180 St. Addal Converted
Turkey disciple of Christ sent by St. Thomas to court of King Abgar the Black,
2nd century Osroene ruler
A disciple of Christ
sent by St.
Thomas to the court of King Abgar the Black, the second century Osroene
ruler. Legendary accounts claim Abgar wrote to Christ asking Jesus to cure
him of an intolerable and incurable illness. Abgar's court was in Edessa in
Asia Minor (modern Turkey). Addal cured Abgar and converted the king and his
people to the faith. One of these was Addai,
who became Addal's successor. Addal is also supposed to have sent another
disciple, Man, to various sites along the Tigris River. It is known that
Addal did missionary work around Edessa toward the end of the second century.
Both Addal and Man have been venerated in the Syrian and Persian churches
since that era. Addal is recorded as a martyr for the faith.<>
SS. ADDAI AND MARI Bishops
There were
inhabitants of Mesopotamia present when St Peter and his companions preached
at Pentecost, and for all that we know the first East Syrian Christians were made at that time, but the actual date of the introduction
of Christianity into those parts, among the Edessene Jews, is unknown. There
is evidence of a Christian colony at Edessa in the second century, but it
was probably not till the coining of the Sassanid dynasty that the faith began
to spread from there over Mesopotamia, Adiabene and Persia. Local ecclesiastical
tradition, however, attributes their evangelization to the apostle St Thomas,
and more particularly to St Addai, St Aggai and St Man. The story of how they
came to Edessa, combined from the narratives of Eusebius and of a Syriac document
called The Doctrine of Addai (written C. 400), is as follows.
At the time when our Lord was still
incarnate upon earth there reigned in Osroene a king called Abgar the Black,
who lived at Edessa. He suffered from some incurable disease and, having heard
of the miracles of healing of our Lord, he sent to Him a letter by the hand
of his secretary, Hannan. In it he addresses Christ as “the good Physician”
and asks Him to come to Edessa and heal him, professing to believe, in consequence
of the reported wonders, that, “either thou art God, who hast come down from
Heaven, or else the Son of God, who brings all these things to pass”. Hannan
found our Lord in the house of Gamaliel, “Chief of the Jews”, and He replied
to Abgar that, “Happy art thou who hast believed in me without having seen
me, for it is written that they who see me shall not believe and they who
see me not shall believe. As for my coming to you, I am about to return to
my Father, all for which I was sent into the world being finished. But when
I shall have ascended to Him I will send thee one of my disciples, who shall
heal thee of thy sickness and bring thee and thine to eternal life.”
According
to Eusebius our Lord wrote out this message Himself and it was accordingly
greatly reverenced throughout Christendom during the middle ages; it is
said to have been used as an amulet in England before the eleventh century.
The Syriac document states that Hannan also brought back to Abgar a portrait
of our Lord which he had painted (later, “not-made-by-human-hands"), and which as the Holy Mandylion is famous in Christian iconography.
After the Ascension, the apostle Thomas accordingly sent one of
the seventy-two disciples, Addai (Thaddeus), to the court of King Abgar. He
lodged at the house of a Jew, Tobias, and when he was brought before the king
he healed him of his disease, and spoke to him of the faith of Christ. Addai
converted Abgar and multitudes of his people, among others the royal jeweller,
Aggai, whom he made bishop and his successor, and Palut, whom he ordained
priest on his deathbed.
In due course St Aggai was martyred and Palut had to go to Antioch
to be consecrated by Serapion, who in his turn had been made bishop by Pope
St Zephyrinus at Rome. Quite apart from any other consideration, this last
statement throws the whole of the legend into confusion, for it is known that
there was a Serapion, Bishop of Antioch, who was at least contemporary with
St Zephyrinus, and was, moreover, contemporary with another Abgar, who was
a Christian king of Edessa between about 179 and 213, and probably the first; so Serapion could not have consecrated
a convert of one of the Seventy-two.
The most, then, that can be said of St Addai is that he was perhaps
a missionary in Edessa, before the end of the second century. St Man is an
even less satisfactory person, for there are serious doubts of his existence
at all. According to his late “acts” he was a disciple of St Addai, who sent
him to Nisibis; he preached there and took up the work of Jonas the prophet
at Ninive, then he went down the Tigris, until he began “to smell the smell
of the apostle Thomas”, and died near Seleucia-Ctesiphon, after consecrating
as its bishop Papa bar Aggai, another certainly historical personage, the
first katholikos of the East Syrian churches—but at the beginning of the fourth
century.
Wherever
he went St Man made numerous converts, destroyed temples, built churches
and founded monasteries, on a scale familiar in spurious legends but rarely,
if ever, found in sober history. Nevertheless, SS. Addai and Man, nebulous
as they now are, have from early ages been venerated as the evangelists of
the lands around the Tigris and Euphrates, and still are by their successors,
the Catholic Chaldeans and the Nestorians of Iraq and Kurdistan; they are
referred to as “the Holy Apostles”, and the principal anaphora
of the eucharistic liturgy of those Christians bears this name.
The two primary
sources are Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, bk i, ch. 13;
and the Doctrine of Addai, Syriac text with Eng. trans., edited
by G. Phillips (1876). The authenticity of the letters exchanged between
Abgar and our Saviour was formerly very warmly defended, e.g.
by the Abbé Paulin Martin in the Revue des Sciences
Ecclésiastiques for 1888— 1889 (several articles), as against
Tixeront, R. Duval, R. Lipsius, and others. On the Armenian version and its
bearings on the controversy, consult P. J. Dashian, “Zur Abgar Sage”, three
articles in the Vienna Oriental Journal for 1890. Modern
opinion tends strongly to regard the whole incident as apocryphal, see e.g. Bardenhewer, Geschichte der altkirchlichen
Literatur, vol. i, pp. 569 seq. and
p. 443; and Dictionnaire de la Bible, Supplement, cc.
540—542. Cf. however, Casartell in The Dublin
Review for April 1889, and H. Thurston in The Month, September
1192, pp. 39—61. See also DCB., s.v., Abgar and Thaddeus,
and DHG., s.v., Abgar; and F. C. Burkitt, Early
Eastern Christianity (1904), cap. i.
|
St. Memmius First bishop of Chalons-sur-Marne famous for miracles worked before and after his
death Cataláuni, in Gállia, sancti Mémmii, civis Románi,
qui, a sancto Petro Apóstolo consecrátus illíus civitátis
Epíscopus, pópulum sibi commíssum ad Evangélii
veritátem perdúxit.
At Chalons in France, St. Memmius, a Roman citizen,
who was consecrated bishop of that city by St. Peter the Apostle, and brought
to the truth of the Gospel the people committed to his care.
