Righteous
Simeon and Anna the prophetess On this first day of the Afterfeast of the
Meeting of the Lord
the Church commemorates the righteous Simeon and Anna the prophetess. The
following words are ascribed to Christ in Ode 9 of the Canon: "I am not held
by the Elder; it is I Who hold him, for he asks Me for forgiveness."
Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver was, according to the testimony of the
holy Evangelist Luke, a just and devout man waiting for the consolation of
Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him (Luke 2:25). God promised him that
he would not die until the promised Messiah, Christ the Lord, came into the
world.
Ancient historians tell us that the Egyptian pharaoh Ptolemy II Philadelphus
(285-247 B.C.) wished to include texts of Holy Scripture in the famous Library
at Alexandria. He invited scholars from Jerusalem, and the Sanhedrin sent
their wise men. The Righteous Simeon was one of the seventy scholars who
came to Alexandria to translate the Holy Scriptures into Greek. The completed
work was called "The Septuagint," and is the version of the Old Testament
used by the Orthodox Church.
St Simeon was translating a book of the Prophet Isaiah, and read the words:
"Behold, a virgin shall conceive in the womb, and shall bring forth a Son"
(Is 7:14). He thought that "virgin" was inaccurate, and he wanted to correct
the text to read "woman." At that moment an angel appeared to him and held
back his hand saying, "You shall see these words fulfilled. You shall not
die until you behold Christ the Lord born of a pure and spotless Virgin."
From this day, St Simeon lived in expectation of the Promised Messiah. One
day, the righteous Elder received a revelation from the Holy Spirit, and
came to the Temple. It was on the very day (the fortieth after the Birth
of Christ) when the All-Pure Virgin Mary and St Joseph had come to the Temple
in order to perform the ritual prescribed by Jewish Law.
Simeon und Hanna
Am Tag nach hohen Festtagen
gedenkt die orthodoxe Kirche der mit dem Fest verbundenen Heiligen. So wird
nach dem Fest der Darstellung Jesu im Tempel der Heiligen Simeon und Hannah
gedacht.
Apokryphe Evangelien berichten, Simeon sei ein Priester oder Hohepriester
gewesen, sein Name wird aber in den Priesterlisten nicht geführt. Nach
anderen Berichten soll er der Sohn des berühmten Rabbis Hillel und Vater
des Rabbis Gamaliel (Apg. 5, 34) gewesen sein. Das Nikodemusevangelium nennt
auch seine Söhne Charinus und Leucius (die Verfasser des Nikodemusevangeliums
und anderer Schriften gewesen sein sollen).
Die in Lukas 2, 25 berichtete Weissagung, Simeon werde nicht sterben, bevor
er nicht den Messias gesehen habe, führte zu der Legende, Simeon sei
einer der Übersetzer der Septuaginta (griechische Übersetzung des
Alten Testaments, die um 250 vor Christus entstand) gewesen. Er habe den
Propheten Jesaja übersetzt und das hebräische almah in Jes. 7,
14 als junge Frau übersetzen wollen, sei dann aber von einem Engel aufgefordert
worden, Jungfrau zu übersetzen. Dieser Engel prophezeite Simeon, er
werde erst sterben, wenn er den von einer Jungfrau geborenen Immanuel erblickt
habe. Im 6. Jahrhundert wurden die Gebeine Simeons nach Konstantinopel gebracht.
Im 13. Jahrhundert kamen die Gebeine nach Istrien, wo Simeon mit seinen Söhnen
verehrt wurde.
Hanna steht nicht nur auf der Ikone im Hintergrund. Über sie ist außer
dem Bericht des Lukas (2, 36-38) nichts bekannt, es scheint auch keine Legenden
zu geben. Sie war die letzte Prophetin des alten Bundes. Nur von ihr berichtet
die Bibel, daß sie die Geburt Jesu öffentlich verkündete.
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250 St. Celerinus
deacon African martyr revered for his sufferings
In Africa sancti Celeríni
Diáconi, qui, decem et novem dies custódia cárceris
septus, in nervo et ferro variísque pœnis gloriósus fuit Christi
Conféssor; et, dum inexpugnábili firmitáte certáminis
sui vicit adversárium, vincéndi céteris viam fecit.
In Africa, St. Celerinus, deacon, who was kept nineteen days in prison burdened
with fetters, and who gloriously confessed Christ in the midst of afflictions.
By overcoming the enemy with invincible constancy, he shewed to others the
road to victory.
while imprisoned by Emperor
Trajanus Decius (249-251)
in Rome. He was freed and returned to Carthage, where St. Cyprian ordained him as a deacon. Celerinus
of Carthage M (RM) Died after 250. An African who, without shedding his blood,
earned the title of martyr because of the sufferings he endured under Decius
during a visit to Rome.Set at liberty, he returned to Carthage where he was
ordained a deacon by Saint Cyprian. A church was dedicated
to his honor in Carthage (Benedictines).
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250 St. Laurentinus
& brother and sister SS Laurentius and Clerina 3rd. century African martyrs
Ibídem sanctórum trium Mártyrum, ipsíus
Celeríni Diáconi consanguineórum, scílicet Laurentíni
pátrui, Ignátii avúnculi, et Celerínæ áviæ,
qui ántea martyrio coronáti fúerant; de quorum ómnium
gloriósis láudibus exstat beáti Cypriáni epístola.
In the same place, three holy martyrs who
were relatives of the same deacon Celerinus; his father's brother Laurentinus,
his mother's brother Ignatius and his grandmother Celerina. They were
crowned with martyrdom earlier, and were praised highly in an epistle by
blessed Cyprian.
St. Laurentinus is a 3rd. century martyr. He and
his brother and sister, SS Laurentius and
Clerina, were put to death
(St. Ignatius) near Carthage during the reign of
Decius (249-250). Their
nephew Celerinus suffered so extremely
that he also is termed a martyr, though he lived to be ordained a deacon by St. Cyprian.
