Sunday Saints of 18 duodecimo kalendas martii  
Et álibi aliórum plurimórum sanctórum Mártyrum et Confessórum, atque sanctárum Vírginum.
And elsewhere in divers places, many other holy martyrs, confessors, and holy virgins.
Пресвятая Богородице спаси нас!  (Santíssima Mãe de Deus, salva-nos!)
RDeo grátias. R.  Thanks be to God.
February is dedicated to the Holy Family since the 17th century and by Copts from early times.
2024
23,658  Lives Saved Since 2007
http://www.haitian-childrens-fund.org/

For the Son of man ... will repay every man for what he has done.

St. Simon or Simeon 110
Father was Cleophas St. Joseph's brother: mother was our Lady's sister 8 yrs older than Jesus

SCRIPTURE
My power is made perfect in weakness. -- 2 Corinthians 12:9

Our Bartholomew Family Prayer List
Joyful Mystery on Monday Saturday   Glorius Mystery on Sunday Wednesday
   Sorrowful Mystery on Friday Tuesday   Luminous Mystery on Thursday Veterens of War

Acts of the Apostles

Please pray for those who have no one to pray for them.
Pope Authorizes 12 14 2015 Promulgation of Decrees Concerning 17 Causes,
Including Servant of God William Gagnon
November 23 2014 Six to Be Canonized on Feast of Christ the King

Nine First Fridays Devotion to the Sacred Heart From the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
How do I start the Five First Saturdays?
Mary Mother of GOD 15 Promises of the Virgin Mary to those who recite the Rosary.

Saint Bernadette's Silence (I) February 18 - Saint Bernadette Soubirous (1844 - 1879)
Bernadette was born in a mill, among the noise of grinding wheat.
Her cries disturbed the baptism ceremony held on January 9, the day after her birth.
Was this an omen of the suffering that life had in store for her? Should we at least see it as a symbol?
Her godfather was baffled. On the way home from church he said, "She cries all the time. She will be naughty." But the wailing of a new born baby is not yet speech... Afterwards, many years passed before we can find the slightest echo of her voice. Bernadette did not leave us any of those admirable or silly childish words...
Adapted from Father René Laurentin, Bernadette vous parle (Bernadette Speaks), Mediaspaul, 1972, p. 11

February 18 - Saint Bernadette Soubirous (d. 1879)  
 “After one has seen her once, one would wish to die to see her again”
 Bernadette Soubirous was 14 when she saw the Virgin for the first time. In February 1858, when she was collecting wood with two other girls, the Virgin Mary appeared to her in the hollow of the rock of Massabielle, near Lourdes (south of France). Eighteen apparitions took place between February and July 1858.
During the third apparition, on February 18, 1858, the 'beautiful lady' who appeared to Bernadette, spoke.
Bernadette held up a writing tablet to her and asked her to write down her name.
The Lady said:
"It is not necessary," and she added: "I do not promise to make you happy in this world but in the other.
Would you do me the favor of coming here for 15 days?"
Charged with transmitting the message of the Virgin Mary, but not to make people believe it, Bernadette suffered many accusations made by her contemporaries. On July 7, 1866, she joined the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity in Nevers (central France).
It was something to hear her say:
"Mary is so beautiful that when one has seen her once, one would wish to die to see her again."
She died on April 16, 1879, in Nevers at the age of 35.
Her coffin was subsequently opened 3 times and each time her body was found incorrupt.
notredamedesneiges.over-blog.com


107 St. Simon or Simeon father was Cleophas St. Joseph's brother Mother was our Lady's sister 8 yrs older than Jesus
203 St. Charalampias priest Martyr of Magnesia Asia Minor with companions
260 St. Leo & Paregorius Martyrs of Patara in Lycia
295 St. Maximus Martyr with Alexander & others
354 Constance, Attica & Artemia VV MM (RM)
449 St. Flavian of Constantinople martyr Patriarch succeeding St. Proclus cum fidem cathólicam Ephesi propugnáret
632 Helladius of Toledo native minister court of Visigoth kings B (RM)
676 St. Colman of Lindisfarne Irish bishop chief defender of Celtic customs
814 St. Angilbert Benedictine abbot advisor to Charlemagne body was found to be incorrupt  
1166 St. Theotonius Augustinian, trusted canon; royal advisor, all forms of royal corruption opponent  
1455 Blessed John of Fiesole patron of Christian artists  
        St. Lucius African martyr with Classicus & others  
1594 Bl. William Harrington priest Martyr of England
1601 Bl. John Pibush English martyr solely for his priesthood
        Bl. Martin Martyr of China native
        Blessed Agnes De martyred native cradle Christian VM (AC)
1855 Blessed Andrew Nam-Thung native catechist of Cochin-China M (AC)
1858 St. Agatha Lin Chinese martyr
1862 Blessed John Peter French missionary priest & Martin native catechist MM (AC)
"All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord;
and all the families of the nations shall worship before him"
(Psalm 21:28)

107 St. Simon or Simeon father was Cleophas St. Joseph's brother. Mother was our Lady's sister 8 yrs older than Jesus
Hierosólymis natális sancti Simeónis, Epíscopi et Mártyris; qui fílius Cléophæ et propínquus Salvatóris secúndum carnem fuísse tráditur.  Hic, Hierosolymórum Epíscopus post Jacóbum, fratrem Dómini, ordinátus, et, in Trajáni persecutióne, multis supplíciis afféctus, martyrio consummátus est, ómnibus qui áderant et Júdice ipso mirántibus ut centum vigínti annórum senex fórtiter constantérque supplícium crucis pertulísset.
      At Jerusalem, the birthday of St. Simeon, bishop and martyr, who is said to have been the son of Cleophas, and a relative of the Saviour according to the flesh.  He was consecrated bishop of Jerusalem after St. James, the cousin of our Lord.  In the persecution of Trajan, after having endured many torments, his martyrdom was completed.  All who were present, even the judge himself, were astonished that a man one hundred and twenty years of age could bear the torment of crucifixion with such fortitude and constancy.
In St. Matthew's Gospel, we read of St. Simon or Simeon who is described as one of our Lord's brethren or kinsmen.

His father was Cleophas, St. Joseph's brother and his mother, according to some writers, was our Lady's sister.  He would therefore be our Lord's first cousin and is supposed to have been about eight years older than He. No doubt he is one of those brethren of Christ who are  mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles as having received the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.  Some think that Simeon was the bridegroom for which Jesus changed the water into wine at Cana.
St. Epiphanius says that when the Jews massacred St. James the Lesser, his brother Simeon upbraided them for their cruelty.

The apostles and disciples afterwards met together to appoint a successor to James as bishop of Jerusalem, and they unanimously chose Simeon, who had probably assisted his brother in the government of that church. 
In the year 66 civil war broke out in Palestine, as a consequence of Jewish opposition to the Romans. Christians in Jerusalem were warned of the impending destruction of the city and appear to have been divinely ordered to leave it.
Accordingly that same year, before Vespasian entered Judaea, they retired with St. Simeon at their head to the other side of the Jordan, occupying a small city called Pella. After the capture and burning of Jerusalem, the Christians returned and settled among the ruins until the Emperor Hadrian afterwards entirely razed it.
We are told by St. Epiphanius and by Eusebius that the church here flourished greatly, and that many Jews were converted by the miracles wrought by the saints.
When Vespasian and Domitian had ordered the destruction of all who were of the race of David, St. Simeon had escaped their search; but when Trajan gave a similar injunction, he was denounced as being not only one of David's descendants, but also a Christian, and he was brought before Atticus, the Roman governor. He was condemned to death and, after being tortured, was crucified. Although he was extremely old - tradition reports him to have attained the age of 120 - Simeon endured his sufferings with a degree of fortitude which roused the admiration of Atticus himself.

107 ST SIMEON, Bishop AND MARTYR
IN St Matthew’s Gospel, ch. xiii, we read of St Simon or Simeon who is described as one of our Lord’s brethren or kinsmen. His father was Cleophas, St Joseph’s brother, and his mother, according to some early writers, was our Lady’s sister. He would therefore be our Lord’s first cousin and is supposed to have been about eight years older than He. No doubt he was one of those brethren of Christ who are mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles as having received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. St Epiphanius says that when the Jews massacred St James the Lesser, his brother Simeon upbraided them for their cruelty. The apostles and disciples afterwards met together to appoint a successor to James as bishop of Jerusalem, and they unanimously chose Simeon, who had probably assisted his brother in the government of that church.

In the year 66 civil war broke out in Palestine, as a consequence of Jewish opposition to the Romans. The Christians in Jerusalem were warned of the impending destruction of the city and appear to have been divinely ordered to leave it. Accordingly that same year, before Vespasian entered Judaea, they retired with St Simeon at their head to the other side of the Jordan, occupying a small city called Pella. After the capture and burning of Jerusalem, the Christians returned and settled among the ruins until the Emperor Hadrian afterwards entirely razed it. We are told by St Epiphanius and by Eusebius that the church here flourished greatly, and that many Jews were converted by the miracles wrought by the saints.