ST. MEMMIUS, IN FRENCH MENGE, FIRST BISHOP AND APOSTLE OF
CHALONS, ON THE MARNE.
THE Catalaunian plains, according
to Jornandes, one hundred leagues in length, and seventy in breadth, famous
for the defeat of Attila, and other great victories, gave name to the whole
province of Champagne, and were the theatre of the apostolic labours of St.
Memmius the first bishop and apostie of Chalons, in tne decline of the third
century. Flodoard is our voucher that he was contemporary with St. Sixtus,
bishop of Rheims in 290. He is honoured on the 5th of August, the day of his
death. His relics, after several translations, are deposited in a rich shrine
of silver gilt together with those of his sister St. Poma, and famous for
many miracles. St. Gregory of Tours relates that when he was travelling through
Chalons his servant fell dangerously ill of a fever: St. Gregory, prostrate
before the tomb of St. Memmius, prayed earnestly for his recovery, and the
next morning the youth found himself perfectly well.(l) St. Memmius's two
immediate successors, Donutian and Domitian, are also honoured among the
saints, and their relics enshrined in the basilic of St. Memmius.
Likewise St. Elasius and his brother and successor Laudomerus,
or Lumier, the thirteenth and fourteenth bishops of Chalons from 565 to 590,
are honoured, the former on the 19th of August, the latter on the 2nd of October,
though he died on the 30th September.
The Lives of the
Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints By Alban Butler Published
by J. Duffy, 1866 Item notes:
v.8 Original from the University of Michigan Digitized Jun 14, 2007
Saint Gregory of Tours relates also called
Menge and Meinge. He founded the see after working as a missionary in the
district.
Memmius of Châlons-sur-Marne
B (RM) (also known as Menge, Meinge) Died September 30. In the province of
Champagne, where Attila the Hun was finally defeated, Saint Memmius labored
to spread the Good News. Although he was not a disciple of Saint Peter, as
is sometimes claimed, he was the apostle and first bishop of Châlons
at the end of the 3rd century. Memmius's relics are enshrined in silver gilt
in the Basilica of Saint Memmius together with those of his sister, Saint
Poma, as well as those of his two immediate successors, Saints Donatian
and Domitian, and Saints Elaphius (13th bishop) and Leudomerus (14th bishop).
Memmius was famous for the miracles he worked before
and after his death. Saint Gregory of Tours relates that as he was travelling
through Châlons, his servant fell dangerously ill. Gregory prostrated
himself in prayer on his servant's behalf in front of the tomb of Saint
Memmius. The next morning the youth was perfectly recovered (Benedictines,
Encyclopedia, Husenbeth) .
|
235 The Martyr Pontius lived during the III Century, the son of a pagan
Roman senator named Marcus and his wife Julia.
While with child, Julia had gone with her husband to the pagan temple of
Jupiter. The devil, inhabiting the temple, shouted from the lips of the pagan
priest that the boy in Julia's womb would destroy Jupiter and his pagan temple.
When the boy was born, his mother wanted to kill him out of fear of the prediction,
but his father opposed this and the child was left to live. He was named Pontius,
and he grew up sharp of mind and keen for study. On his way to the pagan
school Pontius happened to go past an house, where Christians were making
the morning Divine-services. Hearing the words of the psalm which the Christians
were singing: "pagan idols be silver and gold, the works of the hands of
men..." (Ps. 113: 12 [115: 4]). Pontius became very interested in this verse
and he paused at the gate. Pope Pontian, who was making the service, invited
Pontius and his companion Valerian to come in. After the service, the pope
talked for a long while with the youths, revealing to them the Gospel teachings,
and after a certain while he baptised them. Saint Pontius in turn likewise
converted his father to Christ, whom Pope Pontian also baptised, together
with his whole household. And after the death of his father, Saint Pontius,
then 20 years old, was appointed by the emperor Alexander Severus (222-235)
as a senator, to take the place of his deceased father. In the Senate and
the surroundings of the emperor, Saint Pontius enjoyed universal esteem for
his good nature, sound sense and fairness. Under the successor to the emperor
Alexander Severus -- Maximian (235-238), Pope Saint Pontian finished his
life as a martyr (+ 235). |
|
257 SS Pope Antherus (Bishop
of Rome in place of Pope Saint Pontian), and successor was Pope Saint Fabian (Fabius), who
as a presbyter fearlessly gave burial to the bodies of martyrs; he too soon accepted suffering and death for Christ
(+ 236).
Pope Saint Fabian loved Saint Pontius as though he were his own flesh and
blood son. Saint Pontius distributed with Saint Fabian all his substance on
the needs of the poor. After the perishing of impious Maximian, the new emperor
Gordian (238-244) did not persecute Christians, and thereafter in turn the
emperor Philip (244-249) together with his co-regent son Philip was persuaded
by the conversations and preaching of Saint Pontius to believe in Christ
and to accept Baptism from holy Pope Fabian. With the permission of the emperors,
Saints Pontius and Fabian threw down the statue of Jupiter at the pagan temple
and on this place built a church. For 4 years the Church of Christ dwelt
in peace and tranquility. But then Decius (249-251) ascended the throne,
having organised a rebellion and murdered the emperor Philip and his son.
And during this time Sainted Fabian, Pope of Rome (+ 250), accepted death
for Christ. But Saint Pontius left Rome for the city of Cimelum (on the border
of Italy and Gaul-France) and lived there like a stranger. During the time
of the emperor Valerian (253-259), cruel torturers were sent out with full
authority to all ends to seek out and kill all Christians. And thus Claudius
and Anubius arrived in the city of Cimelum for this purpose. Saint Pontius
fearlessly confessed himself a Christian and refused to offer sacrifice to
idols. They shackled him in irons and threw him in prison. From the very
beginning of the torture the saint calmly admonished the torturers, that
the Lord would bring to naught the torture and they would see the power of
God. And indeed, as soon as the servants attempted to tie Saint Pontius to
the rack, it fell apart to pieces, and the torturers fell to the ground as
though dead.
"Be convinced, O man of little faith, in the power of my Lord",
-- said Saint Pontius to Claudius, but on the advice of Anubius he gave Saint
Pontius over to be devoured by two bears in the circus. The wild beasts, while
not touching the saint, fell instead upon their keepers and tore at them.
