ST
PETER’S CHAIR AT ROME
ST PETER, having triumphed over Satan in the East, pursued the enemy to
Rome with unabated energy. He who had formerly trembled at the voice of
a servant-maid, now feared not the stronghold of idolatry and
superstition. The capital of the empire of the world, and the centre of
impiety, called for the zeal of the leader of the Apostles. The Roman
empire had extended its dominion beyond that of any former monarchy,
and the influence of its metropolis was of the greatest human
importance for the spread of Christ’s gospel. St Peter claimed that
province for himself; and repairing to Rome, there preached the faith
and established his episcopal chair, and from him the bishops of Rome
in all ages have derived their succession. That SS. Peter and Paul
founded that church is expressly asserted by Cams, a priest of Rome
under Pope St Zephyrinus (quoted by Eusebius, Hist. eccl, bk ii, c.
25), who relates also that his body was then on the Vatican hill, and
that of his fellow-labourer, St Paul, on the Ostian road. That he and
St Paul planted the faith in Rome, and were both crowned with martyrdom
there, is affirmed by St Dionysius, Bishop of Corinth, in the second
century. St Irenaeus, in the same century, calls the church at Rome
“The greatest and most ancient church, founded by the two glorious
apostles, Peter and Paul.”
Nevertheless, doubt has been
cast upon the historical fact of St
Peter’s presence in Rome. It is pointed out that no clear contemporary
statement can be adduced in proof of his residence there, that the Acts
of the Apostles suggest nothing of the kind, that the only thing we
know concerning his later life is that his own first epistle was
written from “Babylon”, that the so-called Roman tradition is
inextricably mixed up with fabulous legends about Simon Magus which no
serious scholar would now dream of defending, and that the twenty-five
years’ Roman episcopate, attributed to St Peter with a quite suspicious
unanimity by later historians such as Eusebius, cannot be reconciled
with the other data they supply and with the complete silence of St
Paul concerning his fellow apostle in his Epistle to the Romans. But
these difficulties have been duly considered and answered not only by
Catholic apologists, but by eminent Anglicans such as Bishop Lightfoot,
Professor C. H. Turner and Dr George Edmundson, as well as by Lutherans
of the standing of Harnack and Zahn. The grounds upon which the Roman
tradition is based are stated concisely and clearly by the Anglican Dr
F. H. Chase, Bishop of Ely, in the following passage:
The strength of the case for St Peter’s visit to and
martyrdom at Rome
lies not only in the absence of any rival tradition, but also in the
fact that many streams of evidence converge to this result. We have the
evidence of official lists and documents of the Roman church, which
prove the strength of the tradition in later
times, and which, at least in some cases, must rest on earlier
documents. The
notice of the transference of the apostle’s body to a new resting-place
in 258,
and the words of Caius, show that the tradition was definite and
unquestioned at
Rome in the first half of the third century. The fact that Caius is
arguing
with an Asiatic opponent, the evidence of the [gnostic] Acts of Peter,
the
passages quoted from Origen, Clement of Alexandria and Tertullian, show
that at
the same period the tradition was accepted in the churches of Asia, of
Alexandria and Carthage. The passage of Irenaeus carries the evidence
backward
well within the second century, and is of special importance, as coming
from
one who had visited Rome, whose list of Roman bishops suggests that he
had had
access to official documents, and who through Polycarp was in contact
with the
personal knowledge of St John and his companions.
Further, Dr Chase
went on to point out that the close association of the martyrdom
of St Peter
with that of St Paul in the reference made to them by St Clement, pope
at the
end of the first century, in the unquestionably genuine letter he wrote
to the
church of Corinth, forms a strong presumption that he, who must have
known the
truth, identified both apostles equally with Rome. Dr Chase’s article
was
written in 1900, and since then much fresh evidence has come to light.
It will
be noticed that he refers to the transference of the apostle’s body to
a new
resting place in 258. We cannot affirm that this translation, which was
in any
case only temporary, is a certain fact.
The historical
weight of this tradition was affirmed in eloquent terms by another
Anglican
divine, Dr George Edmundson, in a Bampton lecture given before the
University
of Oxford in 1913, wherein he states that “a tradition accepted
universally
and without a single dissentient voice associates the foundation and
organization
of the church of Rome with the name of St Peter, and speaks of his
active
connection with the church as extending over a period of some
twenty-five
years. “It is needless,” he goes on,
“to multiply references, in Egypt and in Africa, in the East and in the
West,
no other place ever disputed with Rome the honour of being the see of
St Peter
no other place ever claimed that he died there, or that it possessed
his tomb.
Most significant of all is the consensus of
the oriental, non-Greek-speaking churches. A close examination of
Armenian and
Syriac manuscripts . . . through several centuries has failed to
discover a
single writer who did not accept the Roman Petrine tradition.”
