1st v.
ST THOMAS, APOSTLE (72 A.D. Dec 21 feast day kept by Malabar and Syria)
St_Thomas_by_Caravaggio
Calamínæ natális beáti
Thomæ Apóstoli, qui Parthis, Medis, Persis et Hyrcánis
Evangélium prædicávit; ac
demum in Indiam pervénit, ibíque, cum eos pópulos in
Christiána religióne instituísset, Regis jussu lánceis
transfíxus occúbuit. Ipsíus relíquiæ
primo ad urbem Edéssam, in Mesopotámia, deínde Ortónam,
apud Frentános, translátæ sunt.
At Mylapore, the birthday of the blessed Apostle
Thomas, who preached the Gospel to the Parthians, Medes, Persians, and Hyrcanians.
Having finally penetrated into India, and instructed those nations in the
Christian religion, he died pierced with lances at the order of the king.
His remains were first taken to the city of Edessa in Mesopotamia, and then
to Ortona.
ST THOMAS was a Jew and probably a Galilean of humble birth,
but we are not told that he was a fisherman or the circumstances in which
our Lord made him an apostle. His name is Syriac, and means the “twin”; Didymus,
as we know he was also called, is the Greek equivalent. When Jesus was going
up to the neighbourhood of Jerusalem in order to raise Lazarus to life the
rest of the disciples endeavoured to dissuade Him, saying, “Rabbi, the Jews
but now sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again?“ But St Thomas
said, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him”, so ardent was his love
of his Master. At the last supper, when our Lord said, “Whither I go you
know, and the way you know”, it was Thomas who asked, “Lord, we know not
whither thou goest, and how can we know the way?” and so drew from Him those
words in which are contained the whole Christian faith, “I am the Way and
the Truth and the Life. No man cometh to the Father but by me.” But this
apostle is especially remembered for his incredulity after our Lord had suffered,
risen from the dead, and on the same day appeared to His disciples to convince
them of the truth of His resurrection. Thomas was not then with them and
refused to believe their report that He was truly risen: “Except I shall
see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger in the place of
the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” Eight days
later, when they were all together and the doors shut, the risen Christ was
suddenly in the midst of them, greeting them: “Peace be to you.” Then He
turned to Thomas and said,” Put in thy finger hither, and see my hands; and
bring hither thy hand and put it into my side. And be not faithless, but
believing.” And Thomas fell at His feet, exclaiming, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus answered, “Because thou hast seen me, Thomas, thou hast believed. Blessed
are they that have not seen, and have believed.”
This is all that we are told of St Thomas in the
New Testament, but, as with the other apostles, there are traditions, of
great unreliability, about his missionary activities after the descent of
the Holy Ghost at Pentecost. Eusebius states that he sent St Thaddeus (Addai;
August 5) to Edessa to baptize King Abgar, and the field of his own ministry
is assigned to Parthia and “the Medes, Persians, Carmanians, Hyrcanians,
Bactrians and other nations in those parts”. But the most persistent tradition
is that which says that he preached the gospel in India. This is supported
from several seemingly independent sources, of which the chief is the Acta Thomae, a document dating apparently
from the first quarter of the third century. The story told by these acta is as follows:
When the Apostles
at Jerusalem divided the countries of the world for their labours, India
fell to the lot of Judas Thomas (so he is often called in Syriac legends).
He was unwilling to go, pleading lack of strength and that a Hebrew could
not teach Indians, and even a vision of our Lord could not alter his resolution.
Thereupon Christ appeared to a merchant named Abban, the representative of
Gundafor, a Parthian king who ruled over part of India, and sold Thomas to
him as a slave for his master. When he understood what had taken place, Thomas
said, “As thou wilt, Lord, so be it”, and embarked with Abban, having only
his purchase price, twenty pieces of silver, which Christ had given to him.
During the voyage they landed at a port and were present at the wedding festivities
of the ruler’s daughter. At the playing of a Hebrew flute-girl Thomas was
moved to sing, and he sang of the beauty of the Church under the figure of
a bride. But as he sang in his own tongue nobody but the flute-girl understood
him; and she loved him, but he sat with his eyes on the ground and would
not raise them to her. That night Jesus Christ, having the appearance of
Thomas, appeared to the bridal pair and persuaded them to a life of complete
continence. When the ruler heard of this he was indignant and sent for the
stranger, but Abban and Thomas were gone,
and only the flute-girl remained, weeping because she had not been taken
with them.
But when they told her what had befallen the young couple she put away her
grief, and went to wait upon them.
Meanwhile Abban and Thomas continued their journey and came to Gundafor’s
court in India, and when the king asked the apostle’s trade he replied, “I
am a carpenter and builder. I can make yokes and ploughs and ox-goads, oars
for boats and masts for ships; and I can build in stone, tombs and monuments
and palaces for kings.” So Gundafor ordered him to build a palace, and Thomas
laid out the plans, with “doors towards the east for light, windows towards
the west for air, a bake-house on the south, and water-pipes for the service
of the house on the north”. Gundafor went on a journey, and in his absence
Thomas did no building but spent all the money given him for the work on
the poor, saying, “That which is the king’s to the kings shall be given”.
And he went about the land preaching and healing and driving out evil spirits.
On his return Gundafor asked to be shown his new palace. “You cannot see
it now, but only when you have left this world”, replied Thomas. Whereupon
the king cast him into prison and purposed to flay him alive. But just then
Gundafor’s brother died, and being shown in Heaven the palace that Thomas’s
good works had prepared for Gundafor, he was allowed to come back to earth
and offer to buy it from the king for himself. Gundafor declined to sell,
and in admiration released Thomas and received baptism together with his
brother and many of his subjects.
“And at dawn he broke the Eucharist and let them partake at the table of
the Messias; and they rejoiced and were glad.”
Afterwards Thomas was preaching and
doing marvels throughout India, until he got into trouble with a King Mazdai
for converting (“bewitching”) his wife, his son and other
important people. Eventually Thomas was led to the top of a hill where, on
orders from the king, “soldiers came and struck him all together, and he
fell down and died”.
He was buried in a royal
sepulchre, but afterwards some of the brethren carried away his relics to
the West.
It
is now commonly agreed that there is no truth behind the extravagant but
interesting story just outlined, though there was undoubtedly a king named
Gondophernes or Guduphara, whose dominions about the year A.D. 46 included the territory of Peshawar;
and attempts have been made to identify King Mazdai (whose name might be
traced to a Hindu original) with the contemporary King Vasudeva of Mathura.
Unfortunately, speculation about St Thomas cannot be left there.
At the other end of India from the Punjab, along what is known
as the Malabar Coast, particularly in the states of Cochin and Travancore,
there is a large population of native Christians who call themselves, “the
Christians of St Thomas”. Their history is known in detail since the sixteenth
century, but their origin has not yet been indisputably determined—though
theories are far from wanting. There have certainly been Christians there
since very early times, and in their liturgy they use forms and a language
(Syriac) that undoubtedly were derived from Mesopotamia and Persia. *{* In addition to other native Christians
there are over 1million Christians of St Thomas, of whom more than a half
are Catholics (called “of the Syro-Malabar
rite”. Also, since 1930, the small
body of the Syro-Malankara rite). Most of the remainder are now Jacobites,
but there is a considerable number of “Reformed Syrians” (who particularly
arrogate to themselves the name of St Thomas Christians: Mar Thomakkar)
and some
Protestants, as well as a tiny group of Nestorians. All these divisions have
happened since 1653.}
They claim, as their name indicates, to have been originally evangelized
by St Thomas in person. They have an ancient oral tradition that he landed
at Cranganore on the west coast and established seven churches in Malabar;
then passed eastward to the Coromandel Coast, where he was martyred, by spearing,
on the “Big Hill”, eight miles from Madras; and was buried at Mylapore, now
a suburb of that city.
There are
several medieval references to the tomb of St Thomas in India, some of which
name Mylapore; +(+ It is stated in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle that
King Alfred in 883 sent Sighelm, Bishop of Sherborne, with offerings to Rome
and to SS. Bartholomew and Thomas in India, in fulfilment of a vow) In 1522 the Portuguese discovered
the alleged tomb there, with certain small relics now preserved in the cathedral
of St Thomas at Mylapore. But the bulk of his reputed relics were certainly
at Edessa in the fourth century, and the Acta Thomae relates they were taken
from India to Mesopotamia. They were later translated from Edessa to the island
of Khios in the Aegean, and from thence to Ortona in the Abruzzi, where they
are still venerated.
The Roman Martyrology
combines several legends and adopts the view that St Thomas preached the
gospel to the Parthians, Medes, Persians and Hyrcanians, passed into India,
and was there martyred at “Calamina”. This name occurs only in later writings
and nobody has yet succeeded in identifying the place; upholders of the Malabar
tradition have of course endeavoured to connect it with the neighbourhood
of Mylapore. The Martyrology mentions the translation of his relics to Edessa
on July 3, but in Malabar, and indeed throughout the Syrian churches, this
date is the principal feast of St Thomas, commemorating his martyrdom “in
the year 72 A.D.”
The apocryphal Acts of
St Thomas may be most conveniently consulted in the edition of Max Bonnet
(1883). It is generally agreed that the original text has not been preserved
in its primitive shape but that the Greek form in which it has come down to
us does not very materially depart from its first conception. The Syriac version
has undergone much more substantial revision and interpolation. Although the
strong gnostic colouring of these acts has been exaggerated (see on this Harnack,
Die Chronologie
der altchristlichen Litteratur, vol. i, pp. 545—549) still
it cannot be mistaken, and, as Fr P. Peeters rightly insists, the apocryphal
character of the document was patent to all orthodox teachers in the early
Church. It is denounced by St Epiphanius, by St Augustine, by St Turibius
of Astorga, by Pope St Innocent I and in the decree of Pseudo-Gelasius. The
Syrian Greek who was probably the fabricator of the story would have been
well able to learn from traders and travellers such details as the name Gondophernes
with other topical matter, and this colouring does not warrant us in supposing
that any germ of historical truth forms the basis of the Acta Thomae. See on all this Peeters
in the Analecta
Bollandiana, vol.
xviii (1899), pp. 275—279 ; vol xxv (1906), pp. 196—200; vol. xxxii (1913),
pp. 75—77;
vol. xliv
(1926), pp. 402—403. These notices all deal with books, which propound theories
from divergent points of view, founded on the contents of the apocryphal
acts. A few may be mentioned as roughly representative of the considerable
literature of the subject. A. von Gutschmid (Kleine Schriften, ii, pp. 332—394) was dominated
by the idea that the acts represent a Christianized version of Buddhist legends.
Sylvain Lévi in the Journal Asiatique for 1897 strove to elucidate
names and incidents as if he were dealing with an historic document; W. R.
Philipps in The
Indian Antiquary for 1903, and J. F. Fleet
in the Journal
of the Royal Asiatic Society for 1905 brought criticism
to bear on the identifications of Lévi; Bishop Medlycott in his uncritical
book, India and
the Apostle Thomas (1905), sought to find
confirmation in the acts for the tradition that St Thomas died at Mylapore;
Fr J. Dahlmann, Die Thomas-Legende (cf.
Fr Thurston
in The Month
for August
1912, pp. 153—163), attached great importance to the historic data of the
story but did not attempt to reconcile it with Mylapore, while Father A.
Väth in a booklet, Der hl. Thomas, der Apostel
Indiens (1925),
follows circumspectly in the same course. At the same time the defenders
of the southern India tradition have not been silent. Among many brochures
printed in support of the claims of Mylapore, the book of F. A. D’Cruz, St Thomas the Apostle
in India (1929),
deserves notice. It takes account of such later literature as the articles
of Dr A. Mingana and D. J. N. Farquhar in the Bulletin of the John Rylands Library,
Manchester (1925). Beyond doubt a few Pahlavi (i.e. Parthian) inscriptions,
seemingly Christian in character, engraved round crosses, exist at Mylapore
and in Travancore. It is likely enough that the Malabar Coast was evangelized
from Edessa at a later date, and that in the course of time a confused tradition
connected this with the Apostle St Thomas himself. Father Thurston summarizes
the question in the Catholic Encyclopedia,
vol. xiv,
pp. 658—659. The
Apostles in India (Patna, 1953), by A. C. Perumalil, is
a useful popular summary.
St. Thomas the Apostle July 3, 2010
Poor Thomas! He made one remark and has been branded as “Doubting Thomas”
ever since. But if he doubted, he also believed. He made what is certainly
the most explicit statement of faith in the New Testament: “My Lord and My
God!” (see John 20:24-28) and, in so expressing his faith, gave Christians
a prayer that will be said till the end of time. He also occasioned a compliment
from Jesus to all later Christians: “Have you come to believe because you
have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed” (John
20:29).
Thomas should be equally well known for his courage. Perhaps what he said
was impetuous—since he ran, like the rest, at the showdown—but he can scarcely
have been insincere when he expressed his willingness to die with Jesus.
The occasion was when Jesus proposed to go to Bethany after Lazarus had died.
Since Bethany was near Jerusalem, this meant walking into the very midst
of his enemies and to almos t certain death. Realizing this, Thomas said
to the other apostles, “Let us also go to die with him” (John 11:16b).
Comment: Thomas shares the
lot of Peter the impetuous, James and John, the “sons of thunder,” Philip
and his foolish request to see the Father—indeed all the apostles in their
weakness and lack of understanding. We must not exaggerate these facts, however,
for Christ did not pick worthless men. But their human weakness again points
up the fact that holiness is a gift of God, not a human creation; it is given
to ordinary men and women with weaknesses; it is God who gradually transforms
the weaknesses into the image of Christ, the courageous, trusting and loving
one.
Quote: “...[P]rompted by
the Holy Spirit, the Church must walk the same road which Christ walked:
a road of poverty and obedience, of service and self-sacrifice to the death....
For thus did all the apostles walk in hope. On behalf of Christ's Body, which
is the Church, they supplied what was wanting i n the sufferings of Christ
by their own trials and sufferings (see Colossians 1:24)” (Decree on the
Church’s Missionary Activity, 5).
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Saint Aquila,
Apostle of the 70: a disciple of the Apostle Paul native of Pontus a Jew,
living in the city of Rome with his wife Priscilla
Orthodoxe Kirche: 13.2.
und 14.7. (nur Aquila) Katholische Kirche: 8.7.
(they are commemorated on February 13 on the Greek Calendar).
During the reign of the emperor Claudius (41-54) all the Jews were banished
from Rome, so St Aquilla and his wife were compelled to leave. They settled
in Corinth. A short while later, the holy Apostle Paul arrived there from
Athens preaching the Gospel. Having made the acquaintance of Aquila, he began
to live at his house and labored together with him, making tents.
Having received Baptism from the Apostle Paul, Aquila and Priscilla
bacame his devoted and zealous disciples. They accompanied the apostle to
Ephesus. The Apostle Paul instructed them to continue the preaching of the
Gospel at Ephesus, and he himself went to Jerusalem, in order to be present
for the feast of Pentecost.
At Ephesus, Aquila and Priscilla heard the bold preaching of a
newcomer from Alexandria, the Jew Apollos.
He had been instructed in the fundamentals of the Faith, but knew
only the baptism of John the Forerunner. They called him over and explained
more precisely about the way of the Lord.
After the death of the emperor Claudius, Jews were permitted to
return to Italy, and Aquila and Priscilla then returned to Rome.
The Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Romans recalls his faithful
disciples, "Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my coworkers in Christ Jesus, who
put forth their heads for my soul, whom I do not alone thank, but also all
the Church of the Gentiles and the church of their household" (Rom. 16: 3-4).
St Aquila did not long dwell in Rome: the Apostle Paul made him a bishop
in Asia. St Aquila zealously labored at preaching the Gospel in Asia, Achaia
and Heraklia. He converted pagans to Christ, he confirmed newly-converted
Christians in the faith, he established presbyters and destroyed idols. St
Priscilla constantly assisted him in the apostolic work.
St Aquila ended his life a martyr:
pagans murdered him. According to the Tradition of the Church, St Priscilla
was killed together with him.
Aquila und Prisca
Orthodoxe Kirche: 13.2. und 14.7. (nur Aquila) Katholische Kirche: 8.7.
Prisca (Priscilla) und Aquila werden mehrmals im Neuen Testament genannt
(z. B. Apg. 18, 2). Sie waren Juden, die wahrscheinlich in Rom lebten und
die Stadt verlassen mußten, als unter Kaiser Claudius alle Juden aus
Rom verbannt wurden. Sie zogen nach Korinth und lernten dort Paulus kennen.
Paulus arbeitete bei Aquila als Zeltmacher. Aquila und Prisca zogen dann
mit Paulus nach Ephesus und blieben dort, als Paulus nach Jerusalem weiterreiste.
Hier lernten sie Apollos kennen und unterrichteten ihn. Nachdem Juden wieder
nach Rom ziehen durften, gingen Aquila und Prisca zurück nach Rom (Röm
16, 3 f.). Paulus hat dann Aquila zum Bischof ernannt. Prisca und Aquila
haben in Asien, Achaeia und Herakleia gewirkt und sind dort als Märtyrer
gestorben.
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St Ignatius, Bishop
of Antioch, in Rome Martyrdom of {Coptic}
On this day also, St. Ignatius was martyred in Rome. He was chosen Bishop
for Antioch, succeeding St. Peter the Apostle, in the year 69 A.D., during
the reign of Emperor Trajan. When the Emperor heard that this Saint had attracted
many by his teachings to believe in the Lord Christ, he brought him and asked
him, "Are you Ignatius the Theophoros?" He replied, "Yes, I am." The Emperor
inquired about the meaning of his name. The saint replied saying, "It means
'Godbearer.'" The Emperor said, "Do you think that we do not carry our gods
to support us in wars?" The Saint answered, "How can these statues be gods?
Listen, there is no God except the only God that created the Heaven and Earth,
and His Son Jesus Christ who was incarnated to save mankind. So if you had
believed in Him, you would be content now in your kingship."
The emperor attempted to persuade him to forsake Christianity, but he refused.
The Emperor was enraged, ordered him bound with fetters, and taken to Rome
to be thrown to the beasts. Ignatius responded by kissing the fetters that
would be his means of receiving the crown of martyrdom. The believers tried
to save him by paying bribes to the soldiers, but he refused, for he was
yearning for martyrdom.
He went on his way to Izmir (Smyrna), where he wrote a letter to the Christians
of Rome that said in it: "I am afraid that your love may be harmful. If you
wish to prevent my death, that will not be difficult for you. But allow me
to be slaughtered wherever the altar has been prepared .. I am wheat which
must be ground, to make bread, to be offered to Jesus Christ. Whenever the
people will not behold me anymore, I will behold our Lord Jesus Christ."
When he arrived in Rome, they threw him to the beasts. A lion attacked him
and grabbed him by his neck. The Saint delivered up his soul in the hand
of the Lord. Then the lion released him and went back to his place, and the
believers came and carried his body with great honor to a place they prepared
for him in Antioch. May his prayers be with us, and Glory be
to God forever. Amen .
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117 St. Phocas Martyred
bishop of Sinope, a diocese on the Black Sea. He was martyred during the
reign of Emperor Trajan
Synópe, in Ponto, sancti Phocæ Mártyris, ejúsdem
civitátis Epíscopi, qui, sub Trajáno Imperatóre,
cárcerem, víncula, ferrum ignémque pro Christo súperans,
evolávit in cælum. Ejus relíquiæ póstea
Viénnam, in Gállia, sunt delátæ, et in Basílica
sanctórum Apostolórum cónditæ.
At Sinope in Pontus, the martyr St. Phocas, bishop of
the city. Under Emperor Trajan, after having been imprisoned, bound,
struck with the sword, and exposed to the fire for Christ, he departed to
heaven. His remains were brought to Vienne in France, and deposited
in the Church of the Holy Apostles.
Phocas of Sinope BM (RM)
. Saint Phocas, listed as a
martyr under Trajan, was the bishop of Sinope on the Black Sea. He appears
to be a legendary figure derived from the life of Saint Phocas the Gardener
whose feast day is September 22 (Attwater, Benedictines). In art, Saint Phocas
is an Oriental layman holding a shovel or among garden produce. At times
he may be shown (1) with a flowering pink (Smyrna or Saint Phocas Pink) or
(2) with a sword. He should not be confused with Saint Fiacre, who is always
an ecclesiastic. Phocas and his shovel can be seen on the mosaics of Saint
Mark's in Venice (Roeder). Phocas is the patron of gardeners and is venerated
at Smyrna (Roeder).
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247 St. Heraclas Patriarch,
brother of St. Plutarch the Martyr; one of Origen’s first pupils in Alexandria,
Egypt. Ordained, Heraclas succeeded Origen as head of the Alexandria school
in 231
Alexandríæ sancti
Héraclæ Antístitis, ob cujus celebérrimam opiniónem
Africánus historiógraphus mémorat se Alexandriam, ad
eum viséndum, properásse.
At Alexandria,
St. Heracles, bishop, whose fame was so great that the historian Africanus
testifies that he journeyed to Alexandria to see him.
He also succeeded Demetrius
as patriarch of Alexandria. Heraclas excommunicated Origen and drove him
out of Egypt.
At Alexandria, St. Heracles, bishop, whose fame was so great that the
historian Africanus testifies that
he journeyed to Alexandria to see him.
Heraclas of Alexandria Born
in Egypt c. 180; died 247. Heraclas and his brother Saint Plutarch were the
first students at Origen's catechetical school in Alexandria. There they
were converted to Christianity by their master. Heraclias became Origen's
assistant, was ordained, and succeeded Origen as head of the school when
Bishop Demetrius of Alexandria condemned Origen in 231. Heraclias succeeded
Demetrius as bishop of Alexandria that same year. Thinking it was safe to
return, Origen went back to Alexandria, was excommunicated by his former
disciple, and was driven from the city (Benedictines, Delaney, Encyclopedia).
B (RM)
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4th v. Saint Onesimus
the Wonderworker performed many miracles
Born in Caesarea in Palestine at the beginning of the fourth century, and
entered a monastery in Ephesus.
Later, he founded a monastery at Magnesia and remained there for the rest
of his life. He performed many miracles.
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Departure
of St. Shenouda (Shenoute), the Archimandrite attended the Council of the
two hundred that gathered at Ephesus with the holy father Anba Kyrillos (24th),
and he admonished Nestorius the heretic
On this day, the ascetic father, St. Shenouda (Shenoute), the Archimandrite,
departed. This father was born in the city of Shandaweil (Shenalolet) in
the district of Akhmim. His father was a farmer, who owned flocks of sheep.
When Shenouda grew up, his father entrusted him with the care of the sheep.
He tended to the sheep, gave his food to the shepherd, and he spent his day
fasting. His father took him to his uncle Anba Bgoul (Bigal) to bless him.
Anba Bgoul laid the boy's hands on his own head and said, "You bless me,
my child, for you will be a father for many peoples." His father left him
with his uncle and returned home. One day he heard a voice from heaven saying,
"Shenouda has become the Archimandrite." Since that time, he exerted himself
with many worships and intense asceticism. When Anba Bgoul (Bigal) departed,
Shenouda replaced him. He followed the monastic communal rules that were formulated
by St. Pakhom, and he added to them a pledge the monk had to sign before
joining the monastery.
The number of monks during his days reached 1800 monks. That monastery, still
standing west of the city of Souhag, has a church and is known as the monastery
of Anba Bishoy.
Anba Shenouda had built another monastery, the number of its monks reached
2200 monks, which is still standing and is known as the monastery of Anba
Shenouda.
Once, an army commander asked Anba Shenouda to lend him his girdle to wear
during the war so that God might make him victorious. The Saint gave it to
him and the commander overcame his enemies.
Anba Shenouda became a shining light to all the world with his sermons, discourses,
and canons that he put for the good of the monks, hierarchies, and laity,
men and women. He attended the Council of the two hundred that gathered at
Ephesus with the holy father Anba Kyrillos (24th), and he admonished Nestorius
the heretic. Before his departure, he asked his disciples to support him
so that he might worship his creator. He worshiped God and then commanded
them to follow his footsteps and told them, "I commit you to God" then he
departed in peace. May his prayers be with us. Amen.
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4th v. St
Hellius lived died in it sent to a monastery when still a child raised in
piety, temperance and chastity went into the Egyptian desert; endowed with
the gift of clairvoyance, and he knew all the thoughts and disposition of
the monks conversing with him; Great faith, simplicity of soul, deep humility
allowed St Hellius to command wild animals
When he grew up, he went into the Egyptian desert, where through
his ascetical struggles he attained great proficiency in the spiritual life.
He was endowed with the gift of clairvoyance, and he knew all the thoughts
and disposition of the monks conversing with him.
Great faith, simplicity of soul and deep humility allowed St Hellius
to command wild animals. Once, the saint became tired while carrying a heavy
load to the monastery. He prayed and called a wild donkey to carry his burden.
The donkey meekly carried the load to the place and was set free to return
to the wilderness. Another time, when St Hellius needed to cross a river
and there was no boat, he summoned a crocodile from the water and crossed
to the opposite shore while standing on its back.
One of the young novices of the monastery, whom St Hellius visited,
asked him to take him along into the far desert. St Hellius warned him about
the great work, exploits and temptations which inevitably beset all the hermits,
but since the novice continued fervently to ask, he took him along. On the
first night the novice, frightened by terrible visions, ran to St Hellius.
The monk comforted and calmed him down and ordered him to return. Tracing
the Sign of the Cross over the cave, the monk told the young hermit not to
fear, because he would not be disturbed by these apparitions any more.
Trusting the word of the saint, the novice decided to remain in
solitude and afterwards attained such perfection that he, like his teacher
Hellius, received food from an angel.
St Hellius peacefully entered
the heavenly mansions after reaching an advanced age.
390 Novocómi
sancti Felícis, qui fuit primus ejúsdem civitátis Epíscopus.
At Como, St. Felix, first bishop of that city.
Felix
of Como B (RM) Saint Felix first bishop of Como, intimate friend of Saint
Ambrose (Benedictines).
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5th v. Idus of Leinster
a disciple of Saint Patrick, by whom he was baptized. Patrick appointed him
bishop of Alt-Fadha in Leinster.
He is often invoked in the old Irish prayer in verse which bears
the name of Saint Moling (Benedictines, Husenbeth). B (AC) |
550
St. Optatian Bishop of Brescia, Italy, from about 451. He was among
a singular group of sainted bishops of this diocese. In time, all Brescian
prelates bore the rank of Count
Bríxiæ
sancti Optatiáni Epíscopi. At Brescia, St.
Optatian, bishop.
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St. Cyrus of Carthage
A bishop mentioned by St. Possidius
Carthágine sancti Cyri
Epíscopi, in cujus festivitáte sanctus Augustínus de
eo sermónem ad pópulum hábuit.
At Carthage,
St. Cyrus, bishop, on whose festival St. Augustine spoke of him to his people.
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St. Justus
Martyrs at Rome or possibly at Constantinople, modem Istanbul; a Roman military
veteran put to death Also at Rome; a miraculous cross appeared to him he
believed in Christ, was baptized, and gave away his goods to the poor
Item Romæ sancti Justi
mílitis, qui, sub Cláudio Tribúno, apparénte
sibi divínitus Cruce, crédidit in Christum, et, mox baptizátus,
ómnia sua paupéribus erogávit; tentus deínde
a Magnétio Præfécto, atque verberári nervis, gálea
igníta cóntegi et in rogum immítti jussus ac ne in capíllo
quidem læsus, in Dómini confessióne réddidit spíritum.
Also at Rome, St. Justus, a soldier under the
tribune Claudius. When a miraculous cross appeared to him he believed
in Christ, was baptized, and gave away his goods to the poor. Afterwards
arrested by the prefect Magnetius, he was scourged with rods, had a heated
helmet put on his head, and was thrown into the fire, but received no injury,
not even to a hair of his head. In the end he yielded up his soul confessing
the Lord.
A soldier under the tribune Claudius when a miraculous cross appeared to him he believed
in Christ, was baptized, and gave away his goods to the poor. Afterwards
arrested by the prefect Magnetius, he was scourged with rods, had a heated
helmet put on his head, and was thrown into the fire, but received no injury,
not even to a hair of his head. In the end he yielded up his soul confessing
the Lord.
The Holy Martyr Justus was a Roman soldier, to whom the Life-Creating
Cross of the Lord appeared in a vision. Justus believed in Christ and gave
away his possessions to the poor. By decree of the official of Magnesia,
Justus was taken to trial as a Christian. After various tortures, the holy
martyr was thrown into a fire and gave up his soul to God, but the flames
did not harm his body.
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|
664 Deusdedit of Canterbury the first Anglo-Saxon
primate when he succeeded Saint Honorius as archbishop of Canterbury in 653
build monastery of Medehamstede (Petersborough) founded convent on Thanet
Island consecrated Damian bishop of Rochester, OSB B (AC)
(also known as Frithona) Died October 28 (or July 14), 664; feast
day formerly on January 14. Deusdedit was a South Saxon, who became the first
Anglo-Saxon primate when he succeeded Saint Honorius as archbishop of Canterbury
in 653. He helped to build the monastery of Medehamstede (Petersborough)
in 657, and founded the convent on Thanet Island. He consecrated Damian bishop
of Rochester. Nothing further is known of him except that he died during
the great pestilence, on the same day as King Erconbert of Kent, and was
buried in the monastery church of Saints Peter and Paul (later Saint Augustine's)
in Canterbury. His shrine remained there until the Reformation (Benedictines,
Delaney, Encyclopedia, Farmer).
St Deusdedit, Archbishop Of Canterbury (A.D. 664) When St
Honorius, the last of the companions of St Augustine to govern the church
of Canterbury, died in 653, he was succeeded as sixth archbishop by
Frithona, who took the name of Deusdedit. He Came
from the territory of the South Saxons and was the first Englishman to become
primate; he was constcrated by St Ithamar, the first English bishop of Rochester.
Of his life or the events of his episcopate nothing is known. He consecrated
Ithamar's successor at Rochester, but the two or three other official acts
attributed to him are very uncertain. He died during the plague, probably
on October 28, 664, and was buried in the abbey-church of SS Peter and Paul,
outside the walls of Canterbury.
See Plummuer's edition of Bede's
Historia Ecciesiastica, text
and notes; a life by Goscelin (see Hardy, Catalogue, vol. i, pp. 261-262) adds
nothing to Bede "but declamation or inference."
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762 Marcellinus
of Oldensee Anglo-Saxon monk who followed Saint Willibrord to the Netherlands.
Together with Saint Lebuin, he preached the Gospel to the people of Over-Yssel
(Holland); accompanied Saint Boniface to Rome 738
(also known as Marchelm, Marculf) Died at Oldensee (Oldenzeel). Anglo-Saxon
monk who followed Saint Willibrord to the Netherlands. Together with Saint
Lebuin, he preached the Gospel to the people of Over-Yssel. In 738, he accompanied
Saint Boniface to Rome (Benedictines, Encyclopedia). Saint Marcellinus is
portrayed in art in a chasuble with a book and pencase. At times there may
be two poor men kneeling before him, or he may be shown preaching with Saint
Lebuin (Roeder). He is venerated at Over-Yssel (Holland) and the Oldensee
but his relics rest at Deventer (Roeder). (RM)
St Marchelm (762) Marchelm (Marceaumes, Marculf, Marcellinus) was one
of several young Englishmen who in the early part of the eighth century followed
St Willibrord into Holland to evangelize the Frisians. The statement
in the forged life of St Suitbert (professedly written by Marchelm) that
he was one of the eleven original companions of that great missionary is
not credible.
He was put at the disposition of St Gregory of Utrecht, and
accompanied him and St Boniface to Rome. For fifteen years he
laboured in Friesland and Guelderland, making converts by the force of his
preaching and his example.
After the martyrdom of St
Boniface the district of Utrecht was put under the administration
of St Gregory, and he chose Marchelm
to join St Lebuin, newly come from
England, in working among the barbarians of Overyssel.
Before long he had built the first church at Deventer, and he was
so successful that the more stubborn of the pagans burned down the church
and scattered the Christians. St Marchelm continued his mission
undismayed, but God shortly after called him to his reward. He died
at Oldenzaal and his relics were afterwards translated to Deventer; his feast
is kept in Holland; and in England and elsewhere by the Canons Regular of
the Lateran.
There is uncertainty about this
saint; but see the Acta Sanctorum,
July, vol. iii, and Mabillon, Annales O.S.B.,
vol. ii .
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783 St. Libert Benedictine
martyr, educated by St. Rumoldus; put to death by raiders at Saint-Trond
Abbey, France
Libert (Lisbert) of Saint-Trond,
Born at Malines. Count Libert
of Adone was baptized and educated by Saint Rumoldus, from whom he received
the Benedictine habit. Afterwards he migrated to the abbey of Saint-Trond,
where he was martyred by invading barbarians (Benedictines). In art, Saint
Libert is portrayed by Joan Galle as a young knight with a laurel wreath
even though he was actually a Benedictine monk. He is venerated at Malines
(Roeder). OSB M (AC) |
Davéntriæ,
in Belgis, sancti Marcellíni, Presbyteri et Confessóris.
At Deventer in Belgium, St. Marcellinus, priest and confessor.
|
1053 Procopius of Sazaba
one of the patrons of Czechoslovakia, OSB Abbot (RM)
Born in Bohemia; died March 25, 1053; canonized by Pope Innocent III in 1204;
feast day formerly July 4. Procopius studied in Prague where he was also
ordained. He became a canon, was a hermit for a time, and then was founding
abbot of the Basilian abbey of Sazaba in Prague. Procopius is one of the
patrons of Czechoslovakia (Benedictines, Delaney). In art, Saint Procopius
lets the devil plough for him. He may be portrayed (1) as an abbot with a
book and discipline, devil at his feet; (2) with a stag (or hind) near him;
(3) with SS Adelbert, Ludmilla, and Vitus (patrons of Prague); or (4) as
a hermit with a skull and a girdle of leaves (Roeder). This Russian icon
shows Saint Procopius together with Nicetas, and Eustathius.
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1093 St. Ulrich Ulrich
a page at the court of Empress Agnes but opted for the religious life; deacon,
a Benedictine monk at Cluny in 1052; Prior at Peterlingen, founding
Friar of Ruggersberg Priory returned to Cluny, opposed Bishop Burchard of
Lausanne for his support of Henry IV against the Pope; founding Abbot of
the monastery at Zell in the Black Forest and of a convent at nearby Bollschweil
author of Consuetudines
cluniacences, on the liturgy; direction
of monasteries and novices
Born at Ratisbon, Germany.
He was ordained a deacon by his uncle, Bishop Notker of Freising, and became
Archdeacon and provost of the Cathedral. When he found that his position
had been filled while he was on a pilgrimage to Rome and Jerusalem, he became
a Benedictine monk at Cluny in 1052. He was ordained, was named chaplain
to the nuns at Marcigny, but resigned when he lost the sight of an eye and
then returned to Cluny. He served as Prior at Peterlingen, was founding Friar
of Ruggersberg Priory, but returned to Cluny, when he opposed Bishop Burchard
of Lausanne for his support of Henry IV against the Pope. He was founding
Abbot of the monastery at Zell in the Black Forest and of a convent at nearby
Bollschweil. He became totally blind in 1091 and died two years later, on
July 10, at Augsburg. He was the author of Consuetudines cluniacences, on
the liturgy and the direction of monasteries and novices.
Ulric of Zell, OSB Abbot (AC) (also known as Ulric of Cluny) Born
in Regensburg, Germany, 1018; died 1093. As a boy, Ulric acted as a page to
Empress Agnes. Wishing to pursue a religious life, he was received by his
uncle Notker, the bishop of Freising. After being ordained to the diaconate,
he was appointed archdeacon and provost of the cathedral. He regulated divine
worship and the confessional. Ulric was extremely generous, using his fortune
to help those in distress.
When he returned from a pilgrimage to Rome and Jerusalem, he found
his offices had been filled by another. He decided to become a monk, and
he went to Cluny, where, in 1052, he received the habit from Saint Hugh. He
was ordained a priest, and after acting as confessor at Cluny for a time,
he became chaplain to the nuns at Marcigny. The honor bestowed on him by
these offices caused jealousy among some of the brothers. He was also troubled
by terrible headaches, and eventually he lost his sight in one eye.
He returned to Cluny and was later sent to open a priory on the
Rüggersberg. There he became involved in a dispute with the bishop of
Lausanne, who was supporting Emperor Henry IV against the Holy See. As a
result, he was called back to Cluny and asked to establish a new monastery
at Grueningen near Breisach. Unhappy with the location, he instead founded
the monastery in Zell in the Black Forest of Germany.
Backed by the bishop of Basel, Ulric founded a convent of nuns
as well at Bollschweil. There he reputedly cured a girl of cancer. A great
concern to him was that devotion be regulated among the monks, he explained
that he was weeping for the sins of his fellow monks. To remedy this, while
acting as the novice master, he wrote the three books of the constitutions
of the Abbey of Cluny--the Cluniac Customary, for the direction of the monastery.
He was blind for the last two years of his life (Attwater, Benedictines,
Encyclopedia, White) .
St Ulric Of Zell, Abbot
(A.D. 1093) Ulric was born at Ratisbon about the year 1020, and went to court,
where he was a page to the Empress Agnes. But
he had no ambition for a secular career, and
after a time was received by his uncle Notker, Bishop of Freising.
When he was ordained to the diaconate he was appointed archdeacon and provost
of the cathedral. In this office he distinguished himself by the care
with which he provided for the proper celebration of divine worship within
the cathedral and for the cure of souls without. No one appealed to
his charity in vain, and in a time of distress he distributed his fortune
lavishly to the sufferering
After going on pilgrimage to Rome and to Jerusalem, finding
his office had been given to another, he decided to become a monk. He therefore
went to Cluny and there received the habit from St Hugh himself in 1052.
Soon after he had been professed and ordained he was appointed
chaplain to the nuns at Marcigny, having already been confessor at Cluny.
These early responsibilities were the cause of jealousy among some unworthy
brethren, to which trial were added violent headaches and no less violent
temptations. Ulric bore these with patience and without reproach,
but when he lost the use of an eye he resigned his office and returned to
Cluny.
But his talents were required elsewhere, and he was sent to
found a priory on the Rüggersberg and worked with great success for
the conversion of sinners in the canton of Bern until he came into collision
with the bishop of Lausanne, Burchard, who was supporting the Emperor Henry
IV against the Holy See.
Thereupon he was recalled to Cluny and ordered to start a new foundation
at Grilningen, near Breisach. He found the place unsuitable for a monastery
and carried out the work instead at Zell, in the Black Forest. Here he was
more fortunate in his bishop, Gebhard of Basle, who appreciated Ulric and
seconded him in all his good works. This included the establishment
of a monastery of nuns at Bollschweil, near Zell; it was at their prayers
that he was enabled miraculously to cure a young girl of cancer.
To advance the monastic life, and the monastic life in
all its rigour, was the work of St Ulric. When one of his monks
found him in tears and asked the reason, he was told, " I weep for my sins. I weep to find myself still
not called to the happiness of the heavenly kingdom. But I weep
most of all because I see there are several monks here who have only the
name and dress of religious."
He wrote down in three books the constitutions
and customs of the abbey of Cluny, and it was on this recension that his
friend Bd William based the observance of his abbey at Hirschau. St
Ulric died on July 10, 1093, after having been totally blind for the last
two years of his life.
There is a good deal of information
available concerning St Ulric of Zell, though the earliest text of his life
has only come down to us in a fragmentary condition. It is edited in
MGH., Scriptores, vol. xii.
On the other hand a second life, which seems to be older than the year 1120,
was also written, and this latter has been printed by Mabillon, as also by
the Bollandists under July 10, this being the day upon which his feast was
kept among the Cluniac monks. See also F. Hauviller, Ulrich von Cluny (1896); Ratzinger,
Forschungen zur bayerischen Geschichte
(1898), pp. 577 seq. and P. Schmitz,
Histoire de l`Ordre de St Benoit (1942), t. i .
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1130 St. William of
Breteuil Benedictine abbot of Breteuil, neai Beauvais, France;rebuilt the
monastery after nearly destroyed by Normans
William of Breteuil,
OSB Abbot (AC) Died 1130. Saint William restored Breteuil Monastery, in the
diocese of Beauvais, during his abbacy. It had been ruined during the Norman
invasions (Benedictines).
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1217 Bd Hroznata, Martyr
one of those men the course of whose blameless life was changed by a succession
of misfortunes
Hroznata was one of those men the course of whose blameless life was
changed by a succession of misfortunes. He was a nobleman at the court of
Ottokar I of Bohemia, happily married, with an heir for whom he had great
affection, and enjoying the prospect of an honourable and prosperous career.
But when he was still only about thirty years of age his young son sickened
and died, and was followed to the grave shortly after by his mother.
Hroznata was overcome; left the court; and made a vow to become a crusader
and go to the Holy Land. But he changed his mind, going to Rome to
get released from his vow, which Pope Celestine III commuted for the foundation
of a monastery.
He therefore found a suitable site and built the abbey
of Tepl, in western Bavaria, which he peopled with canons regular of Prémontré
from Strabov, and founded two other religious houses, one to shelter his
sister, who had been left a widow. These undertakings having been successfully
carried through, Hroznata himself became a canon of TepI.
But the presence of the founder in the house, and under an abbot
who was shallow and unimaginative, soon led to trouble and a position of
such discomfort that Hroznata left for a time, and only returned when the
abbot had apologized and promised to amend his ways.
The death of Hroznata is alleged to have been due to his defence
of ecclesiastical immunities, and he is venerated as a martyr: for he was
kidnapped, thrown into a dungeon at Alt-Kinsburg, near Eger, and there left
to die.
Premonstratensian canons still live in the abbey of Tepl, where the
body of their founder is preserved. His cultus was confirmed in 1897.
An account of his life, including
a short Latin contemporary biography, is printed ia the Acta Sanctorum, July, vol. iii.
The official confirmatio cultia will
be found in the Analecta Ecclesiastica,
vol. v (1897), pp. 452-453. See also Zum 700 jahrigen Todestage des sl[t]. Hroznata
(1917) .
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1263 Bl. Humbert studied
at Paris; received doctorate in law joined Dominicans 224; Holy Land pilgrimage
on return-1240 elected provincial Roman province of the Dominicans; elected
provincial of France- 1244 - 1254 5th Dominican master general
Born at Romans, near Valence, France. He studied at Paris, where he
received his doctorate in law, joined the Dominicans in 1224, made a pilgrimage
to the Holy Land, and on his return in 1240, was elected provincial of the
Roman province of the Dominicans. He was elected provincial of France in
1244, and in 1254 became the fifth master general of the Dominicans. He approved
a final revision of the Dominican Liturgy, promoted education,
and was active in clerical reformation. He resigned his generalate at a general
chapter in London in 1263, retired to the priory of Valence, emerged briefly
at the request of Pope Clement IV to settle a dispute among the Cistercians,
and died at Valence on July 14. He wrote several treatises, among them Treatise
on Preaching, the fruit of his success as a preacher. Though called Blessed
by some authorities, his cult has never been formally approved.
Blessed Humbert of Romans, OP (PC) Born at Romans, Dauphiné,
France, in 1193; died there in 1277.
The contribution of Humbert of the Romans to Dominican life can
never be overestimated. While he has never been formally beatified, he has
been given the popular title of "blessed" since his death. His name is associated
with the foundation of the order and the clarification of its rule and constitutions,
which reveals the sure touch of his saintly and logical mind.
Humbert came from a large family, several of whom became religious;
one of them was a Carthusian. He met the Dominicans at the University of Paris,
where he was teaching on the faculty of arts and studying theology in 1224.
There is a charming story concerning his choice of a vocation
to the Dominicans. He was kneeling one day in the cathedral of Notre Dame
during the Office of the Dead being chanted by the canons. His mind kept
wandering to the choice of a vocation, for his family had been friendly with
the Carthusians for many years, and his brother had already joined them.
As he debated with himself, an old priest wandered down from the choir and
engaged him in quiet conversation. He asked Humbert where he came from, and
Humbert replied that he was a parishioner. The old priest regarded him shrewdly
and said, "Do you remember what you promised
at your baptism--to renounce the devil and all his pomps? Why don't you become
a Friar Preacher?"
Humbert could hardly keep his mind off the priest's words, and
at the responsory for the lesson, "Where
shall I fly if not to You?," he decided once and for all that he would
become a friar. He went to consult with his professor of theology, Hugh of
Saint Cher, who was planning to become a Dominican himself as soon as he
could arrange his affairs. On the feast of Saint Andrew, Humbert knelt at
the feet of Blessed Jordan of Saxony and asked for the habit of the Dominicans.
The first task of the new brother
was teaching at Lyons. His profound knowledge of Scripture recommended him
for the highest teaching posts in the order. In 1240, when he was elected
provincial of Lombardy, he began his administrative career. From that
time until his death, there was scarcely an event of any importance to the
order in which he did not play a part. As provincial of France, from 1244
to 1254, he worked steadily to stabilize relations of the order and the university,
perhaps foreseeing that there would one day be a showdown between the two
great forces there. He was offered the patriarchate of Jerusalem, which he
refused, and at the election of Gregory IX he received nearly enough votes
to be elected pope.
Humbert was a careful canonist, and he carried around a master
copy of the Dominican Constitutions in order that a copy could be made in
the various houses. In his time the order had begun to feel the need for uniformity
more than ever before, for its members were spreading to the far parts of
the earth, and local regulations differed. This was nowhere more clearly
seen than in the liturgy, which differed not only with each diocese but with
each basilica. When the brethren of various provinces got together for a
general chapter, it was harrowing to try to chant the office. Humbert, along
with several others, was appointed to begin work on a unification of the
liturgy, even before he became master general in 1254. After his election
as the fifth master general of the order, he intensified his efforts in this
behalf.
Most of the regulations of the Dominican liturgy that have come
down to us are in the words of Humbert.
His principal contribution appears
to be the unification of the liturgy. He set up a norm and insisted that
all the varying elements conform to it, apologizing to the brethren meekly
for the fact that some of them would be disappointed in the forms chosen
("since one cannot please everyone").
Many distinguishing features of the Dominican Mass can trace their
definite form to this talented and sincere man who devoted his energies to
the quiet task of building a structure that would wear through the centuries.
The dignity and clarity of the Dominican Constitutions likewise
owe a debt to this man who wrote so clearly and unequivocally of the spirit
that Dominic had left to his children, and which was in Humbert's day just
being recorded for posterity. Humbert was also successful in the development
of the foreign missions, and in the definitive planning of the studies of
the Dominicans (Benedictines, Dorcy).
Bd Humbert Of Romans (A.D. 1277) Humbert was born at Romans,
near Valence, about the year 1200, and went to Paris to study, where he took
the degree of doctor of law, and in 1224 was clothed
as a Dominican with the encouragement of his professor, Hugh of
Saint-Cher. He was sent as lector to the house of his order at Lyons,
of which he became prior, and in 1240 was elected provincial of the Roman
province, after a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. On the elevation
of Hugh of Saint-Cher to the cardinalate he was elected provincial of France
and held that office until he was in 1254 appointed fifth master general
of the Order of Preachers. He held ten general chapters and devoted
himself to the encouragement of studies, to the final revision of the Dominican
liturgy, and to the development of missions in the East. This was a matter
particularly near to his heart; friars went to Barcelona to learn Arabic
and missions were undertaken to the Cumans and Tartan.
The same interest
is evinced in his writings, of which two were directed to encouraging a crusade
against the Saracens and to discussing the question of the East in view of
the second council of Lyons. As a man of great charity, devotion, and
rectitude himself, he had hard things to say about the need of reform among
the clergy. His spirit is shown in a joint pastoral which he
wrote with Bd John of Parma, the
Franciscan minister general, to the two orders in 1255
"Just think, dearest
brethren, with what sincerity and true friendship we ought to love one another,
we whom our holy Mother the Church has brought forth together and who are
together sent by Eternal Charity to work for the salvation of men.
How are the faithful to know us as the messengers of Christ if not by His
mark of charity? And how can we hope to kindle this charity in their
souls if it is weak and uncared for in our own?"
At the general chapter held in London in `263 he resigned
from his generalate and retired to the priory of Valence, devoting himself
to study and preaching. He came out of retirement at the order of Pope
Clement IV to help in the settlement
of domestic difficulties among the Cistercians, but went back to Valence
and died there on July 14, 1277, revered by all as a man of great holiness,
"sure in counsel ".
The early Dominican chronicles,
such, for instance, as are printed in the Monumenta O.P. Historica, make
frequent reference to Bd Humbert, but there is no text devoted to his individual
life and work. See, however, Mortier, Maîtres Géneraux 0. P., vol. i, pp.
415-664; a short life by M. de Waresquiel (1901); and F. Heintke, Humbert von Romans (1933). Fr Berthier
reprinted several of his ascetical tractates (1889), and Fr Bede Jarrett
explains his moral and social teaching in Social Theories of the Middle Ages (1926).
Humbert's Treatise on Preaching
is available in English (1931); his sermons were very popular during the
middle ages and were more than once reprinted before the Reformation.
For a fuller bibliography see Taurisano's Catalogus. Though called "Blessed"
by some writers there has been no confirmation of cultus.
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1270 Blessed Boniface
of Savoy entered Grande Chartreuse as youth, a Carthusian monk then prior
of Mantua, served 7 years as administrator diocese of Belley serving bishop
of Valence. In 1241 elected archbishop of Canterbury, O. Cart. B (AC)
Cultus confirmed in 1838; feast day formerly on March 13. Boniface
was the son of Count Thomas of Savoy. He entered the Grande Chartreuse as
a youth, became a Carthusian monk and then prior of Mantua. He served seven
years as administrator of the diocese of Belley (1234-41), before serving
as bishop of Valence. In 1241, Boniface was elected archbishop of Canterbury
through the influence of his niece, Eleanor, wife of King Henry III of England,
but did not enter his see until 1244. His appointment and attempts to reform
the see were very unpopular. He tried to effect economies in the heavily
debt-ridden see met but was met with strenuous opposition, particularly from
the suffragans of the various sees he attempted to visit. He excommunicated
the bishop of London and the clergy of Saint Bartholomew's, and while an
appeal to Rome upheld his visitation rights he was forced to rescind his excommunications,
and his visitations had restrictions placed upon them. He acted as regent
for Henry while the king absent from the country, accompanied him on a diplomatic
mission to France, and successfully negotiated a peaceful solution to difficulties
over the succession in his native Savoy. He died en route to a crusade with
Edward I at the castle of Sainte- Hélène des Millières
in Savoy and was buried at Hautecombe (Benedictines, Delaney).
Bd Boniface of Savoy,
Archbishop Of Canterbury (A.D. 1270) Boniface Of Savoy, the forty-sixth
archbishop of Canterbury, was a member of the ducal family of Savoy and the
grandson of Bd Humbert of Savoy.
Remarkable for his physical beauty, which gained for him the nickname
of "the Absalom of Savoy", he was said to be one of the most accomplished
noblemen of his time-although the English chronicler Wykes describes him
as "not very learned". At an early age he entered the Grande Chartreuse near
Grenoble, desiring to give himself up to prayer and study; but before he
had completed his noviciate he was compelled, much against his will, to become
prior of Mantua.
When still only a subdeacon he was appointed
administrator of the diocese of Belley in Burgundy, and seven years later
of Valence. In 1241 St Edmund, Archbishop of Canterbury, died, and
Boniface, who was the uncle of Queen Eleanor, the consort of King Henry III,
was elected through her influence. Owing to the unexpected deaths of
two popes the election could not be confirmed until 1243, and it was not
until the following year that the new archbishop went to England for the
first time. He found his see heavily in debt owing to the sequestration
of its revenues during the primacy of St Edmund, and his first action was
to effect economies in every possible direction. Sinecures and unnecessary
offices were abolished, and the clergy and tenants were ordered to contribute
towards the paying off of the debt. Those, however, who attempt to curtail
expenses and to attack vested interests are always unpopular, and Boniface
was no exception to the rule. In 1244 he had set out for the Council
of Lyons, at which he was consecrated bishop.
Upon his return to England he was enthroned at Canterbury,
and soon afterwards started upon a visitation of his diocese, correcting abuses
and levying charges. As soon, however, as he attempted to visit the dioceses
of his suffragans, he encountered determined opposition. The
dean and chapter of St Paul's in London raised the contention that the bishop
of London, and no one else, was their visitor. At the priory of St
Bartholomew the Great which Boniface visited the following day, he was met
by the sub-prior and the canons, who expressed their willingness to receive
him as a prelate, but not as a visitor.
They declared that they were under the jurisdiction of their own
bishop, without whose permission they were not disposed to submit to anyone
else. The indignant archbishop is said to have struck the sub-prior a blow
which felled him to the ground, and this was the signal for a general scuffle.
The archbishop's clothes were torn, and it was noted against him that he
wore chain-mail under his clerical garb.
Rescued by his bodyguard, he escaped by barge to Lambeth, where he
excommunicated the bishop of London and the clergy of St Bartholomew's. As
soon as he announced his intention of holding a visitation at Saint Albans,
the suffragans met together and decided to make resistance, whilst the clergy
of the diocese taxed themselves in order to institute proceedings against
him at Rome. Apprised of their intention and resolved to be beforehand, Boniface
set out for the curia to make a counter-appeal, in which he was only partly
successful. Pope Innocent IV indeed allowed him to continue his visitations,
but subject to great restrictions, and he was compelled to withdraw the excommunications
which he had launched.
King Henry held Boniface
in esteem: on one occasion he appointed him regent during his own absence,
and on another he induced him to accompany him to France in order to assist
him in delicate negotiations. In his own country he was more
appreciated than by the English clergy, and when grave dissensions arose
in Savoy during the minority of the successor of Amadeus IV, Boniface came to the rescue
and restored harmony. He died at the castle of Sainte-Hélene des Milliêres
when on a visit to his native land, and was buried with his ancestors at
the Cistercian monastery of Hautecombe.
The character of Boniface has been variously estimated
by English chroniclers, but none deny the purity of his life and his extraordinary
goodness to the poor. It has been said of him by a modem writer that
in the twenty-five years of his administration of the province of Canterbury
he certainly did three good things-he paid off a debt of 22,000 marks, he
built and endowed the hospital at Maidstone, and he constructed the great
hall of the archiepiscopal palace. His cultus, which had long been general in
Savoy, was approved by Gregory XVI
at the instance of King Charles Albert in 1838, on the ground that honour
had been paid him from time immemorial; he is liturgically commemorated
in Savoy, Sardinia and by the Carthusians.
For our information we are largely
dependent upon the English contemporary chroniclers, most of them violently
prejudiced against "imported prelates" and Henry III's foreign favourites;
but see also the letters of Grosseteste and Adam de Marisco. Amongst modem
authorities Mgr Mann's Lives of the Popes
vols. xiv and xv, Cardinal Gasquet's Henry
III, and Joseph Strickland's Ricerche storiche sopra il B. Bonzfacio di Savoia
should be consulted; see also Fr Thurston in The Tablet, 1913, pp. 601-604; and M.
Powicke, The Thirteenth Century
(1953), passim .
|
1274 Sancti Bonaventúræ,
ex Ordine Minórum, Cardinális et Epíscopi Albanénsis,
Confessóris et Ecclésiæ Doctóris; qui sequénti
die migrávit ad Dóminum.
St. Bonaventure
of the Order of Friars Minor, cardinal and bishop of Albano, confessor and
doctor of the Church, who passed to the Lord on the day following this.
1274 St Bonaventure, Cardinal-Bishop
Of Albano, Doctor Of The Church; greatest successor of St Francis of Assisi.
Of the youth of this greatest successor of St Francis of Assisi
nothing is known beyond the facts that he was born at Bagnorea, near Viterbo,
in the year 1221, the son of John Fidanza and Mary Ritella. He was clothed
in the order of Friars Minor and studied at the University of Paris under
an Englishman, Alexander of Hales, "the Unanswerable Doctor"; Bonaventure,
who was to become known as the Seraphic Doctor, himself taught theology and
Holy Scripture there from 1248 to 1257. His penetrating genius was
balanced by the most careful judgement by which, while he dived to the bottom
of every subtle inquiry, he cut off whatever was superfluous, dwelling only
on that knowledge which is useful and solid, or at least necessary to unravel
the false principles and sophistry of erroneous opinions.
Thus he became a proficient in scholastic philosophy and theology. Whilst
he referred all his studies to the divine honour and his own sanctification,
he was careful not to lose the end in the means or to let his application
degenerate into dissipation of mind and idle curiosity.
Not content to make his studies a continuation of prayer, he devoted to formal
prayer a great part of his time, knowing this to be the key of all spiritual
life. For only the Spirit of God, as St Paul teaches, can lead us into
the secrets and designs of God, and engrave His teachings on our hearts.
Such was the innocence and purity in which Brother Bonaventure lived, that
Alexander of Hales used to say of him that he "seemed not to have sinned
in Adam". A remarkable cheerfulness always appeared in his countenance, which
resulted from the inward peace of his soul, for as he himself says,
"A spiritual joy is the greatest
sign of the divine grace dwelling in a soul ".
He had no eyes to see
anything in himself but faults and imperfections, and this humility sometimes
withheld him from holy communion, notwithstanding the desire of his soul
to be united to the object of his love and to approach the fountain of grace.
But God by a miracle overcame his fears. "Several days had passed", say the
act, of his canonization, "nor durst he yet presume to present himself at
the heavenly banquet. But whilst he was assisting `at Mass, and meditating
on the passion of Jesus Christ, our Saviour, to crown his humility and love,
put into his mouth by the ministry of an angel part of the consecrated Host,
taken from the hand of the priest" From this time his communions were without
scruple and sources of great joy and grace. Bonaventure prepared
himself to receive the priesthood by long fasts and fervent prayer, that
he might obtain an abundant measure of grace for that sacred dignity which
he looked forward to with fear and trembling, so high and incomprehensible
did it appear to him. A prayer which he composed for his own use after
Mass, beginning with the words, Transfige dulcissime Domine
Iesu, "Pierce, dearest Lord Jesus, the inmost depths"...is recommended
by the Church to us all at that most solemn time.
Bonaventure was called
by the obligations of his priestly character to labour for the salvation
of his neighbour, and to this he devoted himself with enthusiasm. He announced
the word of God to the people with an energy which kindled a flame in the
hearts of those that heard him; everything was burning with love that came
from his mouth. While at the University of Paris he produced one of the best-known
of his written works, the Commentary on
the Sentences of Peter Lombard, which covers the whole field of scholastic
theology. Of it Pope Sixtus IV said that:
"he uttered such things on sacred science that
the Holy Ghost would seem to have spoken by his mouth".
The years of his public lecturing
at Paris were greatly disturbed by the attack made on the mendicant friars
by the other professors at the university. Jealousy of their pastoral
and academical success and the standing reproof to worldliness and ease of
the friars' lives were in part behind this attempt to get them excluded from
the schools. The leader of the secular party was William of Saint-Amour,
who made a bitter onslaught on the mendicants in a book called The Perils of the Last Times, and other
writings. Bonaventure, who had to suspend lecturing for a time, replied in
a treatise on evangelical poverty, named Concerning the Poverty of
Christ. The pope, Alexander
IV, appointed a commission of cardinals to go into the matter at Anagni,
and on their findings ordered Saint-Amour's book to be burnt, vindicated
and reinstated the friars, and ordered the offenders to withdraw their attack.
A year later, in 1257, St Bonaventure and
St Thomas Aquinas received the degree of doctor of theology together.
For Blessed Isabella,
St Louis IX's sister, and her nunnery of Poor Clares at Longchamps, St Bonaventure
wrote Concerning Perfection
of Life. Other mystical works of his are the Soliloquy and Concerning
the Threefold Way. The love which every word breathes in the
writings of this doctor pierces the heart, and Gerson, the learned and devout chancellor
of the University of Paris, writes of his works, "Among all the Catholic doctors Eustachius (for
so we may translate his name of Bonaventure) seems to me the best for enlightening
the understanding and at the same time warming the heart. In particular his
Breviloquium
and Itinerarium mentis in Deum are
written with so much force, art and conciseness that nothing can be beyond
them." In another book he says: "Bonaventure's works seem to me most suitable
for the instruction of the faithful. They are solid, safe and devout; and
he keeps as far as he can from niceties, not meddling with logical or physical
questions which are foreign to the matter in hand. Nor is there any doctrine
more sublime, more divine, or more conducive to religion."
Trithemius, a learned Benedictine, writes, "Whoever would be both learned and devout, let
him read the works of Bonaventure". This is particularly
to be understood of his spiritual treatises. The joys of Heaven were
the frequent meditation of his soul, and he endeavoured by his writings to
excite in others the same fervent desire for our heavenly country. He writes
that "God Himself, all the glorious spirits,
and the whole family of the eternal King wait for us and desire that we should
be with them; and shall not we long above all things to be admitted into
their happy company? He who
had not in this valley of tears continually raised his soul above visible
things to become already, in ardent desire, an inhabitant of those blessed
regions, would be considerably abashed upon appearing amongst them."
Bonaventure puts the perfection of Christian virtue, not
so much in the more heroic life of a religious state, as in performing our
ordinary actions well. "The perfection
of a religious man", he says, "is to do common things in a perfect manner.
A constant fidelity in small things is a great and heroic virtue."
It is a continual crucifixion of self-love, a complete sacrifice of all our
actions, moments and affections, and the reign of God's grace throughout
our whole lives; St Bonaventure's deep appreciation of this is illustrated
by an anecdote related of him and Bd Giles of Assisi (April 23).
In 1257 Bonaventure was chosen minister general of the Friars
Minor.
He was not yet
thirty-six years old, and the order was torn by dissensions, some of the
friars being for an inflexible severity, others demanding certain mitigations
of the rule; between the two extremes were a number of other interpretations.
Some of the extreme rigorists, the so-called Spirituals, had even fallen
into error and disobedience, and thus given a handle to the friars' opponents
in the Paris dispute. The new minister general wrote a letter to his provincials
in which he made it clear that he required a disciplined observance of the
rule, involving a reformation of the relaxed, but giving no countenance to
the excesses of the Spirituals. At Narbonne in 1260, the first of the
five general chapters which he held, he produced a set of constitutions on
the rule, which were adopted and had a permanent effect on Franciscan life,
but they failed to pacify the excessive rigorists. At the request of
the friars assembled in this chapter, he undertook to write the life of St
Francis, which he compiled with a spirit which shows him to have been filled
with the virtues of the founder whose life he wrote. St Thomas Aquinas,
coming one day whilst he was employed in this work, saw him through the door
of his cell in contemplation, and going away, said, "Let us leave a saint to work for a saint".
The resulting biography, the "Greater Legend", is
a work of great value for the life of St Francis; but St Bonaventure can
hardly be acquitted of a tendency sometimes to strain his material so as
to tell against those who favoured a moderation of the strict Franciscan
life. He governed his order for seventeen years and has been justly
called its second founder.
In 1265 Pope Clement IV nominated
St Bonaventure to be archbishop of York in succession to Geoffrey of Ludham;
he induced the pope to accept his refusal, but in 1273 Bd Gregory X created
him cardinal-bishop of Albano, adding a command to accept that charge without
alleging any pretext against it, and immediately to come to Rome. He
sent legates to meet him on the road with the hat and other insignia of the
office, and it is said that they found the saint in a convent of his order
in the Mugello near Florence, washing the dishes. He desired them to
hang the cardinal's hat on the bough of a tree, because he could not decently
take it in his greasy hands, and left them to walk in the garden till he
had finished his work. Then taking up the hat he went to the legates,
and paid them the respect due.
Gregory X ordered him to prepare the matters to be dealt with in the general
council which he had called to meet at Lyons
for the reunion of the Greeks, the Emperor Michael Palaeologus having
made proposals to Pope Clement IV for union. All the best theologians
were sent for: St Thomas Aquinas died on the way thither. But St Bonaventure
was the outstanding figure in this great assembly.
He arrived with the pope some months before it began, and between
the second and third sessions he held his last general chapter of his order,
in which he abdicated the office of minister general. When the Greek
delegates arrived he conferred with them, and the reunion with Rome was duly
effected. In thanksgiving the pope sang Mass on the feast
of SS Peter and Paul, and the epistle, gospel and creed were sung first in
Latin then in Greek; St Bonaventure preached. But amidst
all this triumph, on the night of July 14-15, the Seraphic Doctor died; his
mortal eyes were spared the pain of seeing Constantinople speedily repudiate
the union it had sought and he had laboured to make good.
Peter of Tarentaise, a Dominican friar, afterwards Pope Innocent V, preached his panegyric,
in which he said:
"No one ever beheld Bonaventure who did not
conceive a great regard and affection for him; and even strangers were desirous
to follow his counsel and advice, simply from hearing him speak: for he was
gentle, courteous, humble, pleasing to all, compassionate, prudent, chaste
and adorned with all virtues."
There is
a story told that when St Bonaventure, as minister general, visited the friary
of Foligno there was a certain friar who wished to talk with him, but his
humility and shyness would not allow him to force himself on his superior's
notice. When, however, Bonaventure had gone, and the friar realized that
he had missed his chance, he plucked up courage, pursued the general down
the road, and catching him up, begged for a few words alone. The saint
at once withdrew with him to the roadside, and their conversation was a long
one. When at length the friar had returned home, comforted and rejoicing,
Bonaventure noticed signs of impatience among those waiting for him.
He smiled and gently rebuked them. "My
brethren", he said, "I could not
do otherwise. I am at the same time both prelate and servant, and that
poor brother is both my brother and my master. These are the words
of the rule:
`The ministers shall
receive the brethren with charity and kindness, and so hold themselves towards
them that the brethren shall be able to treat with them as masters with their
servants, for the ministers must be the servants of all the friars.' And so I, as minister and servant, must
be at the disposal of this poor brother
who is my master, and help him according to my ability and his needs".
In this spirit did he
discharge the office which he had taken up with the words, "I well know my own incapacity,
but I also know that it is hard to kick against the goad. And so, in
spite of my want of understanding, my inexperience in affairs, and my great
unwillingness, I will not persist in opposition to the wish of a numerous
family and the order of the supreme pontiff, for fear lest at the same time
I should resist the will of God. Therefore I take upon my weak shoulders
a heavy, nay, an almost intolerable, burden. I hope for help from Heaven
and count on all the help your good-will can give me." In those two
passages is Bonaventure the saint, simply humble and simply charitable. Had
he never been a member of the Seraphic order he would still deserve the title
of Seraphic Doctor because of the angelic virtues with which he adorned his
learning. He was declared a doctor of the Church in 1588, having been
canonized in 1482.
ST. BONAVENTURE: A MAN OF ACTION
AND CONTEMPLATION
VATICAN CITY, 3 MAR 2010 (VIS)
- In his catechesis during this morning's general audience, Benedict XVI
turned his attention to St. Bonaventure who, he said, "makes me feel a certain
nostalgia because, as a young scholar, my research focused on this author,
who is particularly dear to me".
Bonaventure, who was born around the year 1217 in the Italian
town of Bagnoregio and died in 1274, was one of the great Christian figures
who contributed to the "harmony between faith and culture" in thirteenth-century
Europe. He was "a man of action and contemplation, of profound piety and
prudent government".
Baptised with the name of Giovanni da Fidanza, he suffered
an illness during childhood from which he nearly died, but his mother entrusted
him to the recently-canonised St. Francis of Assisi and the young Giovanni
recovered. This event marked his whole life. During his education in Paris,
where he studied theology, he decided to enter a Franciscan convent and took
the name of Bonaventure. In the first years of his religious life he stood
out for his knowledge of Sacred Scripture, the 'Sentences' of Peter Lombard,
and other great theologians of his age.
Bonaventure's book entitled "Evangelical Perfection" was
his response to critics of the Minor Orders who questioned their right to
teach in universities and even the authenticity of their consecrated life.
In that work the saint showed "how the Minor Orders, and especially the Friars
Minor, by practicing the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, were in
fact following the counsels of the Gospel itself", the Pope explained.
"Over and above these historical circumstances, Bonaventure's
teachings in this book and in his own life still retain all their validity",
he said. "The Church is enlightened and beautified by the faithfulness to
their vocation of these sons and daughters of hers, who not only put the
evangelical precepts into practice but, by God's grace, are called to observe
the evangelical counsels and thus bear witness - with their poor, chaste
and obedient lifestyle - to the fact that the Gospel is a source of joy and
perfection".
When in 1257 Bonaventure
was elected minister general of his order, the Franciscans numbered more
than 30,000; most of them were in Europe but they also had a presence in
North Africa, the Middle East and China. "It was necessary", said the Holy
Father, "to consolidate this growth and, especially, to give it a unity of
action and spirit, in complete faithfulness to the charism of St. Francis.
In fact, various ways of interpreting the saint of Assisi's message had arisen
among his followers and there was a real risk of internal division".
In order to preserve the saint's authentic charism, his
life and teachings, Bonaventure "zealously gathered documents concerning
Francis and carefully listened to the recollections of those who had known
him personally". Thus the "Legenda Maior" came into being, which is considered
the most complete biography of St. Francis.
Bonaventure presents Francis as "a man who passionately
sought Christ. With the love that leads to imitation, he entirely conformed
himself to Him. Bonaventure indicated this as a living ideal for all the
followers of St. Francis.
"Such an ideal, which remains valid for all Christians,
yesterday, today and always, was also suggested as a programme for the Church
in the third millennium by my venerable predecessor John Paul II", Pope Benedict
added.
Almost at the end of his life, Bonaventure was consecrated
a bishop and appointed a cardinal by Pope Gregory X, who entrusted him with
the preparations for the Council of Lyons which sought to reunify the Latin
and Greek Churches. However Bonaventure never saw the results of his labours
because he died while the council was still underway.
The Pope concluded his reflections with a call to take
up the heritage of this saint and doctor of the Church, who "reminds us of
the meaning of our lives with the following words: 'On earth we can contemplate
the immensity of divine things by reason and admiration; in the heavenly
homeland, on the other hand, we can view them, when we will have been made
similar to God and by ecstasy will enter into the joy of God'".
AG/BONAVENTURE/...VIS 100303
(710)
There is
no formal contemporary or quasi-contemporary life of St Bonaventure, but
there are abundant references to him in the chronicles of the Franciscan
Order and in other early sources. The most important notices of this kind,
extracted e.g. from Salimbene, Bernard of Besse, Angelo Clareno, "the Chronicle of the XXIV Generals",
etc., have been carefully re-edited in vol. x of the monumental Quaracchi
edition of the works of the Seraphic Doctor. The text of the canonization
process instituted at Lyons in 1479-1480 (the canonization itself only took
place in 1482 under Sixtus IV) has been printed in Miscellanea Francescana di storia, di lettere,
di arti, vols. xvii and xviii (1916 and 1917), but it deals mainly
with miracles. Of the numerous modem biographies, the most reliable
seems to be that of L. Lemmens as published in an Italian version at Milan
in 1921. In this edition the original German text (1909) has been extensively
revised in deference to criticisms, notably those made in the Archivum Franciscanum Historicum (vol. iii, pp.
344-348). The life written in Italian by D. M. Sparacio (1921) emphasizes
the point of view of the Conventual Franciscans and is not free from a certain
animus. Similarly that of Leonard de Carvaiho e Castro (1923, in French),
though admirably presented, rather minimizes the active part taken by St
Bonaventure at Paris in opposition to Dominican teaching. On the other
hand this theological combativeness of the great Franciscan is somewhat exaggerated
by the Capuchin Father Jules d'Albi in his book, S. Bonaventure et les luttes doctrinales de
1267-2277 (1923). An important study of the chronology
of St Bonaventure, 1257 to 1274, by P. Glorieux, in the Franciscanum Historicum Historicum (vol.
xix, pp. 145-168), seems to leave little room for the contention of A. G.
Little in the same volume (pp. 289-291) that the Seraphic Doctor visited
Oxford towards the close of the year 1259. Finally mention
should be made of two other biographies in French, that of E. Clop (1922)
and E. Gilson (1927), as also of the excellent appreciation of St Bonaventure
in P. Gratien, Histoire de La fondation
et de l'évolution de l'Ordre des Frères Mineurs...(1928), pp. 249-333.
A good bibliography is provided in the work last named, as also in DTC.
See also E. Longpré in DHG., t. ix, cc. 741-788, and in Dictionnaire de spintualité, t. i, cc. 1768-1843. Bonaventure's
Breviloquium, a concise summary
of his teaching, was translated into English in 1946.
ST. BONAVENTURE: UNIQUENESS AND CONTINUITY
OF THE CHURCH
VATICAN CITY, 10 MAR 2010 (VIS) - During today's general audience,
celebrated in the Paul VI Hall, the Pope turned his attention to the written
works and doctrine of St. Bonaventure of Bagnoregio.
St. Bonaventure "authentically and faithfully interpreted the figure
of St. Francis of Assisi", said the Holy Father. He reacted against the "Spirituals"
in the Franciscan Order who, drawing on the ideas of Joachim of Fiore, held
that "with St. Francis the final phase of history had begun", and looked
to the creation of a new Church of the Holy Spirit, "no longer tied to the
structures of old". St. Bonaventure dealt with this question in his last
work, "Hexaemeron", in which he explained that "God is one throughout history.
... History is one, even if it is a journey, a journey of progression. ...
Jesus is the last word of God" and "there is no other Gospel, no other Church
to be awaited. Thus the Order of St. Francis must also insert itself into
this Church, into her faith and her hierarchical order.
"This does not mean", Benedict XVI added, "that the Church is immobile,
fixed in the past, that there is no room in her for novelty". With his famous
expression "the works of Christ are not lacking but prospering", St. Bonaventure
"explicitly formulated the idea of progress", certain "that the richness
of the word of Christ is never ending and that it can also being new light
to new generations. The uniqueness of Christ is also a guarantee of novelty
and renewal in the future".
The Holy Father noted how "today too opinions exist according to which
the entire history of the Church in the second millennium is one of constant
decline. Some people see this decline as having begun immediately after the
New Testament". Yet, the Pope asked, "what would the Church be without the
new spirituality of the Cistercians, the Franciscans and the Dominicans,
the spirituality of St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross? ... St.
Bonaventure teaches us ... how to open ourselves to the new charisms given
by Christ, in the Holy Spirit, to His Church".
"Following Vatican Council II some people were convinced that all
was new, that a new Church existed, that the pre-conciliar Church had come
to an end and that there would be another, completely different Church, an
anarchic utopia. Yet thanks to God the wise helmsmen of the ship of Christ,
Paul VI and John Paul II, defended on the one hand the novelty of the Church
and, at the same time, the uniqueness and continuity of the Church, which
is always a Church of sinners, and always a place of grace".
Going on then to comment of some of the saint's mystical and theological
writings, "which were the core of his governance" of the Franciscan Order,
the Pope identified the most important work as "Itinerarium mentis in Deum"
(The Journey of the Mind to God). In that book St. Bonaventure explained
that knowledge of God is a six-stage journey, culminating "in the full union
with the Trinity through Jesus Christ, in imitation of St. Francis of Assisi".
In St. Peter's Basilica, before today's general audience in the Paul
VI Hall, the Pope met with a group of pilgrims from the Italian Don Carlo
Gnocchi Foundation, who were marking last October's beatification "of that
outstanding Milanese priest".
Referring to the "extraordinary activities" they undertake on behalf
of "children in need, the disabled, the elderly, the terminally ill and in
the vast field of assistance and healthcare", the Holy Father noted how "through
your projects of solidarity you seek to continue the meritorious work begun
by Blessed Carlo Gnocchi".
"In this Year for Priests", the Pope concluded his remarks to the
group, "the Church once again looks to him as a model to imitate. May his
shining example support the efforts of those who dedicate themselves to serving
the weakest, and arouse in priests the desire to rediscover and reinvigorate
their awareness of the extraordinary gift of Grace that ordained ministry
represents for the person who receives it, for the entire Church and for
the world".
AG/ST. BONAVENTURE/... VIS 100310 (710)
|
July 15, 2010 St. Bonaventure
(1221-1274)
Bonaventure, Franciscan, theologian, doctor of the Church, was both learned
and holy. Because of the spirit that filled him and his writings, he was
at first called the Devout Doctor; but in more recent centuries he has been
known as the Seraphic Doctor after the “Seraphic Father” Francis because
of the truly Franciscan spirit he possessed. Born in Bagnoregio,
a town in central Italy, he was cured of a serious illness as a boy through
the prayers of Francis of Assisi. Later, he studied the liberal arts in Paris.
Inspired by Francis and the example of the friars, especially of his master
in theology, Alexander of Hales, he entered the Franciscan Order, and became
in turn a teacher of theology in the university. Chosen as minister general
of the Order in 1257, he was God’s instrument in bringing it back to a deeper
love of the way of St. Francis, both through the life of Francis which he
wrote at the behest of the brothers and through other works which defended
the Order or explained its ideals and way of life.
Comment: Bonaventure
so united holiness and theological knowledge that he rose to the heights
of mysticism while yet remaining a very active preacher and teacher, one
beloved by all who met him. To know him was to love him; to read him is still
for us today to meet a true Franciscan and a gentleman.
|
1406
Saint Stephen of Makhra (Makhrishche) a native of Kiev; accepted monasticism
at the monastery of the Caves, where he spent several years in deeds of obedience
and prayer. The oppressions of the Latins compelled him to journey on to
Moscow, where Great 
Prince Ivan II (1353-1359)
graciously received him, permitting him to settle in the locale of Makhra
not far from Gorodisch, 35 versts from the Sergeev monastery.
Having built himself a cell and spending his life at ascetic labors, and
esteeming silence, he did not accept those wishing to join him. Then
he yielded to the requests, and in this way, in 1358 he founded a monastery,
in which he was established as igumen.
Living near his monastery were the Yurkov brothers. Fearing that
the land which they ruled might be given over to the monastery, they threatened
to kill the holy ascetic. The admonitions of the monk did not help. St Stephen
then moved to a different place. Sixty versts north of Vologda, at the River
Avnezha, he founded with his disciple Gregory a monastery in the name of
the Holy Trinity. Great Prince Demetrius Ioannovich sent books and other
liturgical items to the Avnezhsk wilderness, but the venerable Stephen sent
them in turn to the Makhra monastery. Having returned to his monastery, St
Stephen ordered life in it according to a cenobitic Rule.
When St Sergius of Radonezh moved form his monastery, in order to find a
place for his ascetic deeds, St Stephen then received him, and gave the great
ascetic Sergius his own disciple Simon, who knew the surrounding area quite
well. St Sergius settled together with Simon on the island of Kirzhach, where
he founded a monastery.
St Stephen was strict with himself and indulgent towards others. He worked
for the monastery the hardest of all, he zealously guided the brethren to
the ways of salvation with gentle and quiet talks, and he worevery old and
coarse clothing.
The monk lived to extreme old age, became a schemamonk and died in 1406 on
July 14. In 1550 during the construction of a new stone church in the name
of the Holy Trinity, his holy relics were found to be incorrupt. They were
glorified by blessings of help in various sicknesses and misfortunes for
all who called on the name of the saint .
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1604
Blessed Caspar de Bono a silk merchant, then a trooper, and finally a Minim
friar O. Minim. (AC)
Born in Valencia, Spain, in 1530; died 1604; beatified in 1786. Caspar was
a silk merchant, then a trooper, and finally a Minim friar. After his ordination
in 1561, he was twice appointed corrector provincial of the Spanish province
of the order (Benedictines).
BD CASPAR DE BONO was born at Valencia in Spain in the year
1530, of poor and undistinguished parents. When he grew up he went
into the silk trade, but he was unsuccessful, so he gave it up and took to
soldiering. He already had a suspicion of where his true vocation lay,
and he spent as much time in prayer and meditation as his duties would allow,
and contrived by the grace of God and his own firm will to lead a virtuous
life, which was certainly no easier to do in an army in the sixteenth century
than in the twentieth. During the course of a battle he was badly wounded,
and he made a vow that if he recovered he would join the Minims, the order
of very austere and humble friars whose founder, St Francis of Paula, had
been canonized a few years before Caspar's birth. This he accordingly did
in 1560, and his superiors were so impressed by his virtues and ability that
he was professed and ordained in the following year.
Throughout his religious life he suffered acute bodily pain
which he not only bore with patience and equanimity, but added to it by voluntary
mortifications.
He was twice elected corrector provincial of the Spanish
province of his order, an office he filled with much efficiency, correcting,
in accordance with its name, with prudence and charity and encouraging his
brethren to an unmitigated observance of their penitential rule. He
died in the friary at Valencia on July 14, 1604, and was beatified in 1786.
There is a modern life by Roberti
(1904); and an older one by P. A. Miloni, who was postulator of the cause,
written for the beatification.
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1614 Camillus
de Lellis, Priest To him the only people that mattered were the sick, for
in serving them he was serving God charity was the only thing that made life
worth living, the surest way of bringing man closer to God, the only true
life-blood of the Church for the first time the patients were separated into
different wards according to the nature of their maladie RM
Romæ natális sancti Camílli de Lellis, Presbyteri et
Confessóris, Clericórum Regulárium infírmis ministrántium
Institutóris; quem virtútibus et miráculis clarum, Summus
Póntifex Benedíctus Décimus quartus in Sanctórum
número recénsuit, et Leo Décimus tértius cæléstem
hospitálium et infirmórum Patrónum renuntiávit.
Ipsíus tamen festívitas quintodécimo Kaléndas
Augústi recólitur.
At Rome, the birthday of St. Camillus de Lellis, priest
and confessor, founder of the Clerks Regular for Ministering to the Sick.
Pope Benedict XIV numbered him among the saints because of the fame of his
miracles and virtues; Pope Leo XIII appointed him heavenly protector of hospitals
and of the sick. His feast is observed on the 18th of July.
Born at Bucchianico, Abruzzi, Italy, 1550; canonized in 1746; feast day
formerly July 18. To Saint Camillus
de Lellis the only people that mattered were the sick, for in serving them
he was serving God. With other people he was hard, brusque and obstinate,
but with the sick he was gentle and loving. In his eyes charity was the only
thing that made life worth living, the surest way of bringing man closer
to God, the only true life-blood of the Church; charity that Saint Paul had
said was greater even than faith and hope.
Once a cardinal asked to see
him while he was busy tending the sick.
"His Excellency will have to excuse me," said Camillus.
"For the moment I am with Our
Lord. I will see His Excellency when I have finished."
To another cardinal, who was a member of the administrative council
for the hospitals in Rome, he said:
"Monsignor, if some of my poor
people suffer from hunger or die because of this shortage of food,
I swear to God that I will accuse you in front of his mighty Judgment