The spectators began to shout: "God only is the Christian God, in Whom believeth
Pontius". By order of the torturers a bon-fire was built, but it burnt out,
and the saint remained alive, and even his clothes did not burn. The crowd
shouted all the more strongly: "Great is the God of the Christians!" Saint
Pontius then was sentenced to beheading by the sword, and the execution was
made out beyond the city in the year 257. The body of Saint Pontius was given
burial at the place of execution by his comrade and friend Valerian. |
303 St. Emygdius patron against earthquakes.
Asculi, in Picéno, sancti Emygdii, Epíscopi et Mártyris;
qui, a sancto Marcéllo Papa Epíscopus ordinátus et illuc
ad prædicándum Evangélium missus, ibídem, in confessióne
Christi, sub Diocletiáno Imperatóre, martyrii corónam
accépit.
At Ascoli in Piceno, St. Emygdius, bishop and martyr,
who was consecrated bishop by Pope St. Marcellus, and sent thither to preach
the Gospel. He received the crown of martyrdom for the confession of
Christ under Diocletian.
Bishop and martyr, also called Emidius. He was a pagan
of Trier, Germany, who became a Christian. While visiting
Rome, he destroyed a pagan temple. Pope St. Marcellus I or Marcellinus
sent him to Ascoli Piceno. There he suffered martyrdom with Eupolus, Germanus,
and Valentius. This tradition is untrustworthy. Emygdius’ relics are in Ascoli.
He is a patron against earthquakes.
|
304 St. Afra Martyr and penitent daughter of the king of Cyprus
Martyr and penitent
Augústæ Vindelicórum natális sanctæ Afræ
Mártyris, quæ, cum esset pagána, per doctrínam
sancti Narcíssi Epíscopi ad Christum est convérsa, et,
cum ómnibus domus suæ membris, ab eódem Epíscopo
baptizáta; póstmodum vero, ob Christi confessiónem igni
trádita, martyrium suum, septem diébus ántequam beáta
Hilária mater ac tres ancíllæ eódem cruciátus
génere coronaréntur, felíciter explévit.
At Augsburg, the birthday of St. Afra, martyr, who being
a pagan, was converted to Christ by the teaching of St. Narcissus the bishop,
and being baptized with all her household, was given over to the flames for
the sake of Christ. Seven days later her mother Hilaria and three handmaids
were also crowned by enduring the same kind of torment.
Martyr and penitent, listed in some records as the daughter
of the king of Cyprus. Afra was caught up in the persecutions of Emperor
Diocletian in Roman Augsburg. She is listed in the Martyrology Hieronymianum.
Afra possibly operated a brothel in Augsburg or served as a prostitute in
the temple of Venus, living with her mother, Hilaria, and serving women Eunomia,
Eutropia, and Digna. When the persecutions started in Augsburg, Bishop Narcissus
of Gerona, Spain, arrived in the city and took lodging with Afra and Hilaria,
not knowing their profession. His holiness attracted the women, who converted.
When officials came looking for the bishop, Afra hid him under a pile of
flax. Afra and her household were baptized, and her uncle Dionysius was ordained
as a bishop. Arrested, Afra was burned to death, tied to a tree on the small
island of Lech. She was buried in Augsburg and her mother erected a chapel
for her tomb. Soon after, Hilaria and her serving women were burned alive
in their house. Afra's remains were buried in a church named after her. Pilgrims
visited her shrine as early as 565. In 1012, the Benedictine monastery of
St. Ulrich and St. Afra displayed her sarcophagus. The Acts of Afra give an
account of her martyrdom.
304 ST AFRA, MARTYR
THE persecution of Diocletian was carried on with great cruelty by his
colleague Maximian in those provinces which fell to his share in the division
of the empire. At Augsburg, in Rhaetia, according to her “acts”, the officers
apprehended a woman called Afra, known to have formerly been a common prostitute.
A later embroidery says she was converted by St Narcissus, bishop of Gerona
in Spain, of whom nothing is certainly known.
When she was brought to trial the judge, by name Gaius, who knew who she
was, said, “Sacrifice to the gods; it is better to live than to die in torments”.
Afra replied, “I was a great sinner before I knew God; but I will not add
new crimes, or do what you command me.”. “I am informed”, said Gaius,
“that you are a prostitute. Sacrifice therefore, as you are a stranger to
the God of the Christians and cannot be accepted by Him.” Afra replied, “My
Lord Jesus Christ has said that He came down from Heaven to save sinners.
The gospel says that a sinful woman washed His feet with her tears and obtained
pardon, and that He never rejected the outcasts but welcomed them to eat with
him.” When he found that she could not be moved, declaring, “Let the body
which has sinned suffer; but I will not ruin my soul by false worship”, the
judge passed sentence, and the executioners carried her to an island in the
river Lech. There they stripped her and tied her to a stake; and whilst they
were heaping vine branches about her and setting fire to them, Afra was heard
to say, “I thank thee, Lord Jesus Christ, for thy goodness in receiving me,
a burnt offering for thy name’s sake: thou didst offer thyself upon the
cross as a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world; I offer myself a victim
to thee, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost world
without end. Amen.” Having spoken these words she gave up her spirit, being
suffocated by the smoke.
Three servants
of the martyr, Digna, Eunomia and Euprepia, who had lived disorderly lives with their mistress, but were converted and
baptized at the same time, watched her triumph. With Hilaria, the martyr’s
mother, they came in the night and carried away the body, which they buried
in a sepulchre. Whilst Hilaria and her attendants were still within the tomb,
Gaius was informed of what they had done. He therefore dispatched soldiers
with an order to persuade the whole company to offer sacrifice, and if they
refused to burn them alive without any other formality. The soldiers used
both mild words and threats; but finding all to no purpose they filled the
vault with thorns and branches, shut the door, and having set fire to the
wood, left them to be roasted to death.
The
existence of a martyr called Afra, who suffered at Augsburg and was venerated
there from early times, seems established; but the value of the acta from which the above relation is taken is a matter of dispute.
According to some scholars they are worthless; others claim that the part
which narrates her trial and martyrdom is an expanded version of an earlier
historical narrative, while the separate story of her being a harlot, her
conversion, and the execution of her mother and servants is an invention
of the Carlovingian era. St Afra is referred to by Venantius Fortunatus, and
she is still venerated at Augsburg and elsewhere in Germany.
The two Latin
texts of most importance have both been edited by B. Krusch in MGH., Scriptores Merov., vol. iii, pp. 55—64 and vol. vii, pp. 192—204. Much discussion has centred round the question whether
the original text of the acta is really a Merovingian document
as Duchesne contended, or, as Krusch believed, was only elaborated out of
the notice in the “Hieronymianum”—“In provincia Retia civitate Augusta Afrae
veneriae.” A. Bigelmair, A. Poncelet and 0. Riedner support Krusch, but
in CMH., p. 423, an opposite view is taken ; there
are fuller bibliographical references in the same notice.
