquired it lawfully or not?" (187)
She taught that repentance was a gift from God because no one could repent unless God had already accepted him and given him this gift of repentance.  She taught that sinners must fear the punishment they deserved for their sins, but she also offered such sinners far more hope of Paradise than most other ascetics did.  For herself, she held to a higher ideal, worshipping God neither from fear of Hell nor from hope of Paradise, for she saw such self-interest as unworthy of God's servants; emotions like fear and hope were like veils -- i.e., hindrances to the vision of God Himself.  The story is told that once a number of Sufis saw her hurrying on her way with water in one hand and a burning torch in the other.  When they asked her to explain, she said:
"I am going to light a fire in Paradise and to pour water on to Hell, so that both veils may vanish altogether from before the pilgrims and their purpose may be sure..." (187-188)
She was once asked where she came from.  "From that other world," she said.  "And where are you going?" she was asked.  "To that other world," she replied (219).  She taught that the spirit originated with God in "that other world" and had to return to Him in the end.  Yet if the soul were sufficiently purified, even on earth, it could look upon God unveiled in all His glory and unite with him in love.  In this quest, logic and reason were powerless.  Instead, she speaks of the "eye" of her heart which alone could apprehend Him and His mysteries (220).
Above all, she was a lover, a bhakti, like one of Krishna’s Goptis in the Hindu tradition.  Her hours of prayer were not so much devoted to intercession as to communion with her Beloved.  Through this communion, she could discover His will for her.  Many of her prayers have come down to us:
       "I have made Thee the Companion of my heart,
        But my body is available for those who seek its company,
        And my body is friendly towards its guests,
        But the Beloved of my heart is the Guest of my soul."  [224]
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Mother Angelica saving souls is this beautiful womans journey  Shrine_of_The_Most_Blessed_Sacrament
Colombia was among the countries Mother Angelica visited. 
In Bogotá, a Salesian priest - Father Juan Pablo Rodriguez - brought Mother and the nuns to the Sanctuary of the Divine Infant Jesus to attend Mass.  After Mass, Father Juan Pablo took them into a small Shrine which housed the miraculous statue of the Child Jesus. Mother Angelica stood praying at the side of the statue when suddenly the miraculous image came alive and turned towards her.  Then the Child Jesus spoke with the voice of a young boy:  “Build Me a Temple and I will help those who help you.” 

Thus began a great adventure that would eventually result in the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, a Temple dedicated to the Divine Child Jesus, a place of refuge for all. Use this link to read a remarkable story about The Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament
Father Reardon, Editor of The Catholic Bulletin for 14 years Lover of the poor; “A very Holy Man of God.”
Monsignor Reardon Protonotarius Apostolicus
  Pastor 42 years BASILICA OF SAINT MARY Minneapolis MN
America's First Basilica Largest Nave in the World
August 7, 1907-ground broke for the foundation
by Archbishop Ireland-laying cornerstone May 31, 1908
James M. Reardon Publication History of Basilica of Saint Mary 1600-1932
James M. Reardon Publication  History of the Basilica of Saint Mary 1955 {update}