When Vespasian and Domitian had ordered the destruction of all who were of the race of David, St Simeon had escaped their search but when Trajan gave a similar injunction, he was denounced as being not only one of David’s descendants but also a Christian, and he was brought before Atticus, the Roman governor. He was condemned to death and, after being tortured, was crucified. Although he was extremely old—tradition reports him to have attained the age of 120—Simeon endured his sufferings with a degree of fortitude which roused the admiration of Atticus himself.

The above account of St Simeon, which follows in substance the elogium printed in the Roman Martyrology, is by no means free from difficulty. See the Acta Sanctorum, February, vol. iii, and Eusebius, Hist. Eccl., bk iii. No final solution can be arrived at determining the identity of our Lord’s “brethren”. See, e.g. Comely, Introduct. in S. Scrip., vol. iii, 2nd  edn., pp. 595 seq.
Simeon of Jerusalem BM (RM) (also known as Simon of Jerusalem). Not all of Jesus's relatives understood His teaching or recognized His divinity. One who did was Simeon, His first cousin. Tradition says that Simeon was the son of Cleophas (Alpheus, brother to Saint Joseph) and Mary (sister-in-law of the Blessed Virgin).  Some think that Simeon was the bridegroom for which Jesus changed the water into wine at Cana.
Some Christians believe that this Simeon was the same person as Jesus's disciple who was nicknamed 'the Zealot' because he belonged to a party of strongly nationalistic Jews. If Simeon and Simon are one, he was also brother to Saint James the Lesser and Saint Jude, apostles, and of Joseph. If they are identical, Simeon was among the band of followers, who, after His Resurrection, devoted themselves to prayer in Jerusalem until the descent of the Holy Spirit to bless and inspire them all.

Saint Epiphanius relates in Panarion seu adversus LXXX haereses (78, c. 14) that when the Jews massacred Saint James the Lesser in 62 AD, Simeon reproached them for their atrocious cruelty. Simeon was unanimously chosen successor to his brother as patriarch of Jerusalem. He was the natural choice because he had probably assisted his brother in the government of that church.
Tradition says that, like Lot in Sodom, Simeon was supernaturally warned of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in AD 66, and withdrew with many fellow-Christians to the small city of Pella, where they remained until it was safe for them to return to Jerusalem after its destruction in AD 70.
Epiphanius and Eusebius assure us, that the church flourished at Pella, and that multitudes of Jews were converted by the great number of prodigies and miracles wrought in it.

Nevertheless, already during this early period the Church saw the rise of heresy in the form of the Nazareans, who thought Jesus to be the greatest of prophets but only a man, and the Ebonites and Docetists, which seems to be gnostic sects.
The Nazareans joined all the ceremonies of the old law with the new, and observed both the Jewish Sabbath and the Lord's Day (Sunday).

Ebion added other errors to these, which Cerenthus had also espoused, and taught many superstitions, permitted divorces, and allowed of the most infamous abominations.

The authority of Simeon kept the heretics in some awe during his life, which was the longest upon earth of any of our Lord's disciples. But, as Eusebius says, he was no sooner dead than a deluge of execrable heresies broke out of hell upon the Church, which durst not openly appear during his life.

Simeon's life was never free of danger. He escaped the death ordered by Emperors Vespasian and Domitian when they decreed that all of Jewish origin were to be executed, but finally, during the persecutions of Atticus under the Emperor Trajan in 107, Simeon was caught, tortured, and crucified like his Lord. Reputedly, he was well over 100 (120 by most accounts) years old at the time of his death. Atticus and the executioners expressed admiration of Simeon's fortitude and strength in martyrdom. Tradition places the site of his martyrdom in far-flung Persia, Egypt, or the British Isles (Benedictines, Bentley, Delaney, Encyclopedia, Husenbeth).
In art, Saint Simeon is portrayed as an ancient bishop being crucified (easily confused with Saint Nestor) (Roeder).
203 St. Charalampias priest Martyr of Magnesia Asia Minor with companions
He was a priest taken in the persecution of Emperor Septimius Severus. He was martyred with two soldiers and three women.

Charalampias and Companions MM (AC) Died 203. Saint Charalampias was a priest who was martyred in Magnesia, Asia Minor, together with two soldiers and three women during the persecution of Septimius Severus (Benedictines).

260 St. Leo & Paregorius Martyrs of Patara in Lycia

SS. LEO AND PAREGORIUS, MARTYRS
ACCORDING to their legend these two were close friends, and when Paregorius had suffered martyrdom at Patara in Lycia, Leo was disconsolate at being deprived of the happiness of sharing his victory. But Lollian, the governor of Lycia, published an edict obliging all men to offer sacrifice on the festival of Serapis. Now the mysteries celebrated in honour of this deity were of such a licentious character that the Roman senate had at one time ordered them to be abolished. St Leo, on his way to the martyr’s tomb, had to pass the temple of Serapis, and was greatly distressed to see amongst the crowds some whom he knew to be Christians, but who were led by fear to join in the worship of the false god. Soon after his return from his friend’s tomb he fell asleep and had a dream in which it was revealed to him that God was calling him to a conflict similar to that which St Paregorius had endured. Filled with exultation, he determined that the next time he visited the martyr’s grave he would not go through by-roads, but would make his way openly through the city. As he crossed the market-place, he saw that the Tychaeum or Temple of Fortune was illuminated with lanterns and candles. In his zeal for God he did not scruple to pull down all the lanterns he could reach and to trample the tapers under foot. When the priest cried out to the people, “If this sacrilege is not punished, the goddess Fortune will withdraw her protection from the city.”
St Leo exclaimed, “Let the idol take vengeance if it can!”
The report of these proceedings soon reached the governor, who commanded that St Leo should be brought before him, and charged him with impiety to the gods and to the emperors. The martyr replied calmly, “You are mistaken in supposing that there are many gods: there is only one God, who is Lord of Heaven and earth and who does not require men to worship Him in the gross way that men worship idols”—“Answer the charges that are brought against you “, said the governor, “this is not the time to preach your Christianity. Either sacrifice to the gods or else suffer the punishment due to impiety.” Leo answered, “The fear of torment shall never deter me from my duty. I am quite prepared to suffer whatever you may inflict: all your tortures cannot reach beyond death. Eternal life can only be won through tribulation, for, as the Holy Scriptures teach us, narrow is the way that leadeth to life.”—“Since you own that the path you tread is narrow,” retorted the governor, “exchange it for ours which is broad and easy.”—“I called it narrow” said the saint, “because it is hard to enter and because at the beginning it is often beset with afflictions and persecution. But when once it has been entered, it can be kept to without great difficulty through the practice of virtue which helps to widen it and makes it easier—as many have discovered.”

The people cried out to the judge to silence him, but Lollian protested that he was willing to allow him liberty of speech and would even befriend him if he would only sacrifice. The confessor replied, “Would you have me acknowledge as a god that which has nothing divine about it?” Then the governor, losing patience, ordered Leo to be scourged. Whilst the executioners were tearing his body, Lollian, who pitied his old age, continued to urge him at least to say that the gods were great. Leo retorted, “If I say they are great, it is only with reference to their power to destroy their worshippers”. The judge threatened to have him dragged over rocks and stones, but the martyr said, “You do nothing but threaten: why do you not carry out your threats?” By this time the mob had become clamorous, and Lollian sentenced Leo to be tied by the feet, dragged to the torrent and there executed. Before he died, the martyr thanked God that he was not long separated from Paregorius, commended his soul to the care of the angels, and prayed for his enemies. After his death the executioners threw the body down a precipice but the Christians recovered it, unbruised and entire. It was noticed that his face was quite peaceful and appeared to be smiling.

This passion has been included by Ruinart in his collection of Acta sincera. Later criticism has not endorsed this favourable view. The story must probably be classed among the historical romances which were so widely disseminated both in East and West from the fifth century onwards (Delehaye, Les Légendes Hagiographiques, 1927, p. 114). Lollian was, no doubt, an historical personage, but that does not make the story true. A Latin rendering of the “acts” will be found in the Acta Sanctorum, February, vol. iii. The original Greek may be consulted in Migne, PG., vol. cxiv, cc. 1452—1461.
Paregorius was martyred first, and when Leo protested a pagan festival near Paregorius’ grave, he was martyred.
Leo and Paregorius MM (AC) Died c. 260. Saint Leo witnessed the martyrdom of Saint Paregorius at Patara, Lycia, and found his heart divided between joy for his friend's glorious victory, and sorrow to see himself deprived of the happiness of sharing in it.  In the absence of the proconsul of Asia, the governor of Lycia demonstrated his piety to the gods by publishing an order obliging all citizens to offer sacrifice to Serapis. Leo, sad to see both the pagans and some Christians going to adore the idol, went to the tomb of Saint Paregorius and passed the temple of Serapis en route.

The heathens that saw him knew that his was a Christian because of his modesty. From his youth, Leo had practiced austerity and the devotions of an ascetic life. Returning home he fell asleep and dreamed that God was calling him to martyrdom, too.

The next time he visited Paregorius's tomb he walked boldly through the market place and passed the temple of Fortune, which he saw illumined by lanterns. He pitied their blindness and, moved with zeal for the living God, broke many of the lanterns and trampled on the tapers, saying, "Let your gods revenge the injury if they are able to do it." The priest of the temple cried out, "Unless this impiety be punished, the goddess Fortune will withdraw her protection from the city."