Laurentinus, Ignatius, and Celerina MM (RM) 3rd century. African martyrs,
of whom Saint Cyprian writes movingly in one of his epistles. Saints Laurentinus
and Ignatius were uncles of and Saint Celerina an aunt of the deacon Saint
Celerinus, who is also commemorated today (Benedictines).
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316 St. Blaise martyr
miracles Patron of Throat Illnesses bishop of Sebastea in Armenia message
from God
Sebáste, in Arménia,
pássio sancti Blásii, Epíscopi et Mártyris; qui,
multórum patrátor miraculórum, sub Agricoláo
Præside, post diútinam cæsiónem, atque in ligno
suspensiónem, ubi férreis pectínibus carnes ejus dirúptæ
sunt, post tetérrimum cárcerem et in lacum demersiónem,
unde salvus exívit, tandem, jubénte eódem Júdice,
una cum duóbus púeris, cápite truncátur.
Ante ipsum vero septem mulíeres, quæ guttas sánguinis
ex ejúsdem Mártyris córpore defluéntes, dum torquerétur,
colligébant, proptérea, deprehénsæ quod essent
Christiánæ, omnes, post dira torménta, gládio
percússæ sunt.
At Sebaste
in Armenia, in the time of the governor Agricolaus, the passion of St. Blase,
bishop and martyr, who, after working many miracles, was scourged for a long
time, suspended from a tree where his flesh was lacerated with iron combs.
He was then imprisoned in a dark dungeon, thrown into a lake from which he
came out safe, and finally, by order of the judge, he and two boys were beheaded.
Before him, seven women who were gathering the drops of his blood during
his torture, were recognized as Christians, and after undergoing severe torments,
were put to death by the sword.
Many Catholics might remember Saint Blaise's feast day because of the Blessing
of the Throats that took place on this day. Two candles are blessed, held
slightly open, and pressed against the throat as the blessing is said. Saint
Blaise's protection of those with throat troubles apparently comes from a
legend that a boy was brought to him who had a fishbone stuck in his throat.
The boy was about to die when Saint Blaise healed him.
Very few facts are known about Saint Blaise. We believe he was a bishop of
Sebastea (Cappadocia) in Armenia who was martyred under the reign of
Licinius (308-316 in the
early fourth century.
The legend of his life that sprang up in the eighth century tell us that
he was born in to a rich and noble family who raised him as a Christian.
After becoming a bishop, a new persecution of Christians began. He received
a message from God to go into the hills to escape persecution. Men hunting
in the mountains discovered a cave surrounded by wild animals who were sick.
Among them Blaise walked unafraid, curing them of their illnesses. Recognizing
Blaise as a bishop, they captured him to take him back for trial. On the
way back, he talked a wolf into releasing a pig that belonged to a poor woman.
When Blaise was sentenced to be starved to death, the woman, in gratitude,
sneaked into the prison with food and candles. Finally Blaise was killed
by the governor.
Blaise is the patron saint of wild animals because of his care for them and
of those with throat maladies.
In His Footsteps: Take time as Saint Blaise did to find out how you can help
wild animals. Find out what is being done to support and protect the wildlife
in your area. There is wildlife everywhere, even in cities. Even a birdfeeder
can help God's creatures survive.
Prayer: Saint Blaise, pray for us that we may not suffer from illnesses
of the throat and pray that all who are suffering be healed by God's love.
Amen
Blaise of Sebaste BM (RM) (also known as Blase, Blasien, Blasius,
Biagio).
Image of Saint Blaise courtesy of Catholic Pics
As someone who loves to sing and suffers from frequent sore throats,
I always look forward to the feast of Saint Blaise. Since the 16th century,
the throats of the faithful are blessed on this day using the sacramental
of two crossed or intertwined candles. I hope this is still customary in
all Catholic churches. The reason for Blaise's patronage of throats is that
he reportedly revived a boy who choked to death on a fishbone (in some versions
he raised the already dead boy). The candles used during the blessing are
derived from the candles brought to Blaise in prison by the grateful mother.
(I also wonder if there is some significance to the candles that were blessed
the day before at Candlemas--Feast of the Presentation--being used to bless?)
In the acta of Saint Eustratius,
who perished in 303 under Diocletian
(284-297), it is said that Blaise received his relics, deposited them
with those of Saint Orestes, and
executed every article of his last will and testament. This is all that can
be confirmed of Saint Blaise with any accuracy as there is no evidence of
a cultus for Blaise prior to the 8th century.
According to Blaise's legendary acta, which date no earlier than
the 8th century, he was born into a rich and noble family, received a Christian
education, and was consecrated a bishop of Sebaste, Cappadocia (now Armenia),
while still quite young. Blaise was a physician in Sebaste, as well as bishop.
As a doctor Blaise went into every home at all hours of the day and night,
knew both the rich and the poor, comforted, cured, and advised them all.
As a bishop, he did the same thing.
When the governor of Cappadocia and Lesser Armenia,
Agricolaus, began persecuting Christians, Bishop Blaise of Sebastea hid in
a cave where the wild beasts, including lions, tigers, and bears, tended
him because he cared for them whenever they were hurt. His hiding place was
discovered by hunters seeking animals for the amphitheatre, who observed
him curing sick and wounded animals. Because the wild animals were so tame
around him, they thought that Blaise was a wizard and wanted to present him
as such to the governor.
As he was being brought to Governor Agricolaus, a poor woman appealed
for help because a wolf had taken her pig and Blaise persuaded the wolf to
release the pig unharmed. Blaise was presented to the governor, who had him
scourged and decided to starve Blaise to death in prison. But his plans were
thwarted when the grateful woman secretly brought Blaise food and candles
to dispel the darkness of his gloomy prison. When it was discovered that
Blaise was still alive, the governor ordered soldiers to rake away the saint's
skin with a woolcomb, and then Blaise was beheaded.