Brief History of our Beloved Holy Priest Here and his published books of Catholic History in North America
Reardon, J.M. Archbishop Ireland; Prelate, Patriot, Publicist, 1838-1918.
A Memoir (St. Paul; 1919); George Anthony Belcourt Pioneer Catholic Missionary of the Northwest 1803-1874 (1955);
The Catholic Church IN THE DIOCESE OF ST. PAUL from earliest origin to centennial achievement 1362-1950 (1952);
The Church of Saint Mary of Saint Paul 1875-1922;  (1932)
The Vikings in the American Heartland;
The Catholic Total Abstinence Society in Minnesota;
James Michael Reardon Born in Nova Scotia, 1872;  Priest, ordained by Bishop Ireland;
Member -- St. Paul Seminary faculty.
Affiliations and Indulgences  Litany of Loretto in Stained glass windows here.  Nave Sacristy and Residence Here
Sanctuary spaces between them filled with grilles of hand-forged wrought iron the life of our Blessed Lady After the crucifixon
Apostle statues Replicas of those in St John Lateran--Christendom's earliest Basilica.
Ordered by Rome's first Christian Emperor, Constantine the Great, Popes' cathedral and official residence first millennium of Christian history.
The only replicas ever made:  in order from west to east {1932}.
Every Christian must be a living book wherein one can read the teaching of the gospel
 It Makes No Sense Not To Believe In GOD
THE BLESSED MOTHER AND ISLAM By Father John Corapi. 
  June 19, Trinity Sunday, 1991: Ordained Catholic Priest under Pope John Paul II;
then 2,000,000 miles delivering the Gospel to millions, and continues to do so.
By Father John Corapi
THE BLESSED MOTHER AND ISLAM By Father John Corapi. 
  June 19, Trinity Sunday, 1991: Ordained Catholic Priest under Pope John Paul II;
then 2,000,000 miles delivering the Gospel to millions, and continues to do so.
By Father John Corapi
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.

Today we have a similar spiritual battle in progress—a battle between the forces of good and evil, light and darkness, truth and lies, life and death. If we do not soon stop the genocide of abortion in the United States, we shall run the course of all those that prove by their actions that they are enemies of God—total collapse, economic, social, and national. The moral demise of a nation results in the ultimate demise of a nation. God is not a disinterested spectator to the affairs of man. Life begins at conception. This is an unalterable formal teaching of the Catholic Church. If you do not accept this you are a heretic in plain English. A single abortion is homicide. The more than 48,000,000 abortions since Roe v. Wade in the United States constitute genocide by definition. The group singled out for death—unwanted, unborn children.

No other issue, not all other issues taken together, can constitute a proportionate reason for voting for candidates that intend to preserve and defend this holocaust of innocent human life that is abortion.
As we watch the spectacle of the world seeming to self-destruct before our eyes, we can’t help but be saddened and even frightened by so much evil run rampant. Iraq, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Somalia, North Korea—It is all a disaster of epic proportions displayed in living color on our television screens.  These are not ordinary times and this is not business as usual. We are at a crossroads in human history and the time for Catholics and all Christians to act is now. All evil can ultimately be traced to its origin, which is moral evil. All of the political action, peace talks, international peacekeeping forces, etc. will avail nothing if the underlying sickness is not addressed. This is sin. One person at a time hearts and minds must be moved from evil to good, from lies to truth, from violence to peace.
Islam, an Arabic word that has often been defined as “to make peace,” seems like a living contradiction today. Islam is a religion of peace.  As we celebrate the birthday of Our Lady, I am proposing that each one of us pray the Rosary for peace. Prayer is what must precede all other activity if that activity is to have any chance of success. Pray for peace, pray the Rosary every day without fail.  There is a great love for Mary among Muslim people. It is not a coincidence that a little village named Fatima is where God chose to have His Mother appear in the twentieth century. Our Lady’s name appears no less than thirty times in the Koran. No other woman’s name is mentioned, not even that of Mohammed’s daughter, Fatima. In the Koran Our Lady is described as “Virgin, ever Virgin.”

Archbishop Fulton Sheen prophetically spoke of the resurgence of Islam in our day. He said it would be through the Blessed Virgin Mary that Islam would be converted. We must pray for this to happen quickly if we are to avert a horrible time of suffering for this poor, sinful world. Turn to our Mother in this time of great peril. Pray the Rosary every day. Then, and only then will there be peace, when the hearts and minds of men are changed from the inside.
Talk is weak. Prayer is strong. Pray!  God bless you, Father John Corapi

Father Corapi's Biography

Father John Corapi is what has commonly been called a late vocation. In other words, he came to the priesthood other than a young man. He was 44 years old when he was ordained. From small town boy to the Vietnam era US Army, from successful businessman in Las Vegas and Hollywood to drug addicted and homeless, to religious life and ordination to the priesthood by Pope John Paul II, to a life as a preacher of the Gospel who has reached millions with the simple message that God's Name is Mercy!