An account of the affair soon reached the governor's ears. He ordered the saint brought before him, and said: "Wicked wretch, your sacrilegious action surely bespeaks that you are either ignorant of the immortal gods, or downright mad, in flying in the face of our most divine emperors, whom we justly regard as secondary deities and saviors."

The martyr replied, "You are under a great mistake, in supposing a plurality of gods; there is but one, who is the God of heaven and earth, and who does not stand in need of being worshipped after that gross manner that men worship idols. The most acceptable sacrifice we can offer him is that of a contrite and humble heart."

Offered the choice of sacrificing or dying, Leo chose the narrow way rather than the broad, commodious path offered by the governor. "When I called it narrow," said the martyr, "this was only because it is not entered without difficulty, and that its beginnings are often attended with afflictions and persecutions for justice' sake. But being once entered, it is not difficult to keep in it by the practice of virtue, which helps to widen it and render it easy to those that persevere in it, which has been done by many."

After continued debate, the saint was mercilessly scourged. The governor relented because of Leo's venerable age and told him he would only have to acknowledge the gods and not sacrifice, but still Leo refused. He was then dragged by his feet to his place of execution. After his death his executioners threw his body over a precipice into a deep pit, but it received only a few bruises. The Christians recovered Leo's body and found it of a lively color, and entire, and his face appeared comely and smiling, and they buried it in the most honorable manner they could (Benedictines, Husenbeth).

295 St. Maximus Martyr with Alexander & others
Apud Ostia Tiberína sanctórum Mártyrum Máximi et Cláudii fratrum, et Præpedígnæ, uxóris Cláudii, cum duóbus fíliis Alexándro et Cútia; qui, cum essent præclaríssimi géneris, omnes, jubénte Diocletiáno, tenti atque in exsílium deportáti sunt, ac deínde, incéndio concremáti, Deo ipsi odoríferum martyrii sacrifícium obtulérunt.  Eórum relíquiæ, in flumen projéctæ et a Christiánis perquisítæ, juxta eándem civitátem sepúltæ sunt.
      
At Ostia, the holy martyrs Maximus and his brother Claudius, and Praepedigna, the wife of Claudius, with her two sons Alexander and Cutias.  Although all of a noble birth, by the order of Diocletian, they were apprehended and sent into exile.  Afterwards being burned alive, they offered to God the sweet sacrifice of martyrdom. 
Their remains were cast into the river, but the Christians found them and buried them near the city.
Claudius, Cutias, and Praepedigna. Nothing can be documented about their sufferings under Emperor Diocletian.
295 St. Lucius African martyr with Classicus & others
In Africa sanctórum Mártyrum Lúcii, Silváni, Rútuli, Clássici, Secundíni, Frúctuli et Máximi.
In Africa, the holy martyrs Lucius, Sylvanus, Rutulus, Classicus, Secundinus, Fructulus, and Maximus. 
Fructulus, Maximus, Rutulus, Secundinus, and Silvanus.

Lucius, Silvanus, and Companions (RM) Dates unknown. Lucius, Silvanus, Tutilus, Classicus, Secundinus, Fructuosus, and Maximus were African martyrs whose names were inserted in the Roman Martyrology by Baronius on the authority of a reliable manuscript (Benedictines).

Maximus, Claudius, Praepedigna, Alexander & Cutia MM (RM) Died 295. Praepedigna was the wife of Claudius; Alexander and Cutia, their children. They were said to have been martyred in Ostie (Ostia) under Diocletian but their legend seems to be no more than a pious fiction (Benedictines, Encyclopedia).

354 Constance, Attica & Artemia VV MM (RM)
Constance was engaged to be married to Saint Gallican, the brother of Attica and Artemia (Encyclopedia).

449 St. Flavian of Constantinople martyr Patriarch  succeeding St. Proclus cum fidem cathólicam Ephesi propugnáret,
Constantinópoli sancti Flaviáni Epíscopi, qui, cum fidem cathólicam Ephesi propugnáret, ab ímpii Dióscori factióne pugnis et cálcibus percússus est, et, in exsílium actus, ibídem post tríduum vitam finívit.
  At Constantinople, St. Flavian, bishop, who, for having defended the Catholic faith at Ephesus, was attacked with slaps and kicks by the faction of the impious Dioscorus, and then driven into exile where he died within three days.

449 ST FLAVIAN, PATRIARCH OF CONSTANTINOPLE, MARTYR
ST Flavian, priest and treasurer of the church of Constantinople, succeeded St Proclus as patriarch or archbishop in 447. The chamberlain Chrysaphius, a special favourite with the Emperor Theodosius II, suggested to his master that he should require a present of Flavian as an expression of gratitude to the emperor for his promotion. The bishop sent him some blessed bread, according to the custom of the Church at that time, as a benediction and symbol of communion.
Chrysaphius intimated that it was a very different sort of present which was expected. St Flavian answered resolutely that the revenues and treasure of the Church were designed for other uses. From that moment the favourite resolved to compass his ruin. Chrysaphius persuaded the emperor, through his wife Eudocia, to order the patriarch to make St Pulcheria, sister to Theodosius, a deaconess of his church, and so get rid of her influence over her brother. Flavian’s avoidance of this was a second offence in the eyes of Chrysaphius, who was still further incensed by the saint’s condemnation of the errors of Eutyches, abbot of a monastery near the city. The abbot, in his excessive zeal against Nestorius’s heresy of two distinct persons in Christ, had rushed to the other extreme and, denying that our Lord had two distinct natures after the Incarnation, was the protagonist of the monophysite heresy. In a synod held by St Flavian in 448, Eutyches was accused of this error by Eusebius of Dorylaeum, and the opinion was there condemned as heretical, Eutyches being cited to appear before the council to give an account of his faith. He eventually did so, and was deposed and excommunicated. Whereupon he declared that he appealed to the bishops of Rome, Egypt and Jerusalem; and he addressed a letter to St Leo I in which he complained of the way he had been treated and stated his case. But the pope was not misled. In a carefully-worded
letter to Flavian, famous in ecclesiastical history as his “Tome” or “Dogmatic Letter”, Leo set out the orthodox faith upon the principal points in dispute.

A further council having confirmed the findings of the first one, Chrysaphius, baffled but not beaten, sought to gain his ends by other means. He wrote to Dioscorus, St Cyril’s successor in the see of Alexandria, promising him his friend­ship and support if he would undertake the defence of the deposed abbot against Flavian and Eusebius. Dioscorus fell in with the proposal, and they used their interest with the Empress Eudocia, who hoped that by striking at Flavian she would mortify her sister-in-law Pulcheria. Theodosius was prevailed on to summon another council which should be held at Ephesus. Dioscorus of Alexandria was invited by the emperor to preside, and with him came a number of his bishops and also of lay supporters who, it seems, were simply an organized gang of roughs. Other Eastern bishops were present, and Pope St Leo sent legates.

This assembly at Ephesus, which is commonly called by the name Leo after­wards gave it, the Latrocinium or Robber Synod, on account of the violence that accompanied it, opened on August 8, 449.  Eutyches was there, and two officials from the emperor with a considerable body of soldiers. Everything was carried on by violence and open faction in favour of Eutyches, and the pope’s legates were not allowed to read his letters to the council. Amidst wild disorder the result of these proceedings was a sentence of deposition against Flavian and Eusebius. The papal legates protested. When Dioscorus began to read the sentence he was interrupted by several of the bishops, who besought him to proceed no further in so unwarrantable a course. Dioscorus started up and called loudly for Elpidius and Eulogius, the imperial commissioners, who without more ado ordered the church doors to be opened, thus giving admittance to Proclus, the proconsul of Asia, who entered surrounded by soldiers and followed by a mob with clubs. The assembly was so intimidated that, when the bishops were required to subscribe, few or none had the courage to withstand the threats of Dioscorus except the pope’s legates who loudly protested and left in disgust.

St Flavian was able to appeal to Pope Leo and the other bishops in the West, and to deliver his written acts of appeal to the legates. But during the confusion and disorder he was thrown to the ground and, egged on it is said by Dioscorus himself and the abbot Barsumas, he was kicked and beaten so severely by the soldiers and roughs that he died very shortly after—not at Ephesus as some have supposed but in his place of exile near Sardis in Lydia. The triumph of Chrysa­phius was short-lived. The Emperor Theodosius died in the following year, and Chrysaphius was executed by order of Marcian, whose consort St Pulcheria had St Flavian’s body brought to Constantinople with great honour to be buried among his predecessors in the see. He was vindicated at the great Council of Chalcedon in 451, when Eusebius of Dorylaeum was reinstated and Dioscorus of Alexandria deprived of his see and exiled.