It was undoubtedly
an ancient custom throughout the West to keep as a festival the
anniversary of
the consecration - of the bishop. St Augustine has a treatise de natali episcopi, and St Leo three
sermons of which the subject is the natalis
cathedrae, “the birthday”, or anniversary, “of the chair” (i.e. of his installation as bishop).
That some commemoration of St Peter’s enthronement as bishop of Rome
should
have been observed from an early date was to be expected. In point of
fact, our
calendar now contains, and has contained for more than a thousand years
past,
two entries which recall the memory of St Peter’s connection with the
episcopal
office. That of the day with which we are now concerned is expressly
referred
to “the chair on which he first sat in Rome” that of February 22
professes to
commemorate his earlier ministry in Antioch. As the result of much
investigation and debate the conclusion now more generally adopted is
that
there was originally only one feast of St Peter’s chair further, that
this was
kept on February 22, and had no reference to Antioch, but only to the
beginning
of his episcopate at Rome.* * In the
Benedictine calendar, approved in 1915, the
two “chair “ feasts have been subsumed in one, St Peter’s Chair, on
February 22.
It seems, then, that
any discussion of the rather complicated problem of the duplication of
the
feast may most fittingly be reserved for February 22.
For the present it
will be sufficient to point out that, in the view of some
archaeologists, the
material relic known as “St Peter’s chair”, which is now preserved
in a casing
of bronze by Bernini over the apsidal altar of St Peter’s basilica in
Rome,
must be regarded as an important element in the development of these
feasts.
Some lay stress upon the fact that St Paul (Rom. xvi 5) sends greetings
to “the
church which is at the house of Prisca and Aquila”, seeming to point to
some
primitive meeting-place of a community of Roman Christians, and they
urge that
such a portable chair as the relic in question might naturally have
been used
as an improvised bishop’s stool in a private house. This might, then,
have been
“the chair on which St Peter first sat
in Rome”, though after a few years some more spacious place of assembly
may
have been provided in which a permanent seat could be constructed. It
is, in
any case, curious that the house of Prisca and Aquila seems to have
developed
in course of time into the still existing church of St Prisca on the
Aventine,
and that the feast of the dedication of this church was kept on
February 22. On
the other hand, a St Prisca, martyr, is commemorated on this day,
January 18.
But obviously nothing more than vague conjectures can be based on
indications
of this kind. All that we definitely know is that since the end of the
sixth
century, when the Auxerre redaction of the so-called Martyrologium
Hieronymianum was compiled, the feast of “St Peter’s
chair at Rome” has been honoured pretty generally throughout the West
on this
day.
In a
Motu Proprio of John XXIII dated July 25, 1960, this feast was dropped
from the Roman Calendar.
See F.
Cabrol in DAC., vol. iii, cc. 76—90; CMH., pp.
45—46, 109; and L. Duchesne, Christian
Worship (1919), pp.
277—280. Cf. herein St Peter, June 29, and his Chair
at Antioch, February
22.
|
250
St. Ammonius and a fellow soldier Moseus Martyrs
In Ponto natális sanctórum Mártyrum
Moséi et Ammónii, qui, cum essent mílites, primo
ad metálla damnáti sunt, ac novíssime igni
tráditi.
In Pontus, the birthday of the holy
martyrs Mosseus and Ammonius, soldiers, who were first condemned to
work in the metal mines, then cast into the fire.
in the persecutions of Emperor Trajanus Decius (249-251
A.D.). He, were taken prisoner for having hired Christians and were
condemned to labor in the mines of Bithynia. They were reportedly
burned to death.
|
 270 St Prisca of Rome VM
(RM) (also known as Priscilla)
Ibídem pássio sanctæ Priscæ,
Vírginis et Mártyris; quæ sub Cláudio
Imperatóre, post multa torménta, martyrio coronáta
est.
In the same place, under Emperor
Claudius, the passion of St. Prisca, virgin and martyr, who, after
undergoing many torments, was crowned with martyrdom.
ST PRISCA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR
Great confusion and uncertainty prevail regarding the saint who is
commemorated on this day under the name of Prisca. On the one hand, it
is unquestionable that the so-called “acts”, dating at earliest from
the tenth century, are historically worthless, for they simply
reproduce, with slight changes, the legendary Passion of St Tatiana. On
the other hand, there was, beyond doubt, a genuine and early cultus in
Rome of at least one St Prisca, or Priscilla. The itineraries nearly
all mention her as a martyr, and indicate the place of her interment in
the catacomb of Priscilla on the Via Salaria. Moreover, as stated above
in connection with St Peter’s chair, there is a church on the Aventine
dedicated to St Prisca which furnishes a cardinalitial title, and
which, from the fourth to the eighth century, was known as the titulus
S. Priscae, but later (c. 8oo) as titulus Aquilae et Priscae. This last
designation clearly refers to the Aquila and his wife, Prisca, of whom
we read more than once in the New Testament in connection with St Paul.