Father Corapi's academic credentials are quite extensive. He received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Pace University in the seventies. Then as an older man returned to the university classrooms in preparation for his life as a priest and preacher. He received all of his academic credentials for the Church with honors: a Masters degree in Sacred Scripture from Holy Apostles Seminary and Bachelor, Licentiate, and Doctorate degrees in dogmatic theology from the University of Navarre in Spain.
Father John Corapi goes to the heart of the contemporary world's many woes and wars, whether the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Somalia, or the Congo, or the natural disasters that seem to be increasing every year, the moral and spiritual war is at the basis of everything. “Our battle is not against human forces,” St. Paul asserts, “but against principalities and powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness...” (Ephesians 6:12). 
The “War to end all wars” is the moral and spiritual combat that rages in the hearts and minds of human beings. The outcome of that  unseen fight largely determines how the battle in the realm of the seen unfolds.  The title talk, “With the Moon Under Her Feet,” is taken from the twelfth chapter of the Book of Revelation, and deals with the current threat to the world from radical Islam, and the Blessed Virgin Mary's role in the ultimate victory that will result in the conversion of Islam. Few Catholics are aware of the connection between Islam, Fatima, and Guadalupe. Presented in Father Corapi's straight-forward style, you will be both inspired and educated by him.

About Father John Corapi.
Father Corapi is a Catholic priest .
The pillars of father's preaching are basically:
Love for and a relationship with the Blessed Virgin Mary 
Leading a vibrant and loving relationship with Jesus Christ
Great love and reverence for the Most Holy Eucharist from Holy Mass to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
An uncompromising love for and obedience to the Holy Father and the teaching of the Magisterium of the Church

God Bless you on your journey Father John Corapi


Records on life of Father Flanagan, founder of Boys Town, presented at Vatican
Jul 23, 2019 - 03:01 am .- The cause for canonization of Servant of God Edward Flanagan, the priest who founded Nebraska's Boys Town community for orphans and other boys, advanced Monday with the presentation of a summary of records on his life.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen to be beatified
Jul 6, 2019 - 04:00 am .- Pope Francis approved the miracle attributed to Archbishop Fulton Sheen Friday, making possible the American television catechist's beatification.

Brooklyn diocese advances sainthood cause of local priest
Jun 25, 2019 - 03:01 am .- The Bishop of Brooklyn accepted last week the findings of a nine-year diocesan investigation into the life of Monsignor Bernard John Quinn, known for fighting bigotry and serving the African American population, as part of his cause for canonization.

Fr. Augustus Tolton, former African American slave, advances toward sainthood
Jun 12, 2019 - 05:03 am .- Fr. Augustus Tolton advanced along the path to sainthood Wednesday, making the runaway slave-turned-priest one step closer to being the first black American saint.

Pope Francis will beatify these martyred Greek-Catholic bishops in Romania
May 30, 2019 - 03:01 pm .- On Sunday in Blaj, Pope Francis will beatify seven Greek-Catholic bishops of Romania who were killed by the communist regime between 1950 and 1970.
 
Woman who served Brazil’s poorest to be canonized
May 14, 2019 - 06:53 am .- Pope Francis Tuesday gave his approval for eight sainthood causes to proceed, including that of Bl. Dulce Lopes Pontes, a 20th-century religious sister who served Brazil’s poor.

Seven 20th-century Romanian bishops declared martyrs
Mar 19, 2019 - 12:01 pm .- Pope Francis declared Tuesday the martyrdom of seven Greek-Catholic bishops killed by the communist regime in Romania in the mid-20th century.