This is only one version of
Blaise's story. In another he is repeatedly tortured, but refuses to give
in. He is thrown into a nearby lake, but the waters remain frozen like ice,
unwilling to be an accomplice in the death of this holy man. So, he is finally
killed by the sword. Canterbury claimed his relics, and at least four miracles
were said to have occurred at his shrine, one dated 1451. Parson Woodforde
described a solemn procession in his honor at Norwich on March 24, 1783 (Attwater,
Attwater2, Benedictines, Bentley, Coulson, Delaney, Encyclopedia, Farmer,
Sheppard, Tabor, Walsh, White).
In art he is a bishop with a metal comb and a tall candle. Sometimes
he may be shown: (1) with crozier and two candles (no comb); (2) martyred
by being torn with iron combs; (3) in a cave with wild animals; (4) discovered
by hunters, a fawn near him (not to be confused with the monk, Saint Giles);
(5) blessing the birds in front of a cave; (6) rescuing a poor woman's pig
from a wolf; (6) saving the life of a boy who swallowed a fishbone; or (7)
with the city of Dubrovnik in his hand or being carried over the city by
angels (Roeder).
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486 St. Lupicinus &
Felix Bishops of Lyons
Lugdúni, in Gállia, sanctórum Lupicíni
et Felícis, ítidem Episcopórum.
At Lyons in France, Saints Lupicinus and
Felix, also bishops.
France. Nothing
is known about them except that Lupicinus is assigned the date 486. They
are recorded in early martyrologies.
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550 Ia of Cornwall
sailing on a leaf that grew to accommodate her VM (AC)
(also known as Hia, Hya, Iia, Ives) Died 6th century or 450 (sources are
evenly split between the two dates); another feast on October 27.
According to the late medieval legend, the sister of Saints Ercus (or Euny) and Herygh, Saint Ia, was a holy maiden who
came from Ireland to Cornwall--sailing on a leaf that grew to accommodate
her--and landed and settled at the mouth of the Hayle River where Saint Ives, formerly called Porth Ia, now stands.
She is said to have crossed with Saints Fingar,
Phiala, and other missionaries.
In Cornwall she erected a cell where she lived the life of prayer and austerities.
This version relates that Ia suffered martyrdom in Cornwall at the mouth
of the Hayle River. Leland saw her vita at Saint Ives, which depicted her as a noble of
Saint Barricus; a church was built
at her request by Dinan, a great lord of Cornwall. Breton tradition makes
her a convert of Saint Patrick, and says that she went to Armorica with 777 disciples, where she was martyred.
She is the eponym of Plouyé, near Carhaix. Do not confuse
her with Saint Ives of Saint Ives, Huntingdonshire (Attwater, Attwater2,
Benedictines, Coulson, D'Arcy, Farmer, Montague, Moran).
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576 St. Lawrence
of Spoleto Bishop “the Illuminator.” miracle worker
of Spoleto, Italy, also called “the Illuminator.” He was a Syrian, forced to leave his homeland in
514 because of Arian persecution. He went to Rome and was ordained by Pope
St. Honnisdas. He then preached in Umbria and founded a monastery
in Spoleto. Named bishop of Spoleto, Lawrence was rejected as a foreigner
until the city’s gates miraculously opened for his entrance.
He is called “the Illuminator” because of his ability
to cure physical and spiritual blindness. After two decades, Lawrence
resigned to found the Farfa Abbey near Rome.
Laurence the Illuminator B (AC) (also known as Laurence of Spoleto)
Died at Farfa Monastery in 576. Saint Laurence, a Syrian Catholic was driven
into exile with 300 other Catholics during the persecution by the Monophysite
patriarch Severus of Antioch in 514.
Laurence was ordained to the priesthood in Rome and sent to preach in Umbria,
where he founded a monastery near Spoleto. Laurence was elected bishop of
Spoleto and served as its prelate for 20 years. He then resigned and retired
to the famous monastery of Farfa in the Sabine Hills near Rome, which he
had founded.
Saint Laurence was renowned as a peacemaker who helped the parties to see
the situation from the other side. It is said that he attained the surname
"the Illuminator" because he had a special gift for healing blindness--both
physical and spiritual (Attwater2, Benedictines, Coulson).
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578 St. Philip of Vienne
Bishop of Vienne France. He served in a turbulent era of political wars and
rampant heresies.
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6th v St. Caellainn
She is an Irish saint Martymlogy of Donegal , and a church in Roscommon
is named in her honor
also called Caoilfionn. She is listed in the Martymlogy of Donegal , and
a church in Roscommon is named in her honor.
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6th
v. Sts. Tigides & Remedius 2 bishops in the French Alps
who served in succession to each other in the French Alps. The details of
their labors are not extant.
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594 Theodore of Marseilles local persecutions B
Saint Theodore was exiled three times from his bishopric in Marseilles because
of local persecutions (Encyclopedia).
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690 St. Hadelin Benedictine abbot disciple
of St. Remaclus founder of Celles, in the diocese of Liége,
Belgium
He was born in Gascony, France, and
became the founder of Chelles Abbey in liege diocese. Hadelin spent his last
years as a hermit on the Meuse River, near Dinart.
Hadelin of Dinant, OSB, Abbot (AC) (also known as Adelin of Dinant). a native
of Gascony, followed Saint Remaclus
first to Solignac, then to Maestricht (Aquitaine) and Stavelot.
He became the founder of Celles, in the diocese of Liége, Belgium.
Hadelin lived as a hermit near Dinant on the Meuse (Benedictines, Encyclopedia).
In art, Saint Hadelin is portrayed as a Benedictine abbot being visited by
King Pepin and his knights. He might also be enthroned before the Abbey of
Celles (Roeder).