The husband and wife, however, are commemorated in the Roman
Martyrology on July 8, and are there assigned to Asia Minor. Many
conjectures have been made to elucidate the problem, and in particular
it has been pointed out that Prisca seems to have been a favourite
name among the Acilii Glabriones, and also that the name which is
written in
Latin as Aquila appears in Greek as Aknlaz;
but no clear solution has yet been arrived at.
See the Acta
Sanctorum for January 18 Marucchi in Nuovo
Bullettino di arched. crist., vol. xiv (1908), pp. 5
seq.; Duchesne, Liber
Pontificalis, vols. i, pp. 501, 517; ii, 201; Pio Franchi de’
Cavalieri in
the Römische Quartalschrift, 1903,
p. 223 and De Rossi, Roma Sotterranea, vol.
i, p. 176.
Died 1st century or c. 270 (?). Saint Prisca seems to have
had a very
early cultus in Rome, who has not been satisfactorily identified. From
the 9th century, the martyr buried on the Aventine was identified with
the Priscilla, wife of Aquila, of the Acts of the Apostles.
But according to her acta, which were not written until the 10th
century, Prisca was a 13-year-old girl who was exposed in the
amphitheatre and, to the amazement of all, the fierce lion was loosed
upon her, licked her feet. She was therefore returned to prison and
beheaded. An eagle watched over her body until it was buried in the
catacomb of Priscilla, where a church has been dedicated as titulus
Aquilae et Priscae on the Aventine hill since at least the 4th century.
Her existence has lately been subject to scrutiny; she may be identical
to Saint Tatiana and/or Saint Martina (Attwater, Attwater2,
Benedictines, Coulson, Delaney, Encyclopedia, Farmer, Gill, Tabor).
Saint Prisca is pictured as an early Christian maiden martyr with a
lion (or two lions), sword, and eagle near her (Farmer, Roeder, Tabor).
The tamed lion signified a conquered paganism, in addition to an
element in the story (Appleton). She is venerated in Rome, where her
relics remain on the Aventine (Roeder) and on the calendars of 16
English monasteries (Farmer) |
293 St.
Archelais and Companions Martyr with Thecla and Susanna
They were virgins of the Romagna region of Italy who traveled to Nola,
in Campania, because of the persecutions. In Nola, they were arrested
and taken to Salerno. All three were cruelly tortured and slain.
Benedictines
|
St_Cyril.jpg
 373 Saints Athanasius
and Cyril were Archbishops of Alexandria
These wise teachers of truth and defenders of Christ's
Church share a
joint Feast in recognition of their dogmatic writings which affirm the
truth of the Orthodox Faith, correctly interpret the Holy Scripture,
and censure the delusions of the heretics.
St Athanasius took part in the First Ecumenical Council when
he was
still a deacon. He surpassed everyone there in his zeal to uphold the
teaching that Christ is consubstantial (homoousios) with the Father,
and not merely a creature, as the Arians proclaimed. This radiant
beacon of Orthodoxy spent most of his life in exile from his See,
because of the plotting of his enemies. He returned to his flock as he
was approaching the end of his life. Like an evening star, he illumined
the Orthodox faithful with his words for a little while, then reposed
in 373. He is also commemorated on May 2 (the transfer of his holy
relics).
St Cyril was the nephew of Patriarch Theophilus of
Alexandria, who
educated him from his youth. He succeeded to his uncle's position in
412, but was deposed through the intrigues of the Nestorian heretics.
He later resumed his See, however.
St Cyril presided at the Third Ecumenical Council in 441,
which
censured the Nestorian blasphemy against the Most Holy Theotokos. His
wise words demonstrated the error of their false doctrine .
|
388 Saint Marcian
of
Cyrrhus gift of wonderworking many other miracles on behalf of the
brethren
lived in the desert near the city of Cyrrhus. He built a small hut and
settled in it, passing his time in prayer, singing Psalms and reading
spiritual books. He ate very little food, just enough to keep him
alive. Reports of his holy life attracted to him many zealous ascetics,
and St Marcian established a monastery for them.
God's blessing rested upon the saint, and he possessed the gift of
wonderworking. Once, a serpent crawled into his cell. The saint made
the Sign of the Cross and the serpent perished, burned up by flames. At
night, when the ascetic read, a heavenly light shone for him. The monk
also worked many other miracles on behalf of the brethren. He died in
peace about the year 388.
|
496 St.
Volusian
Bishop of Tours France A senator at Tours,
Turónis, in
Gállia, sancti Volusiáni
Epíscopi, qui, a Gothis captus, in exsílio
spíritum Deo réddidit.