Pope advances sainthood causes of 17 women
Jan 15, 2019 - 11:12 am .- Pope Francis approved Tuesday the next step in the canonization causes of 17 women from four countries, including the martyrdom of 14 religious sisters killed in Spain at the start of the Spanish Civil War.
 
Nineteen Algerian martyrs beatified
Dec 10, 2018 - 03:08 pm .- Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in Algeria between 1994 and 1996, were beatified Saturday during a Mass in Oran.

The Algerian martyrs shed their blood for Christ, pope says
Dec 7, 2018 - 10:02 am .- Ahead of the beatification Saturday of Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in Algeria between 1994 and 1996, Pope Francis said martyrs have a special place in the Church.
Algerian martyrs are models for the Church, archbishop says
Nov 16, 2018 - 03:01 am .- Archbishop Paul Desfarges of Algiers has said that Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in Algeria between 1994 and 1996, are “models for our lives as disciples today and tomorrow.”
 
Francesco Spinelli to be canonized after healing of a newborn in DR Congo
Oct 9, 2018 - 05:01 pm .- Among those being canonized on Sunday are Fr. Franceso Spinelli, a diocesan priest through whose intercession a newborn was saved from death in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Algerian martyrs to be beatified in December
Sep 14, 2018 - 06:01 pm .- The Algerian bishops' conference has announced that the beatification of Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in the country between 1994 and 1996, will be held Dec. 8.

Now a cardinal, Giovanni Angelo Becciu heads to congregation for saints' causes
Jun 28, 2018 - 11:41 am .- Newly-minted Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu will resign from his post as substitute of the Secretariat of State tomorrow, in anticipation of his appointment as prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints later this summer.

Pope Francis creates new path to beatification under ‘offering of life’
Jul 11, 2017 - 06:22 am .- On Tuesday Pope Francis declared a new category of Christian life suitable for consideration of beatification called “offering of life” – in which a person has died prematurely through an offering of their life for love of God and neighbor.
 
Twentieth century Polish nurse among causes advancing toward sainthood
Jul 7, 2017 - 06:14 am .- Pope Francis on Friday approved a miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Hanna Chrzanowska, a Polish nurse and nursing instructor who died from cancer in 1973, paving the way for her beatification.
 
Sainthood causes advance, including layman who resisted fascism
Jun 17, 2017 - 09:22 am .- Pope Francis on Friday recognized the heroic virtue of six persons on the path to canonization, as well as the martyrdom of an Italian man who died from injuries of a beating he received while imprisoned in a concentration camp for resisting fascism.
 
Solanus Casey, Cardinal Van Thuan among those advanced toward sainthood
May 4, 2017 - 10:47 am .- Pope Francis on Thursday approved decrees of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints advancing the causes for canonization of 12 individuals, including the American-born Capuchin Solanus Casey and the Vietnamese cardinal Francis Xavier Nguen Van Thuan.
 
Pope clears way for canonization of Fatima visionaries
Mar 23, 2017 - 06:44 am .- On Thursday Pope Francis approved the second and final miracle needed to canonize Blessed Francisco and Jacinta Marto, two of the shepherd children who witnessed the Fatima Marian apparitions.
Surgeon and father among sainthood causes moving forward
Feb 27, 2017 - 11:03 am .- Pope Francis recognized on Monday the heroic virtue of eight persons on the path to canonization, including an Italian surgeon and father of eight who suffered from several painful diseases throughout his life.

Records on life of Father Flanagan, founder of Boys Town, presented at Vatican
Jul 23, 2019 - 03:01 am .- The cause for canonization of Servant of God Edward Flanagan, the priest who founded Nebraska's Boys Town community for orphans and other boys, advanced Monday with the presentation of a summary of records on his life.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen to be beatified
Jul 6, 2019 - 04:00 am .- Pope Francis approved the miracle attributed to Archbishop Fulton Sheen Friday, making possible the American television catechist's beatification.