Romæ pássio sanctórum
Mártyrum vigínti trium, qui, in persecutióne Diocletiáni,
via Salária véteri, cápite obtruncáti sunt, et,
ad clivum Cucúmeris, ibídem sepúlti.
At Rome, during the persecution of Diocletian,
the martyrdom of twenty-three holy martyrs, who were beheaded on the Salarian
Way, and buried at the foot of Cucumer Hill.
|
346 St. Paris Bishop of Teano,
Italy born in Greece
Apud Theánum, in Campánia, sancti
Páridis Epíscopi. At Teano in Campania, St.
Paris, bishop.
Bishop of Teano, Italy. Biographical accounts about
him are quite extravagant, with many legends.
Paris of Teano B (RM). The veneration of Saint Paris in his diocese of
Teano near Naples has led to many embellishments to his true vita. He is
said to have been born in Greece (Benedictines, Encyclopedia) . |
350 St. Cassian of Autun
Egyptian Famed for miracles
Augustodúni beáti Cassiáni
Epíscopi. At Autun, blessed Cassian, bishop.
Successor of St. Reticius as bishop of Autun, France. He served
from 314 until his death. Famed for miracles, Cassian was identified by a
biographer as being an Egyptian. |
362 Eusignius of Antioch
old soldier (110) in the army of Constantius Chlorus refusal to sacrifice
to the gods M (RM)
Antiochíæ sancti Eusígnii mílitis, qui, annum
agens centésimum décimum, cum Constantíni Magni fidem,
sub quo militáverat, Juliáno Apóstatæ exprobráret,
eúmque ut pátriæ pietátis desertórem redargúeret,
ab eódem jussus est cápite cædi.
At Antioch, St. Eusignius, a soldier, who, at the age
of one hundred and ten years, because he reproached Julian the Apostate for
forsaking the faith of Constantine the Great, under whom he had served, and
for having degenerated from his ancestor's piety, was beheaded at his command.
Saint Eusignius was a old soldier in the army of Constantius
Chlorus. At the age of 110, he was commanded to sacrifice to the gods by Julian
the Apostate. Upon his refusal, he was scourged and beheaded in Antioch,
Syria (Benedictines).
|
374 Nonna of Nazianzen, Matron 3 children became
saints Saint Gregory Nazianzen Caesarius of Nazianzen and Gorgonia(RM)
Eódem die sanctæ Nonnæ, quæ fuit mater beatórum
Gregórii Nazianzéni, Cæsárii et Gorgoniæ.
On the same day, St. Nonna, mother of Saints Gregory
Nazianzen, Caesarius, and Gorgonia.
A Christian, Saint Nonna married Gregory, a magistrate of
Nazianzus, Cappadocia, who was a member of the Hypsistarians, a Jewish-pagan
group, and converted him to Christianity. He became a priest and then bishop
and is Saint Gregory Nazianzen the Elder. Their three children all became
saints: Saint Gregory Nazianzen, Caesarius of Nazianzen, and Gorgonia. But
each followed a different path to sanctity because she was a good mother
who realized that God's plan was different for each of them and encouraged
them to follow His calling. Caesarius was a court physician, Gregory a monk
and bishop, and Gorgonia a wife and mother.
Nonna is the model of a perfect Christian mother who is dissatisfied with
simply bringing her children into the world and preparing them to live in
it. She desired that they all be brought to heaven. Her son Gregory wrote:
"My father was in truth a second Abraham and was a man of the highest virtue...My
mother was a worthy companion for such a man and her qualities were as great
as his. She came from a pious family, but was even more pious than they. Through
in her body she was but a woman, in her spirit she was above all men...Her
mouth knew nothing but the truth, but in her modesty she was silent about
those deeds which brought her glory. She was guided by the fear of God..."
(Benedictines, Delaney, Encyclopedia).
St. Nouna Wife of St. Gregory of Nazianzus
Wife of St. Gregory of Nazianzus. A Christian, she was responsible for
converting Gregory to the Christian faith. He was originally a member of
the Hypsistorians, a Jewish pagan group. All of their children became saints:
Gregory Nazianzus the Younger, Caesarius of Nazianzus, and Gorgonius.
374 ST NONNA, MATRON
NONNA was born towards the end of the third century and, although she was
brought up a Christian, married Gregory, the magistrate of Nazianzus in Cappadocia,
who was a member of a Judaic-pagan sect called the Hypsistarians. However,
this was a case of a “ mixed marriage” turning out for the very best, and
the resulting family was one of the most famous and brilliant saintly families
of Christian history. By her shining example St Nonna converted her husband,
and he became a priest, and then a bishop: in those days the now universal
law that a bishop must be single or a widower was not yet everywhere in force;
he is moreover venerated as a saint and is known as St Gregory Nazianzen the
Elder. They had three children, all of them saints, and the eldest, St Gregory
Nazianzen the Divine, became one of the greatest of the doctors of the Church;
in his writing he often refers to the devoted and virtuous life of his mother
Nonna. The next child was a girl, St Gorgonia, who married and had three
children. The third was St Caesarius, a physician by profession. St Nonna
outlived two of her children: Gorgonia died in her arms, and she heard the
funeral sermons preached for her and Caesarius by Gregory the Younger which
have continued to be the admiration of succeeding ages. She survived her
husband only a few months and died at a considerable age in 374: a valiant
woman, whose children rose up and called her blessed, whose husband praised
her.
A sufficient
account of St Nonna is given in the Acta Sanctorum, August,
vol. ii, and in DCB., vol. iv, p. 50.
|
435 Dedication
of St. Mary Major first church in Rome dedicated to Mary the Mother of God
Romæ, in Exquíliis, Dedicátio Basílicæ
sanctæ Maríæ ad Nives.
At Rome, on the Esquiline, the Dedication of the Basilica
of St. Mary of the Snows.
There are three basilicas in Rome in which the holy father
celebrates Mass on different feasts: Saint John Lateran, Saint Peter's on
Vatican Hill, and Saint Mary Major, which was the first church in Rome dedicated
to Mary the Mother of God. It was founded by Pope Liberius in the 4th century,
and dedicated to the Blessed Virgin by Pope Saint Sixtus III about 435. The
church is sometimes called, Saint Mary ad Nives (of the Snow), because a
miraculous snow fell upon the area in summer about the time a patrician named
John had a vision of the Virgin requesting the building of the church. He
donated the money for its building.