At Tours in France, St. Volusian,
bishop, who was made captive by the Goths, and in exile gave up his
soul unto God.
496
ST VOLUSIAN, BISHOP OF TOURS
VOLUSIAN, who was,
it is stated, of senatorial rank, occupied the see of Tours from 488 to
496.
From a letter addressed to him by Ruricius, Bishop of Limoges, which is
couched
in not very friendly terms, it would seem that Volusian was married (it
must be
remembered that the discipline of sacerdotal celibacy had not at this
date been
enforced even in the West), and that his wife had a temper which was a
terror to
all their acquaintance. Volusian had apparently complained that he
lived in
fear of the Goths. Ruricius replied, with an obvious reference to this
early
Mrs Proudie, that a man who could encourage an enemy in his own
household had
no business to be afraid of enemies from outside (timere
hostem non debet extraneum qui consuevit sustinere domesticum). We
learn from Gregory of Tours that Volusian was in the end
driven from his
see by the Goths, who suspected him of wishing to come to terms with
the
Franks, and that going into exile in Spain he died soon afterwards.
Later
accounts state that he was further attacked by his persecutors and
decapitated,
and it is probably on the ground of this supposed martyrdom that he has
been
honoured as a saint.
See
the Acta Sancrum, January 18 ; MGH., Auctores
antiquissimi, vol. viii, p. 350
Duchesne, Fastes Épiscopaux, vol. ii,
p. 301 and H. Thurston in The Month, June,
1911, pp. 642—644.
He was
initially married, supposedly
to a most unpleasant
wife. Named bishop of the city in 488, he was forced to leave the see
in 496 by the Arian Visigoths, and went to Spain. He died perhaps in
Toulouse, or in Spain, possibly as a martyr.
Volusian of Tours BM (RM)
Died in Toulouse, France, 496. Saint Volusian was a senator
of Tours,
France, who suffered the trials of a very bad-tempered wife. He was
chosen as bishop of Tours and shortly thereafter driven from his see by
the Arian Visigoths. The temper of the bishop's wife was so evil that
Bishop Ruricius of Limoges advised Volusian to fear her more than the
Goths. He died in exile--perhaps a martyr's death (Attwater2,
Benedictines, Coulson).
|
580 Sts Faustina
and
Liberata sisters founded convent of Santa Margarita in Como VV
(AC)
Novocómi sanctæ
Liberátæ Vírginis.
At Como, St. Liberata, virgin.
Born in Como, Italy; died 580. Saint Faustina and Liberata
were sisters
who together founded the convent of Santa Margarita in Como and who
both died the same year. Their relics repose in Como Cathedral
(Benedictines).
 593 St. Leobard
Hermit disciple of St. Gregory of Tours
Turónis, in Gállia, sancti Leobárdi
reclúsi, qui mira abstinéntia et humilitáte
refúlsit.
At Tours in France, St. Leobard,
anchoret, a man of wonderful abstinence and humility.
France.(also known as Liberd)
Died 593. Saint Leobard was an anchorite in a cell near Marmoutier in
Tours, France, where he lived for 22 years under the spiritual
direction of Saint Gregory of Tours (Benedictines).
St. Day (Dye),
Abbot
Cornish church is dedicated (RM)
Date unknown. A Cornish church is dedicated to Saint Day, otherwise,
nothing is known. He may possibly be identical to Abbot Saint Deicola
below (Benedictines).
|
625 Deicolus,
Abbot
known for the peace and joy radiated from his soul miracles spring
(RM)
In monastério Lutrénsi, in Burgúndia, sancti
Deícolæ Abbátis, qui, natióne
Hibérnus, discípulus fuit beáti Columbáni.
In the monastery of Lure in Burgundy,
St. Deicola, abbot, a native of Ireland and a disciple of St. Columban.
(also known as Deel, Deicola, Deicuil, Delle, Desle,
Dichul, Dicuil)
625 ST DEICOLUS, or
DESLE, ABBOT
HE quitted Ireland,
his native country, with St Columban and lived with him at Luxeuil; but
when
his master left France, he founded the abbey of Lure, in the diocese of
Besançon, where he ended his days as a hermit. Amidst his
austerities the joy
and peace of his soul appeared in his countenance. St Columban once
said to him
in his youth, “Deicolus, why are you always smiling?” He answered in
simplicity,
“Because no one can take God from me.” He died probably in the year 625.