Despite the copious materials, supplemented in recent years by fresh Syriac documents, which we possess regarding St Flavian and the “Robber Council” of Ephesus, some of the evidence is contradictory and many points still remain obscure. A very full discussion of these matters will be found in the text and notes of Hefele.-Leclercq, Histoire des Conciles, vol. ii, pp. 499—880. The Roman Martyrology does not explicitly call St Flavian a martyr, but it says that he was attacked “by the faction of the impious Dioscorus with blows and kicks and driven into exile where after three days he died”. There is, however, some conflict of evidence as to the occasion and manner of his death.
At Constantinople, St. Flavian, bishop, who, for having defended the Catholic faith at Ephesus, was attacked with slaps and kicks by the faction of the impious Dioscorus, and then driven into exile where he died within three days.
from 446 or 447, succeeding St. Proclus. Refusing to give Em­peror Theodosius II a bribe upon becoming patriarch and making the emperor’s sister Pulcherius a deaconess, Flavian received hostile treat­ment from the imperial court. Flavian also started the condemnation of Eutyches, who began the heresy of Monophysitism. This led to his being deposed and exiled at the so-called “Robber Synod” at Ephesus in 449, whereupon the famous “Tome” of dogmatic letters of Pope Leo I the Great was ignored. Appealing to the Pope, Flavian was beaten so mercilessly that he was mortally wounded and died three days later in exile. He was proclaimed a saint and martyr by the Council of Chalcedon in 451.

Flavian of Constantinople BM (RM) Died in Hypepe, Lydia, 449. Appointed patriarch of Constantinople to succeed Saint Proclus in 447, Flavian incurred the enmity of Chrysaphius, chancellor of Emperor Theodosius III, by withholding the customary bribe on his accession to the see and that of the emperor himself by refusing to make his sister, Pulcheria, a deaconess. It was not long before Flavian crowned these political nightmares by denouncing the heresy of Eutyches, abbot of a nearby monastery and a favorite of the imperial court (he was godfather to Chrysaphius).
Flavian maintained that Jesus was fully human against those like Eutyches who taught that he had only a divine nature. The condemnation was repeated by Eusebius of Dorylaeum at a synod called by Flavian in 448, and Eutyches was deposed and excommunicated. In this Flavian was supported by Pope Leo the Great who sent Flavian a letter, which we now call the 'Tome of Leo,' asserting that in Jesus Christ 'there was born true God in the entire and perfect nature of true man.'

Chrysaphius persuaded Theodosius to convene a council at Ephesus (the 'Robber Synod') in 449. Dioscorus of Alexandria presided, and in meetings characterized by violence and intimidation, the emperor's soldiers refused to allow Leo's letter to be read. Eusebius and Flavian were deposed and Dioscorus was declared patriarch. The order was enforced by the soldiers who required each bishop present to sign the deposition order. Flavian was so badly beaten that he died three days later in prison.

the acts of this 'robber synod' were reversed when Theodosius died in 450 and the Council of Chalcedon in 451 reinstated Eusebius, deposed and exiled Dioscoros, and proclaimed Flavian a saint and a martyr. Upon his accession to the throne in 451, Emperor Marcian had Chrysaphius executed (Attwater, Benedictines, Bentley, Delaney, Encyclopedia)

632 Helladius of Toledo native minister court of Visigoth kings B (RM)
 Toléti, in Hispánia, sancti Helládii, Epíscopi et Confessóris, qui a sancto Ildefónso, Toletáno Episcopo, multis láudibus celebrátur.
       At Toledo, Spain, St. Helladius, bishop and confessor, who received much praise from St. Ildefonse, Bishop of Toledo.
Helladius, a native of Toledo, Spain, and a minister of the court of the Visigoth kings, loved to pay frequent visits to the abbey of Agali (Agallia) near Toledo on the banks of the Tagus River. One day he joined the community and eventually in 605 was made its abbot. In 615, he was promoted to archbishop of Toledo (Benedictines).
633 ST HELLADIUS, ARCHBISHOP OF TOLEDO
ST HELLADIUS in early life as a layman was attached to the court of the Visigothic kings. Not only was he a learned man but he was also an able diplomatist; he became a royal official, and in that capacity he attended the Council of Toledo in 589 and was one of its signatories. Even at that period he had aspirations after the religious life, and St Ildephonsus, who was afterwards ordained deacon by him, describes how he loved to slip away to the monastery of Agali near the banks of the Tagus. There he would assist the brethren in their labours and help them to carry home the sheaves of corn. After some time, the call became so insistent that he abandoned the world altogether and entered the monastery. In 605 he was elected abbot and when, after the death of Archbishop Aurasius in 615, the vacant see was pressed upon him, he accepted with the greatest reluctance. He showed boundless generosity to the poor, but we have few, if any, other details of his episcopate. Some writers have conjectured that it was Helladius who instigated King Sisebut to expel the Jews from his kingdom, but there is no positive evidence to go upon. He died in 633.

See the Acta Sanctorum, February, vol. iii, and cf. Gams, Kirchengeschichte von Spanien, vol. ii, Pt 2, pp. 82 seq.
676 St. Colman of Lindisfarne; Irish bishop of Lindisfarne; chief defender of Celtic customs
England a disciple of St. Columba. He was born in Connaught, Ireland. At the Synod of Whitby Colman defended the Celtic ecclesiastical practices against St. Eilfrid and St. Agilbert.
When King Oswy introduced the Roman rites, Colman refused to accept the decision and led a group of Irish and English monks to the Isle of Innishboffin, near Connaught. In time he moved the English monks to Mayo. Colman was praised by Blessed Alcuin and St. Bede.
676 ST COLMAN, BISHOPof LINDISFARNE
ST COLMAN, the third bishop of Lindisfarne, equalled St Aidan and St Finan in piety and zeal; like them, he was a native of Ireland and had been a monk of St Columba’s on the island of Iona. His short episcopal rule of three years’ duration is, however, chiefly remembered from the part he took in the Synod of Whitby. Differences of discipline and custom between the adherents of the Celtic tradition in the Church and those who followed the Roman use had been the cause of disputes for some years, but the question came to a head when King Oswy of Northumbria found that one year when he and his subjects were keeping Easter, his wife Eanfleda and her Kentish chaplain were observing the day as Palm Sunday. This question of the date of Easter was the burning one. To settle the matter once for all, a synod was in 663 or 664* [*Following Bede, the date of the important synod of Whitby is generally given as 664. According to our system of reckoning it was perhaps in the autumn of 663: see F. M. Stenton, Anglo-Saxon England, p. 129. But cf. W. Levison, England and the Continent (1946), pp. 265 seq.] called at Whitby at the instance of King Oswy, and whilst St Wilfrid and the Frankish bishop St Agilbert defended the Roman cause St Colman upheld the Scottish use. Colman alleged the example of his predecessors and of St Columba himself, and claimed that practice to have been established in Asia by St John the Evangelist: which assertion it would have been a difficult task to prove, as Alban Butler gently observes. Agilbert, pleading himself unpractised in English, asked St Wilfrid to reply for him. He accordingly pointed out to the assembly at some length that Colman and his followers would be at fault did they refuse to follow the instructions of the Apostolic See, and claimed that the whole of the rest of the Church followed the Roman use: “Only these people [i.e. the Irish] with their confederates the Picts and the Britons, inhabitants of two islands in the farthest west—and not even all of them—persistently stand out against the whole world.” It is so that Bede reports Wilfrid’s somewhat intemperate words, St Wilfrid concluded his fighting speech by quoting our Lord’s commission to Peter “Thou art Peter...” Oswy asked Colman if it were true that these words were spoken. “It is true,” answered Colman. Then said the king, “Can you show any such power given to your Columba?” “None.”—“Do you all”, asked Oswy, “on both sides admit that our Lord said this particularly to Peter, and that the Lord gave him the keys of the kingdom of Heaven?” They replied: “We do,” “Then”, he concluded, “I declare that I will not oppose this keeper of the gate of Heaven, and that I will obey his orders to the utmost of my power lest he shut that gate against me.”
This resolution of the king was approved by the assembly.* [*The form of the tonsure was also discussed the Celtic monks shaved the part of the head in front of a line drawn over the crown from ear to ear. There was also supposed to be something the matter with the way they baptized. The synod of Whitby marked the end of the paschal controversy in the West, but as in other like disputes there was more than matters of discipline at stake. St Wilfrid definitely led the churches of the British Isles towards closer dependence on Rome. Had both “Celts” and “Romans” previously shown more of the Roman tolerance, the acerbities and damage of their controversy would have been considerably less. Some of the arguments used on either side would not hold water. Italy, Gaul and Egypt all kept Easter on different dates at the end of the fourth century, to name no other variations even today some Eastern Catholics celebrate the feast by the discarded Julian computation.]

St Colman, however, could not bring himself to accept the decision, and he preferred to resign his bishopric. With all the Irish monks of Lindisfarne and thirty of the Englishmen he withdrew, first to Iona and then to Ireland, where he founded a monastery on the Isle of Inishbofin, off the coast of Connacht. Here they could continue to carry out their traditional use, for the authorities in Rome were not disposed to press a point which involved no question of doctrine they trusted that time would bring about the gradual adoption of the practice of the rest of the Church—and the event proved their wisdom.

Even now, St Colman’s troubles were not over, for his English and Irish monks could not get on together. The Englishmen complained that the Irishmen left them to do the work of har­vesting and then expected to enjoy the fruit of their labours. The saint decided to found a second house, and built a monastery at Mayo on the mainland to which he transferred the English monks. He remained abbot over the two communities until his death in 676.

St Bede could not bear the “strange practices” of the Celtic churchmen, but neither could he resist the fragrant memory of St Colman and his monks, and he wrote a long generous tribute to them. “The whole care of those teachers was to serve God, not the world, to feed the soul rather than pamper the belly . . . so that wherever any priest or monk went all gladly received him as God’s servant.”   St Colman’s feast is observed in the diocese of Argyll and the Isles.