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702 St. Berlinda hermitess
of Belgium protectress of trees and invoked against cattle diseases
Berlinda, also called Berlindis or Bellaude, was a niece of St. Amandus. She entered the Benedictine convent
of St. Mary's at Moorsel, in Belgium. She later became a hermitess at Meerbeke.
Berlinda of Meerbeke, OSB B (AC)(also known as Berlindis, Bellaude). A niece
of Saint Amandus, Berlinda was disinherited
by her father, the rich Count Odelard, in a fit of rage. He had leprosy and
thought that she would not take proper care of him. She fled to Saint Mary's
convent at Mooriel (Moorsel), near Alost, Belgium, where she became a Benedictine
nun. After her father's death, she became a hermit at Meerbeke near his tomb
and spent her life helping the poor and suffering (Attwater2, Benedictines,
Encyclopedia).
Saint Berlinda is pictured as a Flemish nun with a cow and either a pruning
hook or branch. Sometimes she is portrayed with Saints Nona and Celsa. She is venerated at Mooreel (Mooriel)
convent and Meerbeche (Meerbeke) (Roeder). Berlinda is protectress
of trees and invoked against cattle diseases (Roeder).
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Celsa and Nona bodies
were found near that of Saint Berlinda VV
Virgins of Brabant, whose bodies were found near that of Saint Berlinda
(Encyclopedia).
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700 Werburga of Chester
founded new convents restored goose to life , OSB V (AC)
(also known as Werburg, Werebrurge, Werbyrgh)
Born at Stone, Staffordshire, England; died at Threckingham, England,
c. 690-700; feast of her translation at Chester, June 21.
The patroness of Chester, England, Saint Werburga, was born of
a line of kings, being a daughter of Wulfhere, King of Mercia. From her mother,
the saintly Ermingilde (Ermenilda), she learned as a child the
Christian faith.
By temperament she was pious and virtuous, and her beauty attracted
many admirers, among them a prince of the West Saxons, who offered her rich
gifts and made flattering proposals, and also Werbode, a powerful knight
of her father's court. But refusing all her suitors, she secured, after much
persuasion, her father's permission to enter a convent (or she did so after
her father's death).
When the time came, he and his courtiers escorted her in great
state to the abbey of Ely, where they were greeted at the gates by her aunt,
the royal abbess, Ethelreda,
and her nuns. Werburga fell upon her knees and asked that she might be received
as a novice, and to the chanting of the Te Deum they entered the cloister,
where she was stripped of her costly apparel, exchanged her coronet for a
veil, and in a rough habit began her new life.
She made good progress, and after many years, at the request of
her uncle, King Ethelred,
was chosen to superintend all the convents of his kingdom. This opened to
her a large and fruitful sphere of duty, and the religious houses under her
care became models of monastic discipline.
Through the wealth and influence of her family she also founded
new convents at Trentham in Staffordshire, Hanbury near Tutbury, and Weedon
in Northamptonshire, and secured the interest of Ethelred in establishing
the collegiate Church of Saint John the Baptist in Chester, and in giving
land to Egwin for the great abbey of Evesham.
Werburga won many from dissipation and vice, and God crowned her
life with many blessings. Her work was deeply rooted in prayer and discipline.
She took but one meal daily and that only of the coarsest food; she set before
her the example of the desert fathers; and she recited the whole of the Psalter
daily upon her knees.
She lived to a ripe age, and before her death she journeyed to
all her convents, paying to each a farewell visit; she then retired to Trentham
(Threckingham in Lincolnshire), where she died. She was buried in the monastery
of Hanbury in Staffordshire. Later, her remains were transferred with great
ceremony in the presence of King Coolred and many bishops to a costly shrine
in Leicester, which attracted many pilgrims.
In 875, for fear of the Danes,
her relics were removed to Chester. In 1095, they were translated within
Chester, where in the course of time a great church, now the cathedral, was
built over it, and where the remains of it may still be seen, carved with
the figures of her ancestors, the ancient kings of Mercia. On its four sides
the deep niches remain, where the pilgrims knelt, seeking healing, afterwards
receiving a metal token to show that they had visited her shrine. This final
translation was the occasion for Goselin to write her vita. The shrine was
destroyed under King Henry VIII, although part of its stone base survives.
Twelve ancient English churches were dedicated to her, including Hanbury
and Chester (Attwater, Benedictines, Encyclopedia, Farmer, Gill).
In art Saint Werburga holds the abbey, while her crown lays at
her feet. Sometimes there are wild geese near her (Roeder), because, according
to Goselin she restored one to life (see below); however, the writer borrowed
the story from his own vita of the Flemish Saint Amelburga (Farmer). She
is, of course, the patroness of Chester (Roeder).
Like a cheerful gossip, William of Malmesbury writes this tale
of a local miracle wrought by Saint Werburga:
"It was in the city of Chester that the girl Werburga, daughter
of Wulfhere, King of Mercia, and Ermenilda... took her vows, and her goodness
shone for many years. The story of one miracle done by her I now shall tell,
which made a great stir and was long told about the countryside.
"She had a farm outside the walls, where the wild geese would
come and destroy the standing corn in the fields. The stewart in charge of
the farm took all shifts to drive them off, but with small success. And so,
when he came to wait upon his lady, he added his complaint of them to the
other tales he would tell her of the day.
"'Go,' said she, 'and shut them all into a house.' The countryman,
dumbfounded at the oddness of the command, thought that his lady was jesting:
but finding her serious and insistent, went back to the field where he had
first spied the miscreants, and bade them, speaking loud and clear, to do
their lady's bidding and come after him. Whereupon with one accord they gathered
themselves into a flock, and walking with down-bent necks after their enemy,
were shut up under a roof. On one of them, however, the rustic, with no thought
of any to accuse him, made bold to dine.