See
his life and the
history of his miracles in Mabillon, vol. 11, pp. 102—116, and MGH., Scriptores, vol. xvi pp. 675—682, both
written by a monk of Lure in the tenth century. This saint is often
called
Deicola, but in ancient MSS. Deicolus. In Franche-Comté the
French version of
his name, Desle, used frequently to be given in baptism. See also
Gougaud, Gaelic Pioneers of Christianity,
pp. 134—135 M. Stokes, Forests of France, p. 177,
etc. LIS., vol. i, p. 301 ; and J.
Giradot, La vie de St Desle (1947).
Born in Leinster, Ireland,
c.
530; died in Lure (diocese of Besançon), France, c. 625.
Deicolus, the elder brother of Saint Gall,
was one of the 12 disciples of Saint Columbanus
who accompanied him to France in 576 and helped to found
the great abbey of Luxeuil. Deicolus worked with Columbanus in
Austrasia and Burgundy. Though life was not easy, Deicolus was known
for the peace and joy that radiated from his soul and could be seen on
his face. Columbanus once asked him, "Why are you always smiling?" He
simply answered, "Because no one can take God from me."
When Columbanus was expelled by Thierry in 610, Deicolus succumbed to
fatigue just a few miles from Luxeuil. Columbanus blessed the monk who
was unable to accompany him into exile because of his age. Deicolus
wandered a bit in the forest region. When he became thirsty with no
water in sight, he knelt down in prayer. Miraculously, a spring gushed
forth under his walking sticke.
He settled where the water arose at Lure (Lutra) in the Vosges.
But the spring is not the only miracle attributed to Deicolus. The
pastor of the nearby chapel of Saint Martin objected to the saint
coming there each night to pray. He was troubled by the stranger for
whom "doors opened without keys." Soon, however, a community gathered
around the ancient monk. King Clothaire provided funds for the
monastery he founded on the site. There Deicolus retired to live as a
hermit until his death.
His lonely mountain cell was the beginning of the city of Lure in
northeastern France. The abbots of Lure were made princes of the Holy
Roman Empire more than 1,000 years later. Deicolus's cultus is still
strong around Lure, where even at the end of the 19th century
children's clothes were washed in the spring because it was reputed to
cure childhood illnesses. Deicolus teaches us that joyful souls delight
the Lord and others (Attwater2, Benedictines, Coulson, D'Arcy,
Daniel-Rops, Delaney, Dubois, Encyclopedia, Gougaud, McCarthy,
Montague, Tommasini, Walsh).
Saint Deicolus is pictured as a hermit. A wild boar hunted by King
Clothair takes refuge at his feet. Sometimes there is a ray of light on
him (Roeder).
Monk and companion of St. Columbanus, also called Deicolus, Desle,
Dichul, Deel, Delle, or Deille. He was an elder brother of St. Gall,
born in Leinster, Ireland. As one of St. Columbanus’ twelve disciples,
Deicola accompanied him to France in 567 and worked with him in
Austrasia and in Burgundy, France. In 610, St. Columbanus was exiled by
Thierry II. Deicola, too old to accompany him, founded the monastery of
Lure in the Vosges, France, and lived there as a hermit.
|
Diarmis,
Abbot founder
spiritual director and teacher of Saint Kieran 6th century(AC)
(also known as Diermit, Dermot)
Saint Diarmis was the spiritual director and teacher of Saint Kieran of Clonmacnois and later
abbot-founder of a monastery on Innis-Clotran Island (Benedictines).
|
1028 St. Ulfrid
Missionary martyr from England great learning and virtue
he journeyed to the Continent to participate in the missionary efforts
of the era in Germany and Sweden. He was martyred by pagans after
chopping down an idol of the god Thor, an act also performed by St.
Boniface.
Ulfrid M (AC) (also known as Wolfred, Wilfrid, Wulfrid)
Born in England; died 1029. Saint Ulfrid, like Saint Sigfrid, was an
Englishman of great learning and virtue, who quit his homeland to
preach the Gospel in Germany and Sweden during the reign of the pious
Olav II, the first king of Sweden. His mission was effective until he
was martyred for destroying a tree (or statue) dedicated to the Norse
god Thor with an axe. He was lynched by the crowd who had gathered to
see him destroyed by the angry gods, and his body was thrown into the
marsh (Attwater2, Benedictines, Farmer, Husenbeth). |
1262 Blessed
Beatrix II of Este founded Benedictine convent of Saint Antony at
Ferrara; the marble tomb in which her remains were enshrined an oily
liquid still exuded which worked many surprising miracles of
healing. (AC)
Died 1262; cultus confirmed in 1774. There are two beatae named Beatrix
of Este. This one is the niece of the first whose feast is celebrated
on May 10. Beatrix II lost her husband (or possibly her financé)
at an early age and thereafter founded the Benedictine convent of Saint
Antony at Ferrara, Italy, in the face of much opposition (Attwater2,
Benedictines).