In the church the Holy Manger of Bethlehem with a silver image of the baby
Jesus is on display in a large subterranean chapel. Touching this presumed
relic excited the religious fervor of such saints as Jerome and Paula when
it was still at Bethlehem (Husenbeth).
THE DEDICATION OF THE BASILICA OF ST MARY MAJOR
“OUR LADY OF THE SNOW”
THIS feast celebrates the dedication
of the third of the patriarchal basilicas within the walls of Rome, to which
at first the name of” Liberian Basilica” was given, because it was founded
in the time of Pope Liberius, in the middle of the fourth century it was
restored and consecrated under the title of the Virgin Mary by Sixtus III,
about the year 435, and is now generally known as St Mary Major (Santa Maria
Maggiore Great St Mary’s), because it is in both age and dignity the first
church of the City among those dedicated to God in honour of our Lady. In
the liturgical books it is called St Mary ad Nives, or
“of the Snow”, from a popular tradition that the Mother of God chose this
place for a church under her invocation by a miraculous fall of snow upon
this spot in summer and by a vision in which she appeared to a patrician named
John, who munificently founded and endowed this church in the pontificate
of Liberius at the site thus indicated on the Esquiline Hill. No mention is
found of this miracle until some hundreds of years later, and it is now everywhere
recognized as a myth. A commission for the reform of the Breviary recommended
to Pope Benedict XIV in 1742 that its old name of “Dedication of St Mary”
should be restored to the feast; this has not been done yet, except in the
Benedictine calendar (1915). This basilica has sometimes also been known
by the name of St Mary ad Praesepe, from the alleged relic
of the crib or manger of Bethlehem, in which Christ was laid at His birth.
See
H. Grisar, Analecta Romana (1900),
p. 70, and the same writer’s Geschicte Roms
und der Päpste (1901), p. 153, n. 1; as well
as Duchesne, Liber Pontificalis, vol. i, pp. 232, 235, and
CMH., p. 418. Stress is rightly laid upon the fact that no mention is made
of any miraculous fall of snow in Sixtus III’s inscription for the dedication
of the basilica. Though the original has now perished, its text is well known,
and has been reprinted, for example, from De Rossi’s Inscriptiones
Christianae, vol. ii, pp. 75, 98, 139, in Duchesne’s footnote; see under
St Sixtus III herein, on August 19.
August 5, 2008 Dedication of St. Mary Major Basilica
First raised at the order of Pope Liberius in the mid-fourth century, the
Liberian Basilica was rebuilt by Pope Sixtus III shortly after the Council
of Ephesus affirmed Mary’s title as Mother of God in 431. Rededicated at that
time to the Mother of God, St. Mary Major is the largest church in the world
honoring God through Mary. Standing atop one of Rome’s seven hills, the Esquiline,
it has survived many restorations without losing its character as an early
Roman basilica. Its interior retains three naves divided by colonnades in
the style of Constantine’s era. Fifth-century mosaics on its walls testify
to its antiquity.
St. Mary Major is one of the four Roman basilicas known as patriarchal
cathedrals in memory of the first centers of the Church. St. John Lateran
represents Rome, the See of Peter; St. Paul Outside the Walls, the See of
Alexandria, allegedly the see presided over by Mark; St. Peter’s, the See
of Constantinople; and St. Mary’s, the See of Antioch, where Mary is supposed
to have spent most of her life.
One legend, unreported before the year 1000, gives another name to this
feast: Our Lady of the Snows. According to that story, a wealthy Roman couple
pledged their fortune to the Mother of God. In affirmation, she produced
a miraculous summer snowfall and told them to build a church on the site.
The legend was long celebrated by releasing a shower of white rose petals
from the basilica’s dome every August 5.
Comment: Theological debate over
Christ’s nature as God and man reached fever pitch in Constantinople in the
early fifth century. A chaplain to Bishop Nestorius began preaching against
the title Theotokos, “Mother of God,” insisting that the Virgin was mother
only of the human Jesus. Nestorius agreed, decreeing that Mary would henceforth
be named “Mother of Christ” in his see. The people of Constantinople virtually
revolted against their bishop’s refutation of a cherished belief. When the
Council of Ephesus refuted Nestorius, believers took to the streets, enthusiastically
chanting, “Theotokos! Theotokos!” Quote: “From the earliest times the Blessed
Virgin is honored under the title of Mother of God, in whose protection the
faithful take refuge together in prayer in all their perils and needs. Accordingly,
following the Council of Ephesus, there was a remarkable growth in the cult
of the People of God towards Mary, in veneration and love, in invocation and
imitation...” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 66).
|
544 St. Venantius Bishop of
Viviers, France
He was the subject of a dubious biography, written in the
twelfth century.
Venantius of Viviers B (AC). Saint Venantius is one of the most
celebrated ancient bishops of Viviers, France. He life was not recorded
until the 12th century and is worthless as a historical document (Benedictines).
|
642 St. Oswald King and martyr son of Ethelfrid, Ggrandson
of Ida, Kingdom of Northumbria in
547 founder set up a cross of wood as his standard -- the
first Christian symbol ever raised in Bernicia; limbs incorrupt in 12th
century: see also August 09th
In
Anglia sancti Oswáldi Regis, cujus gesta sanctus Beda Venerábilis
commémorat.
In England, St. Oswald, king, whose
life is related by St. Venerable Bede.
b., probably, 605; the second of seven brothers, sons of Ethelfrid,
who was grandson of Ida, founder of the Kingdom of Northumbria in 547. Oswald's
mother was Acha, daughter of Ella or Alla, who, after Ida's death, had seized
Deira and thus separated it from the Northern Bernicia.
642 St Oswald Of Northumbria,
Martyr
After death of King St Edwin in the year 633 in
battle against Penda and Cadwailon, Oswald, nephew of Edwin, prepared to
regain possession of both parts of Northumbria; he had received Christianity
with his whole heart and, far from forsaking Christ as his unhappy brothers
had done to court the favour of his subjects, he wished to bring them to
the spiritual kingdom of divine grace.
While Cadwallon ravaged the Northumbrian provinces, Oswald assembled
what troops he was able, and marched confidently, though with a small force,
against his enemy. In 634 battle was joined some three miles south
of Hexham, near Rowley Burn. The evening before the engagement, the
king caused a great wooden cross to be made, and he held it up whilst the
hole dug in the earth to plant it in was filled up round the foot. When
it was fixed, St Oswald cried out to his army (in which only a handful of
individuals were Christians), "Let us now kneel down, and together pray to
the almighty and only true God that He will mercifully defend us from our
enemy; for He knows that we fight in defence of our lives and country".
All the soldiers did as he commanded, and that same night
Oswald had a vision wherein St Columba of
Jona appeared to stretch his cloak over his sleeping troops and to
promise them victory on the morrow.