The story is told in Bede, Eccl. Hist., bk iii, caps 25 and 26, and bk iv, cap. 4. On the paschal controversy among the Celts, see Analecta Bollandiana, vol. lxiv (1946), pp. 200~244 ; and cf. MacNaught’s Celtic Church and the See of Peter (1927), pp. 68—93. The Colmans in the Irish martyrologies are innumerable, and it does not seem quite certain that the “chaste Colman” who left his native land and who is commemorated in the Félire of Oengus on February 18 is to be identified with this Colman. We are told in the Life of St Carthage that some of his monks were working beside a stream. The one in charge called out, “Colman, get into the water”. Twelve jumped in.
Colman of Lindisfarne B (AC) Born in Connaught, Ireland, c. 605; died on Inishbofin, 676 (some chronicles give it as 672, 674, or 675; some parts of Ireland celebrate his feast on August 8.  Saint Colman became a monk at Iona under Saint Columba and c. 661 succeeded Saint Finan as the third abbot-bishop of Lindisfarne, the most important monastery in Northumbria, England, close to the royal castle at Bamburg. At that time the disagreement in Northumbria about the date of Easter, style of tonsure, the role of the bishop, and other Celtic ecclesiastical usages had reached a critical stage, and in 664 a synod met at Whitby Abbey under Saint Hilda to settle the matter.

Saint Colman was the chief defender of the Celtic customs; Saints Wilfrid and Agilbert those of Rome. King Oswy of Northumbria came favoring the Irish view, but accepted Wilfrid's argument in favor of adopting the practice of the rest of the known contemporary Church. Thereupon Colman, refusing to accept the king's ruling in a spiritual matter, resigned his bishopric and retired, first to Iona and then (c. 667) to Inishbofin off the Connaught coast. All his Irish monks and 30 English monks went with him and brought with them some of the relics of Saint Aidan.

But the two elements of the community disagreed among themselves because, as Saint Bede reports, the English complained that all the work of the harvest was left to them. Apparently, each summer the Irish monks went off, leaving the Anglo-Saxons to plant and harvest the fields. So, Colman made a separate foundation for the English monks on the mainland called Mayo of the Saxons. The first abbot of Mayo after Colman was an Englishman, Saint Gerald, who lived until 732. Bede praises the fact that the abbots of Mayo were elected, rather than following the Celtic custom as a "hereditary" monastery.

Saint Bede, who was not in sympathy with the distinctively Celtic practices, gives a glowing account of the church of Lindisfarne under Saint Colman's rule. He emphasizes the example of frugality and simplicity of living set by the bishop and the complete devotion of his clergy to their proper business of imparting the word of God and ministering to their people.

Blessed Alcuin also praised the monks of the Mayo of the Saxons for leaving their homeland in voluntary exile, where they shone by their learning among a "very barbarous nation" (Attwater, Benedictines, Delaney, Farmer, Montague).

814 St. Angilbert Benedictine abbot advisor to Charlemagne body was found to be incorrupt

814 ST ANGILBERT, ABBOT.  There is no satisfactory evidence that at that time he was either monk or priest it is indeed not certain that he ever was a priest.
THE early career of St Angilbert gave no indication of the sanctity to which he afterwards is said to have attained. Brought up at the court of Charlemagne and educated by Alcuin, he grew up a brilliant and able but worldly young man. Classical nicknames were in vogue amongst the aristocratic young highbrows of the time, and Angilbert was known as “Homer”. His Latin verses were greatly admired by his contemporaries, and they prove that he possessed something of the poetic genius; but he was far removed from Homer. So greatly was he loved by Charlemagne, that it was said of him that he was the monarch’s second self. Al­though destined eventually for an archbishopric, he is stated by his biographer Anscher to have married Bertha, a daughter of the king, and the monk Nithard distinctly claimed that he and his brother Harnid were the sons of Angilbert and Bertha. On the other hand Eginhard never even mentions Angilbert in his Life of Charlemagne—a strange omission if he had been Charlemagne’s son-in-law, but natural enough if the union had been a mere intrigue, as it may well have been in that licentious court.

   According to his biographer it was a dangerous illness that first turned Angil­bert’s thoughts towards the religious life. Amongst the offices he is said to have held was that of count or protector of the maritime provinces against the Northmen, who were a constant menace. We are told that on one occasion he had to cope with a most dangerous invasion when the Danes actually sailed up the Somme. On the eve of battle, St Angilbert went to implore aid at the tomb of St Riquier in the monastery of Centula, near Amiens, and he then vowed that, if successful, he would himself become one of the monks. His prayer was answered by a violent storm which utterly disorganized the enemy’s fleet and made the defeat of the invaders an easy matter. Angilbert carried out his vow, and Bertha also entered a convent. It must be confessed, however, that the whole story is very doubtful. In any case the king continued to shower favours upon him: he invested him with the revenues of Centula and helped him to rebuild the abbey with great magnificence, and he made him his privy councillor as well as chief court chaplain, and entrusted him with important missions to Rome and elsewhere. Angilbert did, however, spend his last years as a monk of Centula, of which he soon became abbot. He built a fine library, and instituted amongst his monks the laus perennis, or continuous choir service whereby the praise of God never ceased by day or night. He lived to a great age, but managed to travel to court to append his signature to the last will and testament of his great earthly patron, who made him one of his executors. But Angilbert took to his bed immediately after his return, and died twenty-two days after the death of Charlemagne.

The two late medieval biographies of Angilbert, by Hariulf and by Anscher, are not very reliable, but they supply a certain amount of detail and they may be supplemented from contemporary letters and chronicles. The lives will be found in Mabillon, vol. iv. A good account of Angilbert is given in the Kirchenlexikon, vol. i, cc. 849—851 see also DHG., vol. iii, cc. 520—523. Modern writers are apt to set Angilbert’s lapses in a very misleading light. In the Cambridge Medieval History (vol. ii, p. 663) Prof. C. Seeliger remarks that Charlemagne’s daughter Bertha “had two sons by the pious Abbot Angilbert of St Riquier.”  There is no satisfactory evidence that at that time he was either monk or priest it is indeed not certain that he ever was a priest.

He was raised in the court of Emperor Charlemagne, and studied under the great English scholar, Alcuin. Receiving minor orders, Angilbert accompanied King Pepin to Italy in 782. Returning to the court, he became known as "Homer" because of his literary and language skills. He also served as an envoy of the court to the pope. In 790, Angilbert was named the abbot of Saint-Riquier in Picardy, France. Angilbert either rebuilt or restored the abbey and endowed it with two hundred books. In the year 800, Charlemagne came to visit him. Angilbert also fathered two children, having had an affair with Bertha, Charlemagne's daughter. Angilbert did penance for this relationship, and Bertha entered a convent. Nithard, a noted historian of the era and Angilbert's son, wrote of the penance's and austerities undertaken. Angilbert died on February 18, 814. Some years after his burial, his body was found to be incorrupt.

Angilbert of Centula, OSB, Abbot (AC)  Died 814. Nicknamed "Homer" because of his Latin verses, he was raised at the court of Charlemagne and studied under Alcuin. He married Charlemagne's daughter, Bertha (some scholars believe it was an affair rather than a marriage), but turned to religious life when prayers for a successful resistance to a Danish invasion were answered when a storm scattered the Danish fleet.
Bertha entered a convent and he became a monk, excelled as a minister, and filled several important offices. As a reward Charlemagne gave Angilbert the abbey of Saint Riquier (Centula) and Angilbert became a model abbot. He established a library at Centula and also introduced continuous chanting in the abbey, using his three hundred monks and 100 boys in relays to do so. He was a close friend and confidante of Charlemagne, was his court chaplain and privy councilor, undertook several diplomatic missions for the emperor, and was one of the executors of the emperor's will (Benedictines, Delaney, Encyclopedia).

1166 St. Theotonius Augustinian, trusted canon; royal advisor all forms of royal corruption opponent
Born in Gonfeo, Spain, in 1088, he studied at Coimbra, Portugal, and served for a time as archpriest of Viseu. After undertaking a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and the Holy Land, he returned home and entered the Augustinian Canons at Coimbra. He held a trusted position as advisor to King Alfonso I Henriquez of Portugal (r. 1128-1181) and was a dedicated opponent of all forms of royal corruption. Theotonius rebuked the queen for an adulterous affair and refused a bishopric from her.
1166 ST THEOTONIUS
ST THEOTONIUS is held in great honour in Portugal. A nephew of Cresconius, Bishop of Coimbra, he had been destined for the priesthood from his earliest years after his ordination he was appointed to Viseu, and in a short time the spiritual charge of all in that township was entrusted to him. A man of true holiness and austerity of life, he was also a great preacher whose fame spread far and wide. He resigned his office of archpriest to visit the Holy Land, but on his return continued to work at Viseu. The queen and her husband, Henry, Count of Portugal, repeatedly urged him to accept a bishopric, but he always refused. He had a great love for the poor and for the souls in Purgatory, for whom he used to sing solemn Mass every Friday. This was followed by a procession to the cemetery in which the whole population joined and in the course of which large sums of money were given in alms: these he invariably distributed amongst the poor. He was out­spoken in rebuking vice, and the greatest in the land feared and respected him. When the widowed queen and Count Ferdinand (whose association with her was causing scandal) were present at one of his sermons, St Theotonius uttered from the pulpit stern words so obviously aimed at them that they were filled with con­fusion and beat a hasty retreat. On another occasion he was vested and about to celebrate a Mass of our Lady when he received a message from the queen, who was at the church, asking him to shorten the time he usually took. He sent back word that he was offering Mass in honour of a sovereign who was greater than any royal personage on earth, and that the queen was quite at liberty to stay or to go. Far from resenting this, she was filled with penitence and waited till after the service was over to ask pardon and to receive the saint’s reprimand.