1262 BD BEATRICE
D’ESTE OF FERRARA, Widow
THIS nun was the
niece of another Bd Beatrice d’Este, of Gemmola, whose feast is kept on
May 10.
We have no full account of the life of Beatrice the younger, and it is
not even
quite certain whether she had been married or not before she
consecrated her
life to God in the Benedictine convent of St Antony at Ferrara, a
convent which
appears to have been requested at her special desire by the powerful
family to
which she belonged. She lived and died in the repute of great holiness,
and it
was stated in the seventeenth century that from the marble tomb in
which her
remains were enshrined an oily liquid still exuded which worked many
surprising
miracles of healing. The cultus of
this Beatrice, which had always been maintained was confirmed in 1774.
In an
appendix to the January section of the Acta Sanctorum the
Bollandists printed
such fragments of information as they were able to collect concerning
Bd
Beatrice. See also the Analecta Juris
Pontificii for 1880, p. 668.
|
 1270
St. Margaret, virgin, from the royal family of Arpad, and a nun of the
Order of St. Dominic
Budæ, in Hungária, sanctæ Margarítæ
Vírginis, e régia Arpadénsium família,
Ordinis sancti Domínici Moniális, virtúte
castitátis et arctíssima pæniténtia
insígnis, quam Pius Duodécimus, Póntifex
Máximus, sanctárum Vírginum catálogo
adscrípsit.
At Buda in Hungary, St. Margaret, virgin, from the
royal family of Arpad, and a nun of the Order of St. Dominic, endued
with the virtues of chastity and a burning penitence. The Supreme
Pontiff, Pius XII, added her to the list of holy virgins.
.
|
1272
St Fazzio of Verona
goldsmith founded charitable society in Cremona Order of the Holy Spirit(AC)
(also known as Fatius, Fazius, Facius)
Born in Verona, Italy, 1190; died 1272. Saint Fazzio was a goldsmith
who founded a charitable society in Cremona called the Order of the
Holy Spirit. He made several pilgrimages on foot to Rome and to
Compostella (Spain) (Benedictines).
Pilgrim and founder, also called Facius, Fatius, and Fazius. He was
born in Verona, Italy, in 1190 and became a goldsmith. Fazzio made
pilgrimages to Compostela, Spain, and Rome. He founded the Order of the
Holy Spirit at Cremona, a charitable group for the care of pilgrims and
the sick.
|
Paul & 36
Christian Soldiers evangelized Egypt MM (RM)
Dates unknown. A band of 36 other Christian noblemen decided to
evangelize Egypt. They divided themselves in four groups headed by
Paul, Recombus, Theonas, and Papias to go to each corner of the
country. They labored zealously to extend the kingdom of Christ--
planting the faith, instructing the docile, and purifying the souls of
penitents who confessed their sins.
But, as is generally the case in this world, most people preferred the
darkness rather than light. The evangelists suffered many types of
injuries before they were apprehended and put in irons. The governor
had them brought before him and attempted to compel them to sacrifice.
Answering in the name of his fellows, Paul said that it was better for
them to die than to sacrifice. The judge condemned them all to death:
those who went to the east and south, to be burned; those from the
north, to be beheaded; and those from the west to be crucified. But he
was affrighted and surprised beyond expression to see with what joy and
courage this brave army marched out, and bowed their heads to death.
They suffered on January 18, but the year is not mentioned in their
acts (Gill, Husenbeth).
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Saint_Cyril.jpg
 1337
Saint Cyril and his wife Maria
were the parents of St Sergius of
Radonezh (September
25). They
belonged to the nobility, but more importantly, they were devout and
faithful Christians who were adorned with every virtue.
When the child in Maria's womb cried out three times in church during
Liturgy, people were astonished. Although frightened at first, Maria
came to see this event as a sign from God that her child would become a
chosen vessel of divine grace. She and her husband agreed that if the
child was a boy, they would bring him to church and dedicate him to
God.
This child, the second of their
three sons, was born around 1314. He was named Bartholomew at his
baptism.
Because of civil strife, St Cyril moved his family from
Rostov to
Radonezh when Bartholomew was still a boy. Later, when their son
expressed a desire to enter the monastic life, Sts Cyril and Maria
asked him to wait and take care of them until they passed away, because
his brothers Stephen and Peter were both married and had their own
family responsibilities. The young Bartholomew obeyed his parents, and
did everything he could to please them. They later decided to retire to
separate monasteries, and departed to the Lord after a few years. It is
believed that Sts Cyril and Maria both reposed in 1337.
Forty days after burying his parents, Bartholomew settled their estate,
giving his share to his brother Peter. He then went to the monastery
when he was twenty-three years old, and was tonsured on October 7 with
the name Sergius (in honor of the martyr St Sergius who is commemorated
on that day). As everyone knows, St Sergius of Radonezh became one of
Russia's greatest and most revered saints.