And so it fell out. God blessed Oswald's faith and the superior
forces of Cadwallon were muted and himself killed in the battle. It was a
happy omen, says St Bede, that the place where this cross was set up was called
in English Hefenfelth, that is. "Heaven field" (though doubtless in fact
it was given that name later), because there was erected the first heavenly
trophy of faith: before that time no church or altar was known to have been
raised in the kingdom of the Bernicians. This cross of St Oswald was
afterwards very famous.
In St Bede's time little
chips of it were steeped in water, and drunk by sick persons, or sprinkled
upon them, and many recovered their health. After death of King Oswald,
the monks of Hexham used to come to the place on the day before the anniversary
of his death, there to sing the night-office and to celebrate Mass the next
morning. A church was built on the spot some time before Bede wrote.
St Oswald immediately set himself to restore good order
throughout his dominions, and plant in them the faith of Christ. Naturally
enough he looked not to Canterbury but to Scotland, where he had
received the faith himself, for help in this task, and asked for a bishop
and assistants by whose preaching the people whom he governed might be grounded
in the Christian religion and receive baptism.
St Aidan, a native
of Ireland and a monk of Iona, was chosen for the arduous undertaking, and
he by his mildness repaired the mischief done by another monk, sent before
him, whose harshness had alienated many from the gospel which he professed
to preach. The king bestowed on Aidan the isle of Lindisfarne for
his episcopal see, and, before the bishop could sufficiently speak the English
language, he would himself be his interpreter and explain his sermons and
instructions to the people.
"From that time many of the Scots [Irish] came daily into Britain
and preached the word with great devotion to those provinces of the English
over which King Oswald reigned...Churches were built in a number of places;
the people gladly gathered to hear the gospel; money and land were given by
the king to build monasteries; and the English, high and low, were instructed
by their Scottish teachers in the rules and observance of regular discipline,
for most of them that came to preach were monks" (Bede).
Oswald, whilst he was governing
his temporal kingdom, was intent to labour and pray also for an eternal crown;
and by reason of his praying and giving thanks at all times, it is said that
whenever he was sitting he would have his hands on his knees turned upwards,
toward Heaven. The kingdom of Northumberland then extended as far as
the Firth of Forth, and so great was his power that the other kings of England
recognized in him some sort of nominal overlordship (bretwalda), so that
St Adamnan, in his life of
St Columba, styles him" Emperor
of all Britain". Bede gives the following example of the charity of
this great king amidst his prosperity.
One Easter day, whilst he was sitting
down to dinner, an officer came in and told him there was a multitude of
poor people at his gate, asking alms. The king sent them a large silver dish
full of meat, and ordered the dish to be broken into small pieces and distributed
among them. Upon this, St Aidan,
who happened to be at table, taking him by the right hand, said, "May this
hand never perish." After St Oswald's death his right arm was cut off and
remained incorrupt at least till the time of Simeon of Durham (d.c. 1135),
when it was kept at the minster of Peterborough.
St Oswald married Cyneburga, daughter of Cynegils, the first
Christian king of Wessex; he stood sponsor for him at his baptism. They had
one child, a son, Ethelwald, who became king of Deira and was little credit
to his father.
When St Oswald had reigned some years war broke out with the
pagan Penda of Mercia. Penda again allied himself with the Welsh and
the struggle lasted until a decisive battle was fought at Maserfield (probably
Oswestry in Shropshire). St Oswald met him with an inferior force, and
was killed in the battle. When he saw himself surrounded with his enemies,
he offered his last prayer for the souls of his soldiers, and it became a
proverb: "O God, be merciful to their souls, as said Oswald when he fell."
He was slain in the thirty-eighth
year of his age, on August 5, 642.
His relics were eventually distributed to various places and
St Bede chronicles some of the many miracles of which they were the occasion;
nor is it to be wondered at that the sick should be healed by him when dead,
for while he lived he never ceased to provide for the poor and infirm.
St Oswald was formerly remembered as one of the great national
heroes of England, and his veneration extended to Scotland, Ireland, Portugal,
northern Italy, Bohemia, southern Germany and Switzerland, where he is patron
of Zug. His memory is now somewhat dim but his feast is observed in
several English dioceses and in Argyll (with a proper Mass) on August 9; and
at Meissen and Trier. He is named in the Roman Martyrology on the 5th.
We know little of St Oswald beyond
what has been recorded in Bede's Ecclesiastical
History, bk iii, but C. Plummer gives (vol. ii, p. 161) a list of
subsequent lives of the holy king. That by Drogo (eleventh century)
is printed in the Acta Sanctorum,
August,vol. ii; that by Reginald of Durham may be found in Arnold's edition
of Simeon of Durham (Rolls Series). Plummer points out in detail (pp. 159-160)
how widespread was the cultus of
St Oswald in central Europe. Plummer's notes upon Bede's text are also valuable,
as well as those in the edition of Mayor and Lumby (1881). For the Swiss
cultus, see E. P. Baker`s article
in Archaeologia, vol. xciii (1949),
pp. 103-123, and for northern Italy, the same writer in Archaeologia, vol. xciv (1951), pp. 167-194.
The years of Oswald's youth were spent at home, as long as his
father reigned, but when, in 617, Ethelfrid was slain in battle by Redwald,
King of the East Angles, Oswald with his brothers fled for protection from
Edwin, their uncle, Acha's brother, to the land of the Scots and were cared
for at Columba's Monastery at Hii, or Iona. There they remained until Edwin's
death in the battle of Heathfield (633). Eanfrid, his elder brother, then
retuurned to accept the Kingdom of Deira, whilst Osric, cousin of Edwin, received
Bernicia. The kingdom was thus again divided and both parts relapsed into
paganism. In the following year Osric was slain in battle, and Eanfrid treacherously
murdered by the British king, Cadwalla. Oswald thereupon came down from the
North, and in 635 a small but resolute band gathered round him near the Roman
Wall at a spot seven miles north of Hexham, afterwards known as Hevenfelt,
or Heaven's Field. Here, encouraged by a vision and promise of victory from
St. Columba, who shrouded with his mantle all his camp, Oswald set up a cross
of wood as his standard -- the first Christian symbol ever raised in Bernicia
-- and gave battle to the Britons, who were led, probably, by Cadwalla. The
Britons were completely routed, and thenceforth could only act on the defensive.
Oswald's victory reunited the Northumbrian Kingdom not only because he
delivered it from the humiliating yoke of the Mercians and Britons, but also
because on his father's side he was a descendant of Ida of Bernicia and on
his mother's of the royal house of Ella of Deira. Thus united, Northumbria
could not fail to become the chief power in a confederation against Penda
of Mercia and the Britons of Wales.