    After a second pilgrimage to the Holy Land, St Theotonius found that his former preceptor, Tellus, was busied with a scheme of a new monastery at Coimbra to be composed of Canons Regular of St Augustine; and Theotonius decided to join them, being the twelfth on the original foundation, of which he soon became prior. King Alphonsus, who greatly venerated him, heaped gifts on this monastery of the Holy Cross, as did also Queen Mafalda, although she sought in vain to be permitted to cross the threshold. In a careless age, St Theotonius was remarkable for his insistence on the exact and reverent recitation of the daily offices : he would never allow them to be gabbled or hurried. The king attributed to the holy man’s prayers his victories over his enemies and recovery from illness, and in his gratitude granted the saint’s request that he should liberate all his Mozarabic Christian captives. Theotonius rose to be abbot of the monastery, where he spent the last thirty years of his life, dying at the age of eighty. When Alphonsus heard of his death, he exclaimed, “His soul will have gone up to Heaven before his body is lowered into the tomb. 
The Life of St Theotonius, written by a contemporary who was one of the com­munity of the Holy Cross which he governed so wisely, leaves the impression of an ex­ceptionally sane and trustworthy document. There are no extravagant miracles, but there breathes in every line a true and reverent affection for the saint which it commemorates. It is printed in the Acta Sanctorum, February, vol. iii. Cf. also Florez, España Sagrada, vol. xxiii, pp. 105 seq., and Carvalho da Silva, Vida do admiravel Padre S. Theotonio (1764).
Theotonius of Coimbra, OSA, Abbot (AC) Born in Spain; died 1166; cultus approved by Benedict XIV. Theotonius, nephew of Bishop Cresconius of Coimbra, Portugal, was educated in Coimbra and became an archpriest of Viseu. He proved himself to be an outstanding preacher as well as a man of holiness and austerity. He resigned that office to go on pilgrimage to the Holy Land. On his return, he continued to work at Viseu. While the queen and her husband, Henry, Count of Portugal, repeatedly urged him to accept a bishopric, he was contemplating retiring further from the world.
Theotonius had a tremendous love of the poor and the souls in purgatory, for whom he sang solemn Mass every Friday. This would be followed by a procession to the cemetery in which to whole city joined and in the course of which large sums of money were given in alms for him to distribute among the poor.

But he was no wimp. He was outspoken in rebuking vice, and the greatest in the land feared and respected him. When the widowed queen and Count Ferdinand (whose alliance with her was causing scandal) were present at one of his sermons, Saint Theotonius uttered stern words so obviously directed at them that they were both filled with confusion and retreated hastily. Another time, he was vested to begin the celebration of the Mass of the Blessed Virgin, when he received a message from the queen, who was at the church, asking him to shorten the time he usually took. He sent back word that he was offering Mass in honor of a sovereign who was greater than any royal personage on earth, and that the queen was free to leave or stay.

After a second pilgrimage to the Holy Land, he found that his former preceptor, Tellus, was founding a new Augustinian monastery at Coimbra, and Theotonius decided to join them. He became its 12th prior. Theotonius was highly esteemed by King Alphonsus of Portugal and his Queen Matilda, who lavished gifts on the monastery of the Holy Cross. He was fearless in rebuking vice and exact in the performance of divine service. He was remarkable for his insistence on the exact and reverent recitation of the daily offices; he would never allow them to be garbled or hurried. The king attributed victory over his enemies and recovery from illness to the prayers of Saint Theotonius, and in his gratitude granted the saint's request that he should liberate all his Mozarabic Christian captives. When Alphonsus heard of Theotonius's death, he exclaimed, "His soul will have gone up to heaven before his body is lowered into the tomb." This saint is still highly venerated in Portugal (Benedictines, Walsh).

1455 Blessed John of Fiesole patron of Christian artists
b 1400
The patron of Christian artists was born around 1400 in a village overlooking Florence. He took up painting as a young boy and studied under the watchful eye of a local painting master. He joined the Dominicans at about age 20, taking the name Fra Giovanni. He eventually came to be known as Fra Angelico, perhaps a tribute to his own angelic qualities or maybe the devotional tone of his works.

He continued to study painting and perfect his own techniques, which included broad-brush strokes, vivid colors and generous, lifelike figures. Michelangelo once said of Fra Angelico: “One has to believe that this good monk has visited paradise and been allowed to choose his models there.” Whatever his subject matter, Fra Angelico sought to generate feelings of religious devotion in response to his paintings. Among his most famous works are the Annunciation and Descent from the Cross as well as frescoes in the monastery of San Marco in Florence.

He also served in leadership positions within the Dominican Order. At one point Pope Eugenius approached him about serving as archbishop of Florence. Fra Angelico declined, preferring a simpler life. He died in 1455.

1594 Bl. William Harrington priest Martyr of England
Born at Mt. St. John, Yorkshire, he studied for the priesthood after meeting St. Edmund Campion and was ordained at Reims, France, in 1592. William returned to England to work in the English mission. Arrested in London in 1593 for being a priest, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered atTyburn.
1594 BD WILLIAM HARRINGTON, MARTYR
A curious fact about this martyr is that after his death he was accused by a woman of having had a child by her before he was ordained. She was an apostate Catholic, of disorderly life, and this was only one charge among others made by her against Harrington and Catholics in general, some of them of such a kind that her testimony about anything is discredited from the start. The baselessness of the particular accusation against Harrington has been shown by Father Morris in his Troubles of our Catholic Forefathers. Father Pollen has noted that, at a time when Catholics were subjected to the most outrageous charges, this is the only one of its kind on record as having been made against one who died for his faith.

William Harrington was born in 1566 at Mount St John, Felixkirk, in the North Riding. When he was a youth of fifteen he met Bd Edmund Campion who was a guest in his father’s house, and under the force of that example he went abroad to become a priest, first to the college at Rheims and then to the Jesuits at Tournai. But here his health gave way; he had to give up any idea of joining that order, and for half-a-dozen or more years he returned home. Then he went back to Rheims, and was ordained in 1592. In midsummer of that year Mr Harrington came on the mission, and in the following May was apprehended in London, where he had been ministering. For nine months he was kept in prison, and bore its rigours with notable fortitude and constancy. His demeanour at his trial made a deep impres­sion; but he was condemned for his priesthood, and sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered.

The sentence was carried out on February 8, 1594. Stow in his Chronicle recording that, “Harrington, a seminary priest, was drawn from Newgate to Tyburn, and there hanged, cut down alive, struggled with the hangman, but was bowelled and quartered”. Of which Bishop Challoner pertinently remarks that it  “cannot be drawn to an argument of his not being resigned to die, but only shows the efforts which nature will be sure to make in a man whose senses are stunned by having been half hanged, and therefore, by the motions of his hands and body, strives to resist that unnatural violence which is offered by the hands and knife of the executioner”. Bd William Harrington was only twenty-seven years old at his death. 

See MMP., p. 197; Morris, Troubles… pp. 104—107; Gillow, Biog. Dict. Pollen in the Catholic Encyclopedia, s.v., and The Month for April, 1874. The source for the slander on Barrington’s memory is Harsnet, Declaration of egregious Popish Impostures (London, 1603). The poet John Donne’s brother, Henry, was imprisoned in 1593 for harbouring Barrington, and died of jail-fever.

Blessed William Harrington M (AC) Born at Mount Saint John, Felixkirk, Yorkshire, England; died at Tyburn, 1594; beatified in 1929. William was educated and ordained in 1592 at Rheims. He was only 27 when he was hanged, drawn, and quartered for his priesthood (Benedictines).
1601 Bl. John Pibush English martyr solely for his priesthood
born in Thirsk, Yorkshire. He went to Reims and was ordained in 1587. Returning to England in 1589, John was arrested at Gloucestershire in 1593 and kept in prison in London. He escaped but was recaptured and then tried and condemned. He was executed at Southwark. His beatification took place in 1929.