St Cyril was glorified by the Orthodox Church of Russia in 1992. He is
also commemorated on September 28, and on July 6 (Synaxis of the Saints
of Radonezh).
Saint Cyril was glorified by the Orthodox Church of Russia in 1992. He
is also commemorated on September 28, and on July 6 (Synaxis of the
Saints of Radonezh).
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1516 Saint
Maximus
the New life of great spiritual endeavors
The son of King Stephen of Serbia (December 10). He became a monk
at Manasija, but had to flee into a mountainous region of Romania
because of the Moslems. He was consecrated as Metropolitan of
Wallachia. After a life of great spiritual endeavors, he fell asleep in
the Lord on January 18, 1516 in a monastery he had founded.
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1543
Blessed Christina
Ciccarelli extraordinary humility and love of the poor prioress
of the Augustinian hermits at Aquila OSA V (AC) (also
known as Christina of Aquila)
Born in Lucco, Abruzzi, Italy, in 1481; died in Aquila, Italy, 1543;
cultus confirmed 1841. Blessed Christina, prioress of the Augustinian
hermits at Aquila, was known for her extraordinary humility and love of
the poor (Attwater2, Benedictines).
1543 BD CHRISTINA OF
AQUILA, VIRGIN gave long hours to prayer, was often rapt in ecstasy,
and seemed
to possess a knowledge of future events. She is also said to have
practised
severe penance, and to have worked many miracles
THE
family name of
this Christina was Ciccarelli, and when she was born in the Abruzzi she
received in baptism the name of Matthia. Entering the convent of
Augustinian
hermitesses at Aquila at an early age, she was there called Sister
Christina.
In the cloister she showed herself a model of virtue, but she was
especially
remarkable for her humility and love of the poor. She gave long hours
to
prayer, was often rapt in ecstasy, and seemed to possess a knowledge of
future
events. She is also said to have practised severe penance, and to have
worked
many miracles, but our information about her is scanty. When she died
on
January 18, 1543, it is stated that the children of Aquila went through
the
town proclaiming the news of her death by “shouting and singing”, with
the
result that an enormous concourse of people attended her obsequies. The
cultus paid to her from time immemorial
was confirmed in 1841.
See P.
Seeböck, Die
Herrlichkeit der Katholischen Kirche (1900), p. 297, and
biographical
details in the decree of confirmation.
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1550 Saint
Athanasius
of Synadem and Vologda incorrupt relics
was a disciple of St Alexander of Svir (August 30). After the death of
his mentor, he established the Dormition hermitage in the forests of
Karelia, not far from the city of Olonets, on an island of Lake Synadem.
The slander and pettiness of the local inhabitants compelled St
Athanasius to move back to the Svir monastery, where they chose him as
igumen. Later returning to the Dormition hermitage, St Athanasius died
in about the year 1550 in great old age, and was buried on one of the
promontories of Roschinsk island. Afterwards, a church was built over
his grave, named for Sts Athanasius and Cyril of Alexandria.
The
incorrupt relics of St Athanasius were placed in this church in 1720.
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16th
v. Righteous
Athanasius of Navolotsk
went at the end of the sixteenth century from the Kargopol region to
the Olonets land, where he founded a monastery 78 versts from what
later became the city of Petrozavodsk. The saint died at a Verkholedsk
suburb not far from Shenkursk.
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1670
St. Charles of Sezze Franciscan Pope Clement IX called Charles to his
bedside for a blessing
b.1613
Charles thought that God was calling him to be a missionary in India,
but he never got there. God had something better for this 17th-century
successor to Brother Juniper.
Born in Sezze, southeast of Rome,
Charles was inspired by the lives of Salvator
Horta and Paschal Baylon
to become a Franciscan; he did that in 1635. Charles tells us in his
autobiography, "Our Lord put in my heart a determination to become a
lay brother with a great desire to be poor and to beg alms for his
love."
Charles served as cook, porter, sacristan, gardener and beggar at
various friaries in Italy. In some ways, he was "an accident waiting to
happen." He once started a huge fire in the kitchen when the oil in
which he was frying onions burst into flames.
One story shows how thoroughly Charles adopted the spirit of St.
Francis. The superior ordered Charles — then porter — to give food only
to traveling friars who came to the door. Charles obeyed this
direction; simultaneously the alms to the friars decreased. Charles
convinced the superior the two facts were related. When the friars
resumed giving goods to all who asked at the door, alms to the friars
increased also.
At the direction of his confessor Charles wrote his autobiography, The
Grandeurs of the Mercies of God. He also wrote several other spiritual
books. He made good use of his various spiritual directors throughout
the years; they helped him discern which of Charles’ ideas or ambitions
were from God. Charles himself was sought out for spiritual advice. The
dying Pope Clement IX called Charles to his bedside for a blessing.