"At dawn came the maid, and after scolding the birds for pillaging
other people's property, bade them take their flight. But the winged creatures
knew that one of their company was missing; nor did they lack wit to go circling
round their lady's feet, refusing to budge further, and complaining as best
they could, to excite her compassion. She, through God's revealing, and convinced
that all this clamor was not without cause, turned her gaze upon the steward,
and divined the theft.
"She bade him gather up the bones and bring them to her. And straightway,
at a healing sign from the girl's hand, skin and flesh began to come upon
the bones, and feathers to fledge upon the skin, till the living bird, at
first with eager hop and soon upon the wing, launched itself into the air.
Nor were the others slow to follow it, their numbers now complete, though
first they made obeisance to their lady and deliverer.
"And so the merits of this maid
are told at Chester, and her miracles extolled. Yet though she be generous
and swift to answer all men's prayers, yet most gracious is her footfall
among the women and boys, who pray as it might be to a neighbor and a woman
of their own countryside" (Malmesbury).
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8th v. St. Deodatus A monk of Lagny near Paris, France.
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785 St. Werburg Widow abbess
A woman from Mercia, England, she
became a nun after her husband died. Werburg entered a convent, possibly
Bardney, where she became abbess. |
865 St. Ansgar
1st Archbishop of Hamburg & Bremen missionary first Christian church
in Sweden Patron of Scandinavia
Bremæ sancti Anschárii, Hamburgénsis ac póstea
Breménsis simul Epíscopi, qui Suécos et Danos ad Christi
fidem convértit, et a Gregório Papa Quarto Legátus Apostólicus
totíus Septentriónis fuit institútus.
At Bremen, St. Ansgar, bishop of Hamburg
and later of Bremen, who converted the Swedes and the Danes to the faith
of Christ. He was appointed Apostolic Delegate of all the North by
Pope Gregory IV.
Ansgar was born of a noble family near Amiens. He
became a monk at Old Corbie monastery in Picardy and later at New Corbie
in Westphalia. He accompanied King Harold to Denmark when the exiled King
returned to his native land and engaged in missionary work there. Ansgar's
success caused King Bjorn of Sweden to invite him to that country, and he
built the first Christian Church in Sweden. He became Abbot of New Corbie
and first Archbishop of Hamburg about 831, and Pope Gregory IV appointed him Legate
to the Scandinavian countries. He labored at his missionary works for the
next fourteen years but saw all he had accomplished destroyed when invading
pagan Northmen in 845 destroyed Hamburg and overran the Scandinavian countries,
which lapsed into paganism.
He was appointed first Archbishop of Bremen about 848, and the
See was united with that of Hamburg by Pope Nicholas I. Ansgar again returned
to Denmark and Sweden in 854 and resumed his missionary activities, converting
Erik, King of Jutland. Ansgar's success was due to his great preaching ability,
the austerity and holiness of his life, and the miracles he is reputed to
have performed. Though called "the Apostle of the North" and the first Christian
missionary in Scandinavia, the whole area lapsed into paganism again after
his death at Bremen on February 3rd. His name is also spelled Anskar.
Ansgar B (RM) (also known as Anskar, Anschar, Anscharius, Scharies)
Born near Amiens, Picardy, France in 801; died in Bremen, Germany
on February 3, 865.
With the coming of the barbarian after the death of Charlemagne,
darkness fell upon Europe. From the forests and fjords of the north, defying
storm and danger, came a horde of pirate invaders, prowling round the undefended
coasts, sweeping up the broad estuaries, and spreading havoc and fear. No
town, however fair, no church, however sacred, and no community, however
strong, was immune from their fury. Like a river of death the Vikings poured
across Europe.
It's hard to believe that there would be an outbreak of missionary
activity at such a time, but in Europe's darkest hour there were those who
never faltered, and who set out to convert the pagan invader. Saint Ansgar
was such a man. As a young boy of a noble family he was received at Corbie
monastery in Picardy and educated under Saints Abelard and Paschasius Radbert.
Once professed, he was transferred to New Corbie at Westphalia. He once said
to a friend, "One miracle I would, if worthy, ask the Lord to grant me; and
that is, that by His grace, he would make me a good man."
In France a call was made for a priest to go as a missionary to
the Danes, and Ansgar, a young monk, volunteered. His friends tried to dissuade
him, so dangerous was the mission. Nevertheless, when King Harold, who had
become a Christian during his exile, returned to Denmark, Ansgar and another
monk accompanied him. Equipped with tents and books, these two monks set
out in 826 and founded a school in Denmark. Here Anskar's companion died,
and he was obliged to move on to Sweden alone when his success in missionary
work led King Bjoern to invite him to Sweden.
On the way, his boat was attacked
by pirates and he lost all his possessions, arriving destitute at a small
Swedish village. After this unpromising start, he succeeded in forming the
nucleus of a church--the first Christian church in Sweden--and penetrated
inland, confronting the heathen in their strongholds and converting the pagan
chiefs.
Ansgar became the first archbishop of Hamburg, Germany, and abbot
of New Corbie in Westphalia c. 831. The Pope Gregory IV appointed him legate
to the Scandinavian countries and confided the Scandinavian souls to his
care. He evangelized there for the next 14 years, building churches in Norway,
Denmark, and northern Germany.
He saw his accomplishments obliterated when pagan Vikings invaded
in 845, overran Scandinavia, and destroyed Hamburg. Thereafter, the natives
reverted to paganism. Ansgar was then appointed first archbishop of Bremen
around 848, but he was unable to establish himself there for a time and Pope
Nicholas I united that see with Hamburg. Nicholas also gave him jurisdiction
over Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.
Ansgar returned to Denmark and Sweden in 854 to resume spreading
the Gospel. When he returned to Denmark he saw the church and school he had
built there destroyed before his eyes by an invading army.