Brooklyn diocese advances sainthood cause of local priest
Jun 25, 2019 - 03:01 am .- The Bishop of Brooklyn accepted last week the findings of a nine-year diocesan investigation into the life of Monsignor Bernard John Quinn, known for fighting bigotry and serving the African American population, as part of his cause for canonization.

Fr. Augustus Tolton, former African American slave, advances toward sainthood
Jun 12, 2019 - 05:03 am .- Fr. Augustus Tolton advanced along the path to sainthood Wednesday, making the runaway slave-turned-priest one step closer to being the first black American saint.

Pope Francis will beatify these martyred Greek-Catholic bishops in Romania
May 30, 2019 - 03:01 pm .- On Sunday in Blaj, Pope Francis will beatify seven Greek-Catholic bishops of Romania who were killed by the communist regime between 1950 and 1970.
 
Woman who served Brazil’s poorest to be canonized
May 14, 2019 - 06:53 am .- Pope Francis Tuesday gave his approval for eight sainthood causes to proceed, including that of Bl. Dulce Lopes Pontes, a 20th-century religious sister who served Brazil’s poor.

Seven 20th-century Romanian bishops declared martyrs
Mar 19, 2019 - 12:01 pm .- Pope Francis declared Tuesday the martyrdom of seven Greek-Catholic bishops killed by the communist regime in Romania in the mid-20th century.

Pope advances sainthood causes of 17 women
Jan 15, 2019 - 11:12 am .- Pope Francis approved Tuesday the next step in the canonization causes of 17 women from four countries, including the martyrdom of 14 religious sisters killed in Spain at the start of the Spanish Civil War.
 
Nineteen Algerian martyrs beatified
Dec 10, 2018 - 03:08 pm .- Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in Algeria between 1994 and 1996, were beatified Saturday during a Mass in Oran.

The Algerian martyrs shed their blood for Christ, pope says
Dec 7, 2018 - 10:02 am .- Ahead of the beatification Saturday of Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in Algeria between 1994 and 1996, Pope Francis said martyrs have a special place in the Church.
Algerian martyrs are models for the Church, archbishop says
Nov 16, 2018 - 03:01 am .- Archbishop Paul Desfarges of Algiers has said that Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in Algeria between 1994 and 1996, are “models for our lives as disciples today and tomorrow.”
 
Francesco Spinelli to be canonized after healing of a newborn in DR Congo
Oct 9, 2018 - 05:01 pm .- Among those being canonized on Sunday are Fr. Franceso Spinelli, a diocesan priest through whose intercession a newborn was saved from death in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Algerian martyrs to be beatified in December
Sep 14, 2018 - 06:01 pm .- The Algerian bishops' conference has announced that the beatification of Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in the country between 1994 and 1996, will be held Dec. 8.

Now a cardinal, Giovanni Angelo Becciu heads to congregation for saints' causes
Jun 28, 2018 - 11:41 am .- Newly-minted Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu will resign from his post as substitute of the Secretariat of State tomorrow, in anticipation of his appointment as prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints later this summer.

Pope Francis creates new path to beatification under ‘offering of life’
Jul 11, 2017 - 06:22 am .- On Tuesday Pope Francis declared a new category of Christian life suitable for consideration of beatification called “offering of life” – in which a person has died prematurely through an offering of their life for love of God and neighbor.
 
Twentieth century Polish nurse among causes advancing toward sainthood
Jul 7, 2017 - 06:14 am .- Pope Francis on Friday approved a miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Hanna Chrzanowska, a Polish nurse and nursing instructor who died from cancer in 1973, paving the way for her beatification.
 
Sainthood causes advance, including layman who resisted fascism
Jun 17, 2017 - 09:22 am .- Pope Francis on Friday recognized the heroic virtue of six persons on the path to canonization, as well as the martyrdom of an Italian man who died from injuries of a beating he received while imprisoned in a concentration camp for resisting fascism.
 