Oswald was thoroughly grounded in the principles of the Christian religion,
and, though but twelve nobles with whom he returned from exile were Christians,
far from abandoning his faith, his first care was to spread it among the Bernicians,
thus confirming the political union effected by Edwin with a religious union
unknown before. Edwin, it is true, had himself received the Faith in 627,
through the influence of his wife Ethelburga, sister of the Kentish King,
who had brought St. Paulinus to the North, but his example was followed only
by the people of Deira.
Oswald, brought up in Columba's monastery at Iona, naturally looked
to the North for missionaries. The first preacher who set forth soon returned,
having found the Northumbrian people too barbarous and stubborn. Then Aidan
was sent, "a man of singular meekness, piety and moderation", established
his episcopal see at Lindisfarne, in 635. Oswald's zealous co-operation with
the monk-bishop soon filled the land with churches and monasteries, and the
church at York, begun by Edwin, was completed. Moreover, his wonderful humility
in the midst of success, his charity, and his piety soon had their effect
in turning his subjects from Woden to Christ. We are told that the king in
his Court acted as the interpreter of the Irish missionaries who knew not
the language of his thanes.
It was Oswald's work to add to the warlike glory of his father Ethelfrid
and the wise administration of his uncle Edwin the moral power of Christianity,
and to build up a great kingdom. Edwin had gathered the whole English race
into one political body and was overlord of every English kingdom save that
of Kent. The Venerable Bede (III, 6) says that Oswald had a greater dominion
than any of his ancestors, and that "he brought under his sway all the nations
and provinces of Britain, which are divided into four languages, namely the
Britons, the Picts, the Scots, and the English". He had great power in the
North-West, as far south as Chester and Lancashire, and was probably owned
as overlord by the Welsh Kingdom of Strath Clyde, as well as by the Picts
and Scots of Dalriada. In the East he was supreme in Lindsey, and the words
of Bede seem to imply that he was overlord of Mercia, which was still ruled
by Penda; but this could have been scarcely more than nominal. The West Saxons
in the South, influenced by the fear of Penda, readily acknowledged Oswald,
their allegiance being strengthened, in 635, by the conversion of King Cynegils,
of Wessex, at whose baptism Oswald stood sponsor, and whose daughter he married.
Both sovereigns then established Bishop Birinus at Dorchester.
This vast supremacy, extending from north to south, and broken only by
Penda's kingdom in Mid-Britain and that of the East Angles, led Adamnan of
Hii to call Oswald "The Emperor of the whole of Britain". Christianity seemed
to be forming a network round the pagan Penda of Mercia. The kingdom of the
East Angles, which was still Christian, but acknowledged Penda as overlord,
was necessary to Oswald to maintain the connection between his dominions in
the north and the south. War was therefore inevitable. At the battle of Maserfeld,
said to be seven miles from Shrewsbury, "on the border of Wales, near Offa's
dyke", Oswald was slain on 5 Aug., 642, and thus perished "the most powerful
and most Christian King" in the eighth year of his reign and in the flower
of his age. His last words were for the spiritual welfare of his soldiers,
whence the proverb: "God have mercy on their souls, as said Oswald when
he fell." His body was mutilated by Penda, and his limbs set up on stakes,
where they remained a full year, until they were taken away by Oswy and given
to the monks at Bardney in Lindsey. In the tenth century some of the bones
were carried off by Ethelred and Ethelfleda of Mercia to St. Peter's, Gloucester.
His head was taken from the battlefield to the church of St. Peter in the
royal fortress at Bamborough, and was afterwards translated to Lindisfarne,
where, for fear of the Danes, it was placed in 875 in the coffin of St. Cuthbert,
which found its resting place at Durham in 998. It was in the coffin at the
translation of St. Cuthbert in 1104, and was thought to be there when the
tomb was opened in 1828. His arm and hand (or hands) were taken to Bamborough
and perhaps afterwards removed to Peterborough, and were still incorrupt
in the time of Symeon of Durham, early in the twelfth century. Reginald gives
an account of his personal appearance: arms of great length and power, eyes
bright blue, hair yellow, face long and beard thin, and his small lips wearing
a kindly smile.
|
751
St. Abel Irish Archbishop
and Benedictine abbot
noted churchman, accompanying St. Boniface on his missions to the European
Continent
Abel was probably born in Ireland,
and was a noted churchman, accompanying St. Boniface on his missions to the European
Continent. He was chosen as archbishop of Remis by Pope St. Zachary, a nomination ratified by the Council
of Soissons in 744. However, a usurper named Milo occupied the see and would
not relinquish it. Abel retired to a monastery at Lobbes, and was installed
as abbot. He died there in the "odor of sanctity ." |
St. Cantidius Martyr of Egypt
with Cantidian and Sobel.
Item sanctórum Mártyrum Ægyptiórum Cantídii,
Cantidiáni et Sobélis.
Also the holy martyrs Cantidius, Cantidian, and Sobel,
Egyptians.
|
863 St. Theodoric Fr Bishop
Bishop of Cambrai-Arras, France,
from about 830.
Theodoric of Cambrai B (AC). Bishop of Cambrai-Arras from about 830 to
863 (Benedictines) .
|
1016 St. Gormcal Irish abbot of the monastery of Ardoilen
in Galway
An Irish abbot of Ardoilen Abbey,
in Galway, Ireland. He participated the monastic renaissance of that era.
Gormgal (Gormcal) of Ardoilen, Abbot (AC) Died 1016. An Irish abbot of the
monastery of Ardoilen in Galway (Benedictines).
|
1123 Sainted Theoktist, Bishop of Chernigov, prior to entering upon the
cathedra-chair, pursued an ascetic life at the Kievo-Pechersk monastery.
He was among the number of the great startsi-elders, healing by prayer
the Monk Nikita, afterwards Sainted Bishop of Novgorod (Comm. 31 January).
In the year 1103 Saint Theoktist was made hegumen of the Kievo-Pechersk monastery.