His heart almost broke as he saw his work reduced to ashes. "The
Lord gave," he said, "and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of
the Lord." With a handful of followers he wandered through his ruined diocese,
but it was a grim and weary time. "Be assured, my dear brother," said the
primate of France, who had commissioned him to this task, "that what we have
striven to accomplish for the glory of Christ will yet, by God's help, bring
forth fruit."
Heartened by these words, and with unfailing courage, Anskar pursued
his Swedish mission. Though he had but four churches left and could find
no one willing to go in his place, he established new outposts and consolidated
his work.
King Olaf had cast a die to decide whether to allow the entrance
of Christians, an action that Ansgar mourned as callous and unbefitting. He
was encouraged, however, by a council of chiefs at which an aged man spoke
in his defense. "Those who bring to us this new faith," he said, "by their
voyage here have been exposed to many dangers. We see our own deities failing
us. Why reject a religion thus brought to our very doors? Why not permit
the servants of God to remain among us? Listen to my counsel and reject not
what is plainly for our advantage."
As a result, Ansgar was free
to preach the Christian faith, and though he met with many setbacks, he continued
his work until he died at he age of 64 and was buried at Bremen. He was a
great missionary, an indefatigable, outstanding preacher, renowned for his
austerity, holiness of life, and charity to the poor. He built schools and
was a great liberator of slaves captured by the Vikings. He converted King
Erik of the Jutland and was called the 'Apostle of the North.' Yet Sweden
reverted completely to paganism shortly after Ansgar's death.
Ansgar often wore a hairshirt, lived on bread and water when his
health permitted it, and added short personal prayers to each Psalm in his
psalter, thus contributing to a form of devotion that soon became widespread.
Miracles were said to have been worked by him. After Ansgar's
death, the work he had begun came to a stop and the area reverted to paganism.
Christianity did not begin to make headway in Scandinavia until two centuries
later with the work of Saint Sigfrid and others. A life was written about
Ansgar by his fellow missionary in Scandinavia, Saint Rembert (Attwater,
Attwater2, Benedictines, Bentley, Coulson, Delaney, Encyclopedia, Farmer,
Gill, Robinson, White).
In art Ansgar shown with converted Danes near him (White), wearing
a fur pelisse (Roeder). He may sometimes be shown otherwise in a boat with
King Harold and companions or in a cope and miter, holding Hamburg Cathedral
(Roeder).
Saint Ansgar is the patron of Denmark, Germany, and Iceland (White).
He is venerated in Old Corbie (Picardy) and New Corbie (Saxony) as well as
in Scandinavia (Roeder).
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856
Bl. Rabanus Maurus Abbot Fulda archbishop very learned man intense
charity. He also promoted clerical discipline
Germany archbishop of Mainz and a well known theologian. Born in Mainz, he
entered the Benedictine monastery of Fulda at an early age, receiving ordination
as a deacon in 801. He then studied at Tours, France, under the famed scholar
Blessed Alcuin and earned the Maurus in memory of St. Benedict's favorite
pupil. Rabanus went back to Fulda into one of Christendom's great centers
of learning , especially within the Frankish Empire.
Ordained a priest in 814, Rabanus was elected abbot of Fulda in 822, and
served until 842 when he retired, most likey under pressure from King Louis
the German as relations between them were never cordial. Rabanus went into
a life of seclusion and prayer at Petersburg until 847, when, after being
reconciled with Louis, he received appointment as archbishop of Mainz. As
archbishop, Rabanus was best known and beloved for his intense charity. He
also promoted clerical discipline through several provincial synods, defended
the rights of the Church, and clarified through the synods the doctrine of
predestination. Considered one of the most learned men of his age.
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980 St. Liafdag martyred
Bishop of Jutland
Denmark, where he was martyred by local pagans.
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1050 St. Oliver Benedictine
monk
of the community of Maria di Portonuovo at Ancona, Italy.
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1050 St. Anatolius Scottish
bishop hermit miracles impossible to enumerate all the miracles he worked
in his lifetime
Anatolius left his see and Scotland to make a pilgrimage to Rome.
He became a hermit at Salins, France. Another tradition states that Anatolius
was a bishop in Galicia, Spain.
Anatolius of Salins B (AC)(9th? or) 11th century. A Scottish or
Irish bishop who went as a pilgrim to Rome and settled as a hermit at Salins
in the diocese of Besançon, Burgundy, about 1029. He live the rest
of life in a mountain retreat overlooking a favorite stopover of Irish pilgrims
near the oratory of Saint Symphorian.
At a later date a church was built in his honor at Salins. His biographer
said that it would be impossible to enumerate all the miracles he worked
in his lifetime (Benedictines, D'Arcy, Kenney, O'Hanlon).
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1192 St. Margaret
of England Cistercian nun Miracles followed her burial
She was born in Hungary, to an English
mother who was related to St. Thomas of
Canterbury, England. She went with her mother on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem
and lived a life of austerity and penance in Bethlehem. Her mother died there,
and Margaret made pilgrimages to Montserrat, in Spain, and to Puy, France.
There she entered the Cistercian convent at Suave-Benite. When she died,
her tomb became a pilgrimage shrine.
Margaret "of England," OSB Cist. V (AC)
Born in Hungary (?), died 1192. Saint Margaret was possibly born in Hungary
to an English mother and is probably related to Saint Thomas of Canterbury.
She took her mother on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, where they both led
an austere life of penance for some years in Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Her
mother died there but Margaret continued on to Our Lady of Montserrat in
the Spanish Catalonia, before joining the Cistercian nuns at Seauve-Bénite,
in the diocese of Puy-en-Velay. She was greatly venerated in that district.