1601 BD JOHN PIBUSH, MARTYR

This martyr was born at Thirsk in the North Riding and was made priest at Rheims in 1587. After ministering in England for four years he was arrested at Moreton-in-the-Marsh in Gloucestershire in 1593, and taken to London, where he was confined without trial in the Gatehouse for a year. Then he was brought up at the Gloucester assizes and convicted of being a seminary priest, but was sent back to the local jail without being sentenced. In the following February he took advantage of a break-out by other prisoners to escape himself, but was careless enough to walk openly on the highway and so was retaken the next day, at Matson. He was then sent to London again, retried, and sentenced to death, on July 1, 1595.  But in fact the sentence was not carried out for another five years and more. In the meantime Mr Pibush was left to suffer in the filth and brutality of the Queen’s Bench prison. Not only was his health undermined, so that his lungs rotted with tuberculosis, but he was subjected to ill-treatment from his fellow prisoners, especially when he tried to bring them to a more godly frame of mind. However, in the long run he seems to have softened both them and his jailers, for he was allowed some little privacy and was even able to celebrate Mass occasionally. His name was on the list of those imprisoned Catholics to be sent to Wisbech castle, but at the last moment it was struck off; and after all this time in prison Mr Pibush was put to death at twenty-four hours’ notice.
On February 17, 1601, he was brought before Popham, L.C.J. (who had removed his name from the Wisbech list) and asked for any reason why his sentence should not be carried out. He replied that he had never in his life done anything for which he could justly be put to death; that he was condemned simply for being a Catholic priest; and that he was willing to lay down his life several times over for that cause. He was then told to prepare for death, which took place the next day at St Thomas’s Waterings in Southwark, a spot whose very name spoke of pilgrims to the shrine of another martyr, Thomas Becket.

See MMP., pp. 152—153 Gillow, Biog. Dict. Pollen, Acts of the English Martyrs, pp. 335—336 Catholic Record Society’s publications, vol. v, pp. 337—340.
Blessed John Pibush M (AC) Born at Thirsk, Yorkshire, England; died 1601; beatified in 1929. John was educated at Rheims and ordained in 1587. He was sent to the English mission where he spent his time mostly in prison until he was finally executed at Southwark, solely for his priesthood (Benedictines).
1855 Blessed Andrew Nam-Thung native catechist of Cochin-China M (AC)
Born c. 1790; beatified 1909. Andrew was a native catechist of Cochin-China and mayor of his village. He died on the way to exile at Mi-Tho, eastern Cochin-China (Benedictines).

Bl. Martin Martyr of China native Chinese
who sheltered Blessed John Peter Neel. Martin was beheaded and beatified in 1909.

Blessed Agnes De martyred native cradle Christian VM (AC)
Born in Bai-den, West Tonkin (Vietnam); died at Nam-dinh July 12, 1841; beatified 1909. Agnes was born into a Christian family and died in prison for the faith (Benedictines).

1858 St. Agatha Lin Chinese martyr
She was born in 1817 at Ma-Tchang, China. A teacher at a Christian school, Agatha was beheaded for the faith in Mao-kin on January 28, 1858. She was beatified on May 2, 1909.

Blessed Agatha Lin VM (AC) Born at Ma-Tchang, China, in 1817; died at Mao-ken, China, January 28, 1858; beatified on May 2, 1909. Agatha was a Chinese school teacher, who was beheaded for the faith (Benedictines).

1862 Blessed John Peter French missionary priest & Martin native catechist MM (AC)
(also known as Jean-Pierre Néel) beatified in 1909. A French missionary priest who was martyred because he baptized too many Chinese. He was arrested, tied by his hair to a horse's tail, dragged, then beheaded at Kuy- tsheu. Three of his converts were beheaded at the same time as he was. Martin (1815-1862) was one of Jean-Pierre's native catechists and his host, who was among those beheaded (Benedictines, Encyclopedia).



THE PSALTER OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY PSALM 269

Save me, O Lady: for the waters of concupiscence have entered into my very soul.

I am stuck fast in the mire of sin: and the waters of pleasure have encompassed me.

Weeping, I have wept in the night: and the day of joy has arisen for me.

Save my soul, O Mother of the Savior: for by thee true salvation was given to the world.

While thou wast overshadowed when the Angel spoke to thee: and becamest pregnant with the Wisdom of the Father.


Let every spirit praise Our Lady

For thy spirit is kind: thy grace fills the whole world.

Thunder, ye heavens, from above, and give praise to her: glorify her, ye earth, with all the dwellers therein.


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

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


God loves variety. He doesn't mass-produce his saints. Every saint is unique, for each is the result of a new idea. 
As the liturgy says: Non est inventus similis illis--there are no two exactly alike. It is we with our lack of imagination, who paint the same haloes on all the saints. Dear Lord, grant us a spirit that is not bound by our own ideas and preferences. 
Grant that we may be able to appreciate in others what we lack in ourselves.
O Lord, grant that we may understand that every saint must be a unique praise of Your glory. Catholic saints are holy people and human people who lived extraordinary lives.  Each saint the Church honors responded to God's invitation to use his or her unique gifts.   God calls each one of us to be a saint in order to get into heavenonly saints are allowed into heaven.
The more "extravagant" graces are bestowed NOT for the benefit of the recipients so much as FOR the benefit of others.
There are over 10,000 named saints beati  from history
 and Roman Martyology Orthodox sources

Patron_Saints.html  Widowed_Saints htmIndulgences The Catholic Church in China
LINKS: Marian Shrines  
India Marian Shrine Lourdes of the East   Lourdes 1858  China Marian shrines 1995
Kenya national Marian shrine  Loreto, Italy  Marian Apparitions (over 2000Quang Tri Vietnam La Vang 1798
 
Links to Related MarianWebsites  Angels and Archangels  Saints Visions of Heaven and Hell

Widowed Saints  html
Doctors_of_the_Church   Acts_Of_The_Apostles  Roman Catholic Popes  Purgatory  UniateChalcedon

Mary the Mother of Jesus Miracles_BLay Saints  Miraculous_IconMiraculous_Medal_Novena Patron Saints
Miracles by Century 100   200   300   400   500   600   700    800   900   1000    1100   1200   1300   1400  1500  1600  1700  1800  1900 2000
Miracles 100   200   300   400   500   600   700    800   900   1000  
 
1100   1200   1300   1400  1500  1600  1700  1800   1900 Lay Saints

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

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Saint Frances Xavier Seelos  Practical Guide to Holiness
1. Go to Mass with deepest devotion. 2. Spend a half hour to reflect upon your main failing & make resolutions to avoid it.
3. Do daily spiritual reading for at least 15 minutes, if a half hour is not possible.  4. Say the rosary every day.
5. Also daily, if at all possible, visit the Blessed Sacrament; toward evening, meditate on the Passion of Christ for a half hour, 6.  Conclude the day with evening prayer & an examination of conscience over all the faults & sins of the day.
7.  Every month make a review of the month in confession.
8. Choose a special patron every month & imitate that patron in some special virtue.
9. Precede every great feast with a novena that is nine days of devotion. 10. Try to begin & end every activity with a Hail Mary

My God, I believe, I adore, I trust and I love Thee.  I beg pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not
O most Holy trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly.  I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the Tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifference by which He is offended, and by the infite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  I beg the conversion of poor sinners,  Fatima Prayer, Angel of Peace
The voice of the Father is heard, the Son enters the water, and the Holy Spirit appears in the form of a dove.
THE spirit and example of the world imperceptibly instil the error into the minds of many that there is a kind of middle way of going to Heaven; and so, because the world does not live up to the gospel, they bring the gospel down to the level of the world. It is not by this example that we are to measure the Christian rule, but words and life of Christ. All His followers are commanded to labour to become perfect even as our heavenly Father is perfect, and to bear His image in our hearts that we may be His children. We are obliged by the gospel to die to ourselves by fighting self-love in our hearts, by the mastery of our passions, by taking on the spirit of our Lord.
   These are the conditions under which Christ makes His promises and numbers us among His children, as is manifest from His words which the apostles have left us in their inspired writings. Here is no distinction made or foreseen between the apostles or clergy or religious and secular persons. The former, indeed, take upon themselves certain stricter obligations, as a means of accomplishing these ends more perfectly; but the law of holiness and of disengagement of the heart from the world is general and binds all the followers of Christ.
God loves variety. He doesn't mass-produce his saints. Every saint is unique each the result of a new idea.
As the liturgy says: Non est inventus similis illis--there are no two exactly alike.
It is we with our lack of imagination, who paint the same haloes on all the saints.

Dear Lord, grant us a spirit not bound by our own ideas and preferences.
 
Grant that we may be able to appreciate in others what we lack in ourselves.

O Lord, grant that we may understand that every saint must be a unique praise of Your glory.
 