Solanus Casey, Cardinal Van Thuan among those advanced toward sainthood
May 4, 2017 - 10:47 am .- Pope Francis on Thursday approved decrees of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints advancing the causes for canonization of 12 individuals, including the American-born Capuchin Solanus Casey and the Vietnamese cardinal Francis Xavier Nguen Van Thuan.
 
Pope clears way for canonization of Fatima visionaries
Mar 23, 2017 - 06:44 am .- On Thursday Pope Francis approved the second and final miracle needed to canonize Blessed Francisco and Jacinta Marto, two of the shepherd children who witnessed the Fatima Marian apparitions.
Surgeon and father among sainthood causes moving forward
Feb 27, 2017 - 11:03 am .- Pope Francis recognized on Monday the heroic virtue of eight persons on the path to canonization, including an Italian surgeon and father of eight who suffered from several painful diseases throughout his life.
8 Martyrs Move Closer to Sainthood 8 July, 2016
Posted by ZENIT Staff on 8 July, 2016

The angel appears to Saint Monica
This morning, Pope Francis received Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Cardinal Angelo Amato. During the audience, he authorized the promulgation of decrees concerning the following causes:

***
MIRACLES:
Miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God Luis Antonio Rosa Ormières, priest and founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Guardian Angel; born July 4, 1809 and died on Jan. 16, 1890
MARTYRDOM:
Servants of God Antonio Arribas Hortigüela and 6 Companions, Missionaries of the Sacred Heart; killed in hatred of the Faith, Sept. 29, 1936
Servant of God Josef Mayr-Nusser, a layman; killed in hatred of the Faith, Feb. 24, 1945
HEROIC VIRTUE:

Servant of God Alfonse Gallegos of the Order of Augustinian Recollects, Titular Bishop of Sasabe, auxiliary of Sacramento; born Feb. 20, 1931 and died Oct. 6, 1991
Servant of God Rafael Sánchez García, diocesan priest; born June 14, 1911 and died on Aug. 8, 1973
Servant of God Andrés García Acosta, professed layman of the Order of Friars Minor; born Jan. 10, 1800 and died Jan. 14, 1853
Servant of God Joseph Marchetti, professed priest of the Congregation of the Missionaries of St. Charles; born Oct. 3, 1869 and died Dec. 14, 1896
Servant of God Giacomo Viale, professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor, pastor of Bordighera; born Feb. 28, 1830 and died April 16, 1912
Servant of God Maria Pia of the Cross (née Maddalena Notari), foundress of the Congregation of Crucified Sisters Adorers of the Eucharist; born Dec. 2, 1847 and died on July 1, 1919
Sunday, November 23 2014 Six to Be Canonized on Feast of Christ the King.

On the List Are Lay Founder of a Hospital and Eastern Catholic Religious
VATICAN CITY, June 12, 2014 (Zenit.org) - Today, the Vatican announced that during the celebration of the feast of Christ the King on Sunday, November 23, an ordinary public consistory will be held for the canonization of the following six blesseds, who include a lay founder of a hospital for the poor, founders of religious orders, and two members of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See:
-Giovanni Antonio Farina (1803-1888), an Italian bishop who founded the Institute of the Sisters Teachers of Saint Dorothy, Daughters of the Sacred Hearts
-Kuriakose Elias Chavara (1805-1871), a Syro-Malabar priest in India who founded the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate
-Ludovico of Casoria (1814-1885), an Italian Franciscan priest who founded the Gray Sisters of St. Elizabeth
-Nicola Saggio (Nicola da Longobardi, 1650-1709), an Italian oblate of the Order of Minims
-Euphrasia Eluvathingal (1877-1952), an Indian Carmelite of the Syro-Malabar Church
-Amato Ronconi (1238-1304), an Italian, Third Order Franciscan who founded a hospital for poor pilgrims
CAUSES OF SAINTS July 2015.
Pope Recognizes Heroic Virtues of Ukrainian Archbishop
Recognition Brings Metropolitan Archbishop Andrey Sheptytsky Closer to Beatification
By Junno Arocho Esteves Rome, July 17, 2015 (ZENIT.org)
Pope Francis recognized the heroic virtues of Ukrainian Greek Catholic Archbishop Andrey Sheptytsky. According to a communique released by the Holy See Press Office, the Holy Father met this morning with Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