Miracles followed her burial at Seauve-Bénite and her shrine became
a principle feature of the church. Crowds came there to invoke 'Margaret the
Englishwoman.' The local tradition that she was English was accepted by the
Maurists and Gallia Christiana, yet an older French manuscript preserved
by the Jesuits of Clermont College in Paris relates that she was indeed a
Hungarian of noble birth (Attwater2, Benedictines, Coulson, Farmer, Husenbeth).
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1237 St Elinand of
Froidmont, OSB Cist. (AC)
(also known as Helinand)
Born in Pronleroy, Oise, France; died 1237. Elinand, a court singer before
his conversion, became a Cistercian of Froidmont. Beloved by Philip-Augustus,
he was also a poet and writer of many lines about the saints. The Cistercians
venerate him as a saint, though he is otherwise considered a beatus (Benedictines,
Encyclopedia).
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1331 Bl. Odoric
of Pordenone Franciscan missionary to Mongol Great Khan in Peking miracles
performed
Born Odoric Mattiussi at Villanova, near Pordenone, Italy, he entered the Franciscans in 1300
and became a hermit. After several years, he took to preaching in the region
of Udine, northern Italy, attracting huge crowds through his eloquence. In
1316 he set out for the Far East, journeying through China and finally reaching
the court of the Mongol Great Khan in Peking. From 1322 to 1328 he wandered
throughout China and Tibet, finally returning to the West in 1330 where he
made a report to the pope at Avignon and dictated an account of his travels.
He died before he could find missionaries to return with him to the East.
His cult was approved in 1755 owing to the reports of miracles he performed
while preaching among the Chinese.
Blessed Odoric Mattiuzzi, OFM (AC) (also known as Odericus of Pordenone)
Born in Villanova near Pordenone, Friuli, Italy, in 1285; died at Udine in
1331; cultus confirmed in 1775. Odoric Mattiuzzi became a Franciscan hermit,
who made one of the most remarkable journeys of the middle ages. He became
a missionary about 1317 and penetrated into Tibet by travelling through Armenia,
Baghdad, Malabar, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia. He was in Beijing for three years
and returned home via Lhasa. Some believed he reached Japan. Odoric dictated
an account of his adventures but does not recount much of his evangelical
activities, though they were considerable. After 16 years in the mission
fields, he returned to Europe to report to the pope at Avignon, but died
en route (Attwater2, Benedictines, Gill).
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1167 Aelred, OSB Cist.
Abbot "a second Saint Bernard" or "the Bernard of the North."(AC)
(also known as Ailred, Ethelred)
Born in Hexham, Northumberland, England, c. 1109; died at Rievaulx
Monastery, Yorkshire, England, on January 12, 1167; canonized by the General
Chapter of Cîteaux in 1250 (and Attwater says he was canonized in 1191
but he is not in the Roman Martyrology so this statement may be in error);
today is the feast celebrated by the Cistercians, feast day on calendar also
on March 3, when it is celebrated in Hexham, Liverpool, Middleborough, and
by the Cistercians; feast day formerly on January 12.
Aelred belonged to a noble family. He was the son and grandson
of parish priests of Hexham--sainthood was probably in his genes. He was educated
at Durham in the arts, letters, and the new humanism of the time.
At about age 20, Aelred was taken into the service of King Saint
David at the beginning of his reign. Aelred became a clerk and then high steward
of the household in the Scottish court because he was so beloved for his
piety, gentleness, humility, and spirituality by King David, who, though
son of Saint Margaret, considered
the sword and knighthood more certain guarantees of his kingdom whose districts
and frontier fiefs were in continual legal disputes.
The favors that Aelred received at court won him enemies. One
of the king's knights, a jealous man, developed a hatred for Aelred because
of the favors constantly bestowed upon him. One day his intense hatred burst
out in the presence of the king himself. Bitter reproaches and insults followed.
Aelred replied without emotion: "You are right, Sir Knight, and
you have said the truth: your words are exact, and I see that you are a true
friend of mine." The soldier begged his pardon immediately, and swore that
henceforth he would do everything he could for Aelred. "I am very happy you
have repented," said Aelred, "and I like you the more for it, because your
jealousy has been for you a means of advancing in the love of God."
Aelred formed a close relationship with David's son, Earl Henry.
His soul was so torn between answering God's call to the cloistered life and
remaining at court with Henry. Aelred considered friendship a most precious
gift. His dilemma was solved when he visited the recently-founded Cistercian
abbey of Rievaulx on his return from an interview with the archbishop of
York.
Aelred chose not to return to the Scottish court. Thus, at age
24 (c. 1134), Aelred enter Rievaulx, where Saint Bernard had appointed his secretary William
as abbot over the monks from Clairvaux who formed the community. In spite
of delicate health, Aelred conformed to the austere regime and became so
esteemed by his community that he was chosen as envoy to Rome in 1142 over
the disputed election of Saint William of York and, soon afterwards, as master
of novices.
Within a short time, he was
obliged to change monasteries to avoid being named a bishop; but no sooner
had he relocated himself than he was chosen to be abbot of a new Cistercian
monastery in Revesby, Lincolnshire, in 1143. His biographers say that this
new position did not prevent his "living a life of the severest asceticism."
Under his rule, the house prospered, increasing in size to 150 choir monks
and 500 lay brothers and lay servants--the largest in England. It expanded
to five other foundations in England and Scotland.
Inspired by the writings of Saints John Chrysostom and Augustine and augmented
by Aelred's own gentle holiness and natural charity, he was able to humanize
the intransigence of Cistercian monasticism and attracted men of similar
character to his own. Through his many friends as well as his writings, Aelred
became a figure of national importance. He was chosen to preach at Westminster
for the translation of Saint Edward the
Confessor. This led him to compose a vita of Edward; he had already
completed one on Saint Ninian and
one the saints of Hexham.