Catholic saints are holy people and human people who lived extraordinary lives.
Each saint the Church honors responded to God's invitation to use his or her unique gifts.
The 15 Promises of the Virgin Mary to those who recite the Rosary ) Revealed to St. Dominic and Blessed Alan)
1.    Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall receive signal graces. 2.    I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary. 3.    The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies. 4.    It will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of people from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things.  Oh, that soul would sanctify them by this means.  5.    The soul that recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary shall not perish. 6.    Whoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying themselves to the consideration of its Sacred Mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune.  God will not chastise them in His justice, they shall not perish by an unprovided death; if they be just, they shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life. 7.    Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the Sacraments of the Church. 8.    Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plentitude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the Saints in Paradise. 9.    I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary. 10.    The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in Heaven.  11.    You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the Rosary. 12.    I shall aid all those who propagate the Holy Rosary in their necessities. 13.    I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of death. 14.    All who recite the Rosary are my children, and brothers and sisters of my only Son, Jesus Christ. 15.    Devotion to my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.
His Holiness Aram I, current (2013) Catholicos of Cilicia of Armenians, whose See is located in Lebanese town of Antelias. The Catholicosate was founded in Sis, capital of Cilicia, in the year 1441 following the move of the Catholicosate of All Armenians back to its original See of Etchmiadzin in Armenia. The Catholicosate of Cilicia enjoyed local jurisdiction, though spiritually subject to the authority of Etchmiadzin. In 1921 the See was transferred to Aleppo in Syria, and in 1930 to Antelias.
Its jurisdiction currently extends to Syria, Cyprus, Iran and Greece.
Aramaic dialect of Edessa, now known as Syriac
The exact date of the introduction of Christianity into Edessa {Armenian Ourhaï in Arabic Er Roha, commonly Orfa or Urfa, its present name} is not known. It is certain, however, that the Christian community was at first made up from the Jewish population of the city. According to an ancient legend, King Abgar V, Ushana, was converted by Addai, who was one of the seventy-two disciples. In fact, however, the first King of Edessa to embrace the Christian Faith was Abgar IX (c. 206) becoming official kingdom religion.
Christian council held at Edessa early as 197 (Eusebius, Hist. Ecc7V,xxiii).
In 201 the city was devastated by a great flood, and the Christian church was destroyed (“Chronicon Edessenum”, ad. an. 201).
In 232 the relics of the Apostle St. Thomas were brought from India, on which occasion his Syriac Acts were written.

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

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

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Mother Angelica saving souls is this beautiful womans journey  Shrine_of_The_Most_Blessed_Sacrament
Colombia was among the countries Mother Angelica visited. 
In Bogotá, a Salesian priest - Father Juan Pablo Rodriguez - brought Mother and the nuns to the Sanctuary of the Divine Infant Jesus to attend Mass.  After Mass, Father Juan Pablo took them into a small Shrine which housed the miraculous statue of the Child Jesus. Mother Angelica stood praying at the side of the statue when suddenly the miraculous image came alive and turned towards her.  Then the Child Jesus spoke with the voice of a young boy:  “Build Me a Temple and I will help those who help you.” 

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

Brief History of our Beloved Holy Priest Here and his published books of Catholic History in North America
Reardon, J.M. Archbishop Ireland; Prelate, Patriot, Publicist, 1838-1918.
A Memoir (St. Paul; 1919); George Anthony Belcourt Pioneer Catholic Missionary of the Northwest 1803-1874 (1955);
The Catholic Church IN THE DIOCESE OF ST. PAUL from earliest origin to centennial achievement
1362-1950 (1952);

The Church of Saint Mary of Saint Paul 1875-1922;
  (1932)
The Vikings in the American Heartland;
The Catholic Total Abstinence Society in Minnesota;
James Michael Reardon Born in Nova Scotia, 1872;  Priest, ordained by Bishop Ireland;
Member -- St. Paul Seminary faculty.
Affiliations and Indulgence Litany of Loretto in Stained glass windows here.  Nave Sacristy and Residence Here
Sanctuary
spaces between them filled with grilles of hand-forged wrought iron the
life of our Blessed Lady After the crucifixon
Apostle statues Replicas of those in St John Lateran--Christendom's earliest Basilica.
Ordered by Rome's first Christian Emperor, Constantine the Great, Popes' cathedral and official residence first millennium of Christian history.

The only replicas ever made:  in order from west to east {1932}.
Every Christian must be a living book wherein one can read the teaching of the gospel
 
It Makes No Sense
Not To Believe In GOD
THE BLESSED MOTHER AND ISLAM By Father John Corapi
  June 19, Trinity Sunday, 1991: Ordained Catholic Priest under Pope John Paul II;
then 2,000,000 miles delivering the Gospel to millions, and continues to do so.
By Father John Corapi
THE BLESSED MOTHER AND ISLAM By Father John Corapi
  June 19, Trinity Sunday, 1991: Ordained Catholic Priest under Pope John Paul II;
then 2,000,000 miles delivering the Gospel to millions, and continues to do so.
By Father John Corapi
Among the most important titles we have in the Catholic Church for the Blessed Virgin Mary are Our Lady of Victory and Our Lady of the Rosary. These titles can be traced back to one of the most decisive times in the history of the world and Christendom. The Battle of Lepanto took place on October 7 (date of feast of Our Lady of Rosary), 1571. This proved to be the most crucial battle for the Christian forces against the radical Muslim navy of Turkey. Pope Pius V led a procession around St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City praying the Rosary. He showed true pastoral leadership in recognizing the danger posed to Christendom by the radical Muslim forces, and in using the means necessary to defeat it. Spiritual battles require spiritual weapons, and this more than anything was a battle that had its origins in the spiritual order—a true battle between good and evil.

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

No other issue, not all other issues taken together, can constitute a proportionate reason for voting for candidates that intend to preserve and defend this holocaust of innocent human life that is abortion.

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

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

Father Corapi's Biography

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

Father Corapi's academic credentials are quite extensive. He received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Pace University in the seventies. Then as an older man returned to the university classrooms in preparation for his life as a priest and preacher. He received all of his academic credentials for the Church with honors: a Masters degree in Sacred Scripture from Holy Apostles Seminary and Bachelor, Licentiate, and Doctorate degrees in dogmatic theology from the University of Navarre in Spain.

Father John Corapi goes to the heart of the contemporary world's many woes and wars, whether the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Somalia, or the Congo, or the natural disasters that seem to be increasing every year, the moral and spiritual war is at the basis of everything. “Our battle is not against human forces,” St. Paul asserts, “but against principalities and powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness...” (Ephesians 6:12). 
The “War to end all wars” is the moral and spiritual combat that rages in the hearts and minds of human beings. The outcome of that  unseen fight largely determines how the battle in the realm of the seen unfolds.  The title talk, “With the Moon Under Her Feet,” is taken from the twelfth chapter of the Book of Revelation, and deals with the current threat to the world from radical Islam, and the Blessed Virgin Mary's role in the ultimate victory that will result in the conversion of Islam. Few Catholics are aware of the connection between Islam, Fatima, and Guadalupe. Presented in Father Corapi's straight-forward style, you will be both inspired and educated by him.

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


God Bless you on your journey Father John Corapi


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

8 Martyrs Move Closer to Sainthood 8 July, 2016
Posted by ZENIT Staff on 8 July, 2016

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

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

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

On the List Are Lay Founder of a Hospital and Eastern Catholic Religious
VATICAN CITY, June 12, 2014 (Zenit.org) - Today, the Vatican announced that during the celebration of the feast of Christ the King on Sunday, November 23, an ordinary public consistory will be held for the canonization of the following six blesseds, who include a lay founder of a hospital for the poor, founders of religious orders, and two members of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See:
-Giovanni Antonio Farina (1803-1888), an Italian bishop who founded the Institute of the Sisters Teachers of Saint Dorothy, Daughters of the Sacred Hearts
-Kuriakose Elias Chavara (1805-1871), a Syro-Malabar priest in India who founded the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate
-Ludovico of Casoria (1814-1885), an Italian Franciscan priest who founded the Gray Sisters of St. Elizabeth
-Nicola Saggio (Nicola da Longobardi, 1650-1709), an Italian oblate of the Order of Minims
-Euphrasia Eluvathingal (1877-1952), an Indian Carmelite of the Syro-Malabar Church
-Amato Ronconi (1238-1304), an Italian, Third Order Franciscan who founded a hospital for poor pilgrims

CAUSES OF SAINTS July 2015.
Pope Recognizes Heroic Virtues of Ukrainian Archbishop
Recognition Brings Metropolitan Archbishop Andrey Sheptytsky Closer to Beatification
By Junno Arocho Esteves Rome, July 17, 2015 (ZENIT.org)
Pope Francis recognized the heroic virtues of Ukrainian Greek Catholic Archbishop Andrey Sheptytsky. According to a communique released by the Holy See Press Office, the Holy Father met this morning with Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MIRACLES
– Blessed Alfonso Maria Fusco, diocesan priest and founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. John the Baptist (1839-1910);
– Venerable Servant of God John Sullivan, professed priest of the Society of Jesus (1861-1933);
MARTYRDOM
– Servants of God Nikolle Vinçenc Prennushi, O.F.M., archbishop of Durres, Albania, and 37 companions killed between 1945 and 1974;
– Servants of God José Antón Gómez and three companions of the Benedictines of Madrid, Spain, killed 1936;
HEROIC VIRTUES
– Servant of God Thomas Choe Yang-Eop, diocesan priest (1821-1861);
– Servant of God Sosio Del Prete (né Vincenzo), professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor, founder of the Congregation of the Little Servants of Christ the King (1885-1952);
– Servant of God Wenanty Katarzyniec (né Jósef), professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual (1889-1921);
– Servant of God Maria Consiglia of the Holy Spirity (née Emilia Paqualina Addatis), founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Addolorata, Servants of Mary (1845-1900);
– Servant of God Maria of the Incarnation (née Caterina Carrasco Tenorio), founder of the Congregation of the Franciscan Tertiary Sisters of the Flock of Mary (1840-1917);
– Servant of God , founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Family of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (1851-1923);
– Servant of God Ilia Corsaro, founder of the Congregation of the Little Missionaries of the Eucharist (1897-1977);
– Servant of God Maria Montserrat Grases García, layperson of the Personal Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei (1941-1959).
LINKS:
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