The Pope also recognized the heroic virtues of several religious/lay men and women from Italy, Spain, France & Mexico.
Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky is considered to be one of the most influential 20th century figures in the history of the Ukrainian Church.
Enthroned as Metropolitan of Lviv in 1901, Archbishop Sheptytsky was arrested shortly after the outbreak of World War I in 1914 by the Russians. After his imprisonment in several prisons in Russia and the Ukraine, the Archbishop was released in 1918.

The Ukrainian Greek Catholic prelate was also an ardent supporter of the Jewish community in Ukraine, going so far as to learn Hebrew to better communicate with them. He also was a vocal protestor against atrocities committed by the Nazis, evidenced in his pastoral letter, "Thou Shalt Not Kill." He was also known to harbor thousands of Jews in his residence and in Greek Catholic monasteries.
Following his death in 1944, his cause for canonization was opened in 1958.
* * *
The Holy Father authorized the Congregation to promulgate the following decrees regarding the heroic virtues of:
- Servant of God Andrey Sheptytsky, O.S.B.M., major archbishop of Leopolis of the Ukrainians, metropolitan of Halyc (1865-1944);
- Servant of God Giuseppe Carraro, Bishop of Verona, Italy (1899-1980);
- Servant of God Agustin Ramirez Barba, Mexican diocesan priest and founder of the Servants of the Lord of Mercy (1881-1967);
- Servant of God Simpliciano della Nativita (ne Aniello Francesco Saverio Maresca), Italian professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor, founder of the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Hearts (1827-1898);
- Servant of God Maria del Refugio Aguilar y Torres del Cancino, Mexican founder of the Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament (1866-1937);
- Servant of God Marie-Charlotte Dupouy Bordes (Marie-Teresa), French professed religious of the Society of the Religious of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (1873-1953);
- Servant of God Elisa Miceli, Italian founder of the Rural Catechist Sisters of the Sacred Heart (1904-1976);
- Servant of God Isabel Mendez Herrero (Isabel of Mary Immaculate), Spanish professed nun of the Servants of St. Joseph (1924-1953)
October 01, 2015 Vatican City, Pope Authorizes following Decrees
(ZENIT.org) By Staff Reporter
Polish Layperson Recognized as Servant of God
Pope Authorizes Decrees
Pope Francis on Wednesday authorised the Congregation for Saints' Causes to promulgate the following decrees:

MARTYRDOM
- Servant of God Valentin Palencia Marquina, Spanish diocesan priest, killed in hatred of the faith in Suances, Spain in 1937;

HEROIC VIRTUES
- Servant of God Giovanni Folci, Italian diocesan priest and founder of the Opera Divin Prigioniero (1890-1963);
- Servant of God Franciszek Blachnicki, Polish diocesan priest (1921-1987);
- Servant of God Jose Rivera Ramirez, Spanish diocesan priest (1925-1991);
- Servant of God Juan Manuel Martín del Campo, Mexican diocesan priest (1917-1996);
- Servant of God Antonio Filomeno Maria Losito, Italian professed priest of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (1838-1917);
- Servant of God Maria Benedetta Giuseppa Frey (nee Ersilia Penelope), Italian professed nun of the Cistercian Order (1836-1913);
- Servant of God Hanna Chrzanowska, Polish layperson, Oblate of the Ursulines of St. Benedict (1902-1973).
March 06 2016 MIRACLES authorised the Congregation to promulgate the following decrees:
Pope Francis received in a private audience Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, during which he authorised the Congregation to promulgate the following decrees:
MIRACLES