Four years later he returned to Rievaulx as abbot, succeeding
Abbot Maurice. During his abbacy the number of monks at Rievaulx rose to
over 600, attracted by his kindly, humane nature. In addition to looking after
these he had every year to visit other Cistercian houses in England and Scotland,
and even to go as far afield as the Cistercian centers of Cîteaux and
Clairvaux. These journeys must have been a great trial to him, for during
his later years Aelred suffered from a painful disease in addition to rheumatism.
Aelred became known for his prudence and holiness throughout England.
He was admitted to the councils of the highest dignitaries in the land and
was constantly called upon to settle disputes. King Henry II of England was
his friend, and, in 1160, during the papal schism, he was able to influence
the king on behalf of Pope Alexander
III.
In 1164, he went to Galway in Ireland as a missionary but the
following year he returned to England. Famed for his preaching, energy, sympathetic
gentleness, and asceticism, Aelred was consider a saint in his own lifetime.
He was also considered a delightful companion because of his wit, easy speech,
and brilliant mind.
His biographer and disciple, Walter Daniel records: "I lived under
his rule for 17 years, and in that time he did not dismiss anyone from the
monastery." Aelred's name, indeed, is particularly associated with friendship--human
and divine. One of his two best known writings is a little work On Spiritual
Friendship which is delicately beautiful. Only when Aelred's enormous capacity
for friendship was transformed by charity was finally able to write the unique
treatment of the subject. It resembles Cicero's dialogue on the topic, but
is identifiably Christian in its approach.
Aelred also penned the Mirror
of Charity (Seculum caritas), a treatise on Christian perfection.
His sermons on Isaiah are also fine writing and he also composed biographies
of the saints. He was in the process of writing a treatise on the human soul,
which was left unfinished, by his death at age 57. His writings and sermons
are characterized by a constant appeal to the Bible and to a love of Christ
as friend and savior that was the mainspring of his life.
Saint Aelred's frequent travel
and writings merited for him the title of "a second Saint Bernard" or "the Bernard of the
North." On his way to his Scottish foundations, Aelred used to visit
his friend Saint Godric of Finchale.
In the last year of his life, he could no longer travel. After
being for a time virtually in a state of physical collapse, Saint Aelred
died his monastery, in a shed adjoining the infirmary that he had made his
quarters. The historian of monasticism in England, Professor David Knowles,
says that Aelred is "a singularly attractive figure . . . No other English
monk of the 12th century so lingers in the memory."
Saint Aelred was buried
in the chapter house. Later his relics were translated to the church. Aelred
was never formally canonized; however, his local cultus was approved by the
Cistercians who promulgated his feast (Attwater, Attwater2, Benedictines,
Coulson, Delaney, Encyclopedia, Farmer, Powicke, Squire).
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1348
Blessed Simon Fidati, OSA (AC)
(also known as Simon of Cascia)
Born in Cascia, Umbria, Italy, c. 1295; died 1348; cultus confirmed in 1833.
Simon joined the friar-hermits of Saint Augustine and was a prominent writer
and preacher, who was called upon to participate as an adviser in the public
life of central Italy. Some ascetical works previously attributed to the
Dominican Dominic Cavalca are now believed to be those of Fidati. In recent
times scholars have claimed to find injudicious statements in his book De
gestis Domini Salvatòris were the source of several of the Augustinian
Luther's heretical doctrines (Attwater2, Benedictines).
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1450
Blessed Matthew of Girgenti, OFM B (AC)
Born in Girgenti, Sicily; died at Palermo, 1450; cultus confirmed in 1767.
Matthew became a Conventual Franciscan in his hometown. Then he turned to
the Observants and worked zealously under Saint Bernardino of Siena, with whom he became
close friends as they travelled together on Bernardino's preaching missions.
He himself gained a reputation as a great preacher. Pope Eugene IV forced him to accept
the bishopric of Girgenti. Once he accepted it as God's will, he set about
reforming the see. As a result of the opposition the changes raised, he resigned
the see. Then he was refused admittance to the friary he himself had founded
because he was deemed to be too much of a firebrand. Matthew died in a Franciscan
friary at Palermo (Attwater2, Benedictines).
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1494
Blessed John Zakoly Hungary B (PC)
(also known as John of Csanad)
Died in 1494. Bishop John of Csanad, Hungary, entered the Pauline Order and
died as prior of the monastery of Diosgyör (Benedictines).
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St. Remedius French
or Gallic bishop of Gap
France, of whom virtually nothing is known.
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1578 Bl. John Nelson
Jesuit martyr of England
a native of Skelton, near York. He was ordained at Douai at the age of forty.
Sent to London in 1576, he was arrested in London and martyred at Tyburn
by being hanged, drawn, and quartered and sentenced for refusing the Oath
of Supremacy. John became a Jesuit just before his death.
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Felix, Symphonius, Hippolytus
& Comps. martyrs MM (RM)
A group of martyrs who suffered probably in proconsular Africa (Benedictines).
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1840 Blessed Stephen
Bellesini devoted ministrations to the victims of a cholera epidemic,
OSA (AC)
Born at Trent, Italy, in 1774; died 1840; beatified in 1904. Stephen joined
the Augustinian hermits at Bologna, Italy, and completed his studies in Rome.
After the outbreak of the French Revolution and the dispersement of his community,
he retired to his home in the Trentino, where devoted himself to the instruction
of children. For a time, he held the post of government inspector of schools.
As soon as the disturbances died down, he returned to his community at Bologna.
Shortly thereafter he was appointed novice master in Rome and later parish
priest at the shrine of our Lady of Good Counsel at Genazzano. Here he died
as a result of his devoted ministrations to the victims of a cholera epidemic
(Attwater2, Benedictines).
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Mary Mother of GOD 15
Promises of the Virgin Mary to those who recite the Rosary 
Saints of this Day February
03 Quarto Nonas Februárii.
Righteous
Simeon and Anna the prophetess On this first day of the 
Gregory IV (827-44) # 102
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.