In the year 1108 he built on the means of pious prince Gleb Vseslavich a stone
refectory. Saint Theoktist particularly insisted, that the name of the Monk
Theodosii (Feodosii, Comm. 3 May), be included in the synodikon of the saints
of all Russia. In the year 1110, on 11 February, there was an heavenly apparition
at the Pechersk monastery: a pillar of fire from the ground to the sky appeared
and lightning lighted up all the earth, and at the 1st hour of the night
there was the crash of thunder; the fiery pillar stood over the stone refectory
so that its cross was not visible; afterwards it proceeded to the church
and settled over the grave of the Monk Theodosii, and then, turning to the
East, it disappeared. "This was not a pillar of fire, but rather an angelic
face, -- wrote the Monk Nestor the Chronicler, -- because an angel appears
thus, when there is a pillar of fire, a flaming, as says the Prophet David:
Who maketh His angels spirits and His servants flames of fire" (Ps. 103 [104]:
4). In the year 1113 Saint Theoktist was ordained Bishop of Chernigov. The
PriestMartyr Monk Kuksha (Comm. 27 August), enlightening at this time the
Vyatichi, belonging to the Chernigov diocese. On 2 May 1115 Saint Theoktist
participated in the transfer of the relics of holy Princes Boris and Gleb
to Vyshgorod, and later in Chernigov near his cathedral he consecrated a
church in the name of the holy Princes Boris and Gleb, erected in the year
1120 by prince David of Chernigov. And to the noble Prince Passion-Bearers
Boris and Gleb the saint made a sermon on the day of their memory. On 6
august 1123, the feast of the Transfiguration, Saint Theoktist died, and
because of the feastday, his memory is made on 5 August. On one of the lists
of the Saints it is said, that he was buried at the Pechersk monastery. For
the memory of Saint Theoktist believers resort also to 28 September, when
he is remembered in the 9th ode of the Canon of the Sobor-Assemblage of the
Monastic Fathers of the Nearer Caves. |
1628 The Monk Job of Ushel'sk
was a monk of the Solovetsk monastery a saint of God began soon after his death, because
of numerous miracles (in the XVII Century about 50 such were known of)
His father was named Patrikii Mazovsky.
On 10 November 1608 he was ordained to the dignity of priestmonk by the
Novgorod metropolitan Isidor. In 1614 the Monk Job was sent to the Mezensk
frontier, where at the confluence into the River Mezen' of the Rivers Ezeg
and Vazhka he set up a chapel in honour of the Nativity of Christ. The first
monks gathering to him lived at the homes of their own lay-kinsmen, so poor
was the monastery. After tsar Mikhail Feodorovich (1613-1645) conferred lands
with fishing rights, the monk built a church and monastic cells. On 5 August
1628, when all the brethren were off making hay, robbers attacked the monastery.
After terrible tortures in their demands for him to open the monastery treasury,
the robbers beheaded the Monk Job. Finding nothing at all, they fled. The
brethren upon returning buried the body of the monkmartyr with honour. Local
reverence of the Monk Job as a saint of God began soon after his death, because
of numerous miracles (in the XVII Century about 50 such were known of). The
first icon was written in 1658, and his vita-life in the 1660's. And about
this time a chapel was built over the relics of the monk, and rebuilt afterwards
by blessing of the Kholmogorsk archbishop Athanasii as a church in honour
of the same-name saint Righteous Job the Much-Suffering (Comm. 6 May; and
on this day the Church has established to also remember the Monk Job of Ushel'sk).
On 3 November 1739 the relics of the Monk Job were witnessed to by archbishop
Varsonophii, with in evidence the singing of a molieben to the saint. Thus
there was made his glorification. The image of the Monk Job is written thus:
"Similarly greyed, a beard like Alexander of Svirsk, in the garb of the monastic
schemamonk, and in his hands a scroll upon which is written: "Fear not those
murdering of the body, the soul they cannot kill"". |
1960 Saint John
the Chozebite; lived in Bethlehem
near St Sava's Monastery10 yrs; lived
in Bethlehem near St Sava's Monastery; On August 8, 1980 his relics were found incorrupt
and fragrant.
The son of Maxim and Catherine Jacob, was born July 23, 1913
in the Horodistea district of Moldavia. He was named for the holy prophet
Elias (July 20). In 1914, his father died in the war, and his mother succumbed
to a disease, leaving Elias as an orphan. His grandmother Maria raised him
until he was eleven. She was a nun, so she was able to educate him in spiritual
matters. She died in 1924, so young Elias went to live with other relatives.
He had a great love for Christ and His Church, and longed for the monastic
life.
He entered Neamts Monastery on August 15, 1933 when he was twenty years
old. Here his soul was nourished by the beauty of the services, the experienced
spiritual instructors, and the silence of the mountains. The young monk loved
prayer, vigils, spiritual reading, and solitude, and soon he surpassed many
experienced monks in obedience, humility, and patience. Seeing his great love
for spiritual books, the igumen made him the monastery's librarian. Elias
gave comfort to many of the brethren by recommending specific books for each
one to read. Then he would advise them to read the book carefully, make their
confession, and not miss the services if they wanted to find peace.
His spiritual efforts attracted the notice of Archimandrite Valerie Moglan,
who recommended that Elias be permitted to receive monastic tonsure. He was
tonsured on April 8, 1936 and received the name John. From that time, the
young monk intensified his spiritual efforts, conquering the temptations of
the demons, and progressing on the path of salvation.
St John made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with two other monks in 1936,
and they decided to remain there. The monk Damascene fell ill, however, and
had to be taken back to Romania by the monk Claudius after eight months.
At first, St John lived in Bethlehem near St Sava's Monastery. Romanian
monks had lived at St Sava's since the sixteenth century, and John struggled
there for almost ten years. He was made librarian of the monastery, and he
fulfilled this obedience for about seven years.
In 1945 St John longed for the peace and solitude of the desert, and so
he went to live as a hermit. He was ordained as a priest in 1947, and Pilgrims
often came to him for Confession, Communion, and consolation. In his free
time he composed religious poems and hymns.
After five years, he and his disciple went into the desert of Chozeba near
Jehrico. Here they lived in asceticism for eight years in the cave where,
according to Tradition, St Anna had prayed.
St John Jacob died on August 5, 1960 at the age of forty-seven and was
buried in his cave. On August 8, 1980 his relics were found incorrupt and
fragrant. They now rest in the St George the Chozebite Monastery.
In 1968 and 1970, St John's book SPIRITUAL NOURISHMENT was published in
two volumes, with the blessing of Patriarch Benedict of Jerusalem. St John
Jacob was glorified by the Romanian Orthodox Church in 1992. |
Mary Mother of GOD 
Saints of this Day August 05 Nonis Augusti 
Quote: Pope Paul VI’s 1969 
Benedict XVI met with Aram I Catholicos
of Cilicia, the highest authority of the Orthodox
Church. The Pope remembered
the martyrs of the Armenian Church and the Armenian
genocide, without explicitly mentioning it, and
denounced the persecution of Christians in modern times.
Benedict XVI
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.