– Blessed Manuel González García, bishop of Palencia, Spain, founder of the Eucharistic Missionaries of Nazareth (1877-1940);
– Blessed Elisabeth of the Trinity (née Elisabeth Catez), French professed religious of the Order of Discalced Carmelites (1880-1906);
– Venerable Servant of God Marie-Eugène of the Child Jesus (né Henri Grialou), French professed priest of the Order of Discalced Carmelites, founder of the Secular Institute “Notre-Dame de Vie” (1894-1967);
– Venerable Servant of God María Antonia of St. Joseph (née María Antonio de Paz y Figueroa), Argentine founder of the Beaterio of the Spiritual Exercise of Buenos Aires (1730-1799);
HEROIC VIRTUE

– Servant of God Stefano Ferrando, Italian professed priest of the Salesians, bishop of Shillong, India, founder of the Congregation of Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of Christians (1895-1978);
– Servant of God Enrico Battista Stanislao Verjus, Italian professed priest of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, coadjutor of the apostolic vicariate of New Guinea (1860-1892);
– Servant of God Giovanni Battista Quilici, Italian diocesan priest, founder of the Congregation of the Daughters of the Crucified (1791-1844);
– Servant of God Bernardo Mattio, Italian diocesan priest (1845-1914);
– Servant of God Quirico Pignalberi, Italian professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual (1891-1982);
– Servant of God Teodora Campostrini, Italian founder of the Minim Sisters of Charity of Our Lady of Sorrows (1788-1860);
– Servant of God Bianca Piccolomini Clementini, Italian founder of the Company of St. Angela Merici di Siena (1875-1959);
– Servant of God María Nieves of the Holy Family (née María Nieves Sánchez y Fernández), Spanish professed religious of the Daughters of Mary of the Pious Schools (1900-1978).

April 26 2016 MIRACLES authorised the Congregation to promulgate the following decrees:
Here is the full list of decrees approved by the Pope:

MIRACLES
– Blessed Alfonso Maria Fusco, diocesan priest and founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. John the Baptist (1839-1910);
– Venerable Servant of God John Sullivan, professed priest of the Society of Jesus (1861-1933);
MARTYRDOM
– Servants of God Nikolle Vinçenc Prennushi, O.F.M., archbishop of Durres, Albania, and 37 companions killed between 1945 and 1974;
– Servants of God José Antón Gómez and three companions of the Benedictines of Madrid, Spain, killed 1936;
HEROIC VIRTUES
– Servant of God Thomas Choe Yang-Eop, diocesan priest (1821-1861);
– Servant of God Sosio Del Prete (né Vincenzo), professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor, founder of the Congregation of the Little Servants of Christ the King (1885-1952);
– Servant of God Wenanty Katarzyniec (né Jósef), professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual (1889-1921);
– Servant of God Maria Consiglia of the Holy Spirity (née Emilia Pasqualina Addatis), founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Addolorata, Servants of Mary (1845-1900);
– Servant of God Maria of the Incarnation (née Caterina Carrasco Tenorio), founder of the Congregation of the Franciscan Tertiary Sisters of the Flock of Mary (1840-1917);
– Servant of God , founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Family of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (1851-1923);
– Servant of God Ilia Corsaro, founder of the Congregation of the Little Missionaries of the Eucharist (1897-1977);
– Servant of God Maria Montserrat Grases García, layperson of the Personal Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei (1941-1959).
LINKS:
Marian Apparitions (over 2000)  India Marian Shrine Lourdes of the East   Lourdes Feb 11- July 16, Loreto, Italy 1858 
China Marian shrines May 23, 1995 Zarvintisya Ukraine Lourdes Kenya national Marian shrine    Quang Tri Vietnam La Vang 1798  
Links to Related Marian Websites  Angels and Archangels
Doctors_of_the_Church   Acts_Apostles  Roman Catholic Popes  Purgatory  Uniates, PSALTER  BLESSED VIRGIN MARY 348 2023