Charles had a firm sense of God’s providence. Father Severino Gori has
said, "By word and example he recalled in all the need of pursuing only
that which is eternal" (Leonard Perotti, St. Charles of Sezze: An
Autobiography, page 215).
He died at San Francesco a
Ripa in Rome and was buried there. Pope John
XXIII canonized him in 1959.
Comment: The drama in the
lives of the saints is
mostly interior.
Charles’ life was spectacular only in his cooperation with God’s grace.
He was captivated by God’s majesty and great mercy to all of us.
Quote: Father Gori says that
the autobiography of Charles "stands as a
very strong refutation of the opinion, quite common among religious
people, that saints are born saints, that they are privileged right
from their first appearance on this earth. This is not so. Saints
become saints in the usual way, due to the generous fidelity of their
correspondence to divine grace. They had to fight just as we do, and
more so, against their passions, the world and the devil" (St. Charles
of Sezze: An Autobiography, page viii).
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1890 St. Vincenza Mary Lopez y Vicuna Foundress
of the Daughters of Mary Immaculate
Born at Cascante, Navarre, Spain, March 22, 1847, she was
the daughter
of a lawyer. Vincenza took a vow of chastity, aided by her aunt,
Eulolia de Vicuna, and she refused the arranged marriage which had been
organized by her parents. In 1876, she established the Daughters in
order to offer some protection to the vulnerable young women who worked
as domestic servants. Papal approval was secured in 1888 from Pope Leo
XIII (1878-1903), and Vincenza died two years later in Madrld on
December 26, after intense suffering from illness. Beatified in 1950,
she was canonized in 1975 by Pope Paul VI (1963-1978).
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 1937 St Jaime Hilario Barbal, religious Brother teaching the poor executed during the Spanish Civil War: “The
day you
learn to surrender yourself totally to God, you will discover a new
world, just as I am experiencing. You will enjoy a peace and a calm
unknown, surpassing even the happiest days of your life.”
“To die for Christ, my
young friends, is to
live.”
He believed proficing a strong education was the best way to
help the poor. In 1937 St. Jaime was arrested for being a
religious Brother during the Spanish Civil War and executed by firing
sqad.
Saint (Brother) Jaime
Hilario, FSC (January 2, 1889 Enviny, Lleida Province – January 18,
1937) was a Spanish member of the Institute of the Brothers of the
Christian Schools. Born Manuel Barbal Cosan in Enviny near the Pyrenees
in northern Spain, he entered a minor seminary at age 12 for the
diocese of Urgel. He soon, however, developed hearing problems and
withdrew from the school.
In 1917 he was accepted by the Christian Brothers and began
his novitiate in Irun, Spain, where he took the name Jaime Hilario. He
spent the next 16 years in various teaching assignments and was
regarded as an exceptional teacher. His hearing problems continued to
persist and worsen and by the early 1930s he was forced to stop
teaching completely and began work as a gardener at the formation house
at San José, in Tarragona.
At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in July 1936, while
traveling to visit his family at Enviny, Hilario was arrested for being
a religious. By December he was transferred to a prison ship at
Tarragona. Although he could have claimed that he was a gardener, he
insisted that he was a religious and in January 1937 was tried and
convicted for being a member of the Christian Brothers.
When two volleys from a firing squad failed to harm him, the
firing squad commander shot Hilario at close range. His last words
were: “To die for Christ, my young friends, is to live.” He was the
first of 97 Christian Brothers killed in Catalonia during the Spanish
Civil War.
He was beatified on April
29, 1990 and canonized on November 21, 1999 by Pope John Paul II.
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Mary
Mother of GOD
Saints of January 18 Quintodécimo Kaléndas
Februárii.
Saints_Athanasius_and_Cyril.jpg
VATICAN CITY, 5 DEC
2008 (VIS) - Benedict XVI
Alexis II, Patriarch has sent a telegram of condolence to the Holy
Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church for the death of His Holiness
Alexis II, Patriarch of Moscow and All the Russias.
Quote: Pope
Paul
VI’s 1969 
Benedict XVI met with Aram I Catholicos of Cilicia,
the highest authority of the Orthodox Church. The
Pope remembered the martyrs of the Armenian Church and the Armenian
genocide, without explicitly mentioning it, and denounced the
persecution of Christians in modern times. Benedict
XVI
As
we watch the
spectacle of the world
seeming to self-destruct before our eyes, we can’t help but be saddened
and even frightened by so much evil run rampant. Iraq, Lebanon,
Afghanistan, Somalia, North Korea—It is all a disaster of epic
proportions displayed in living color on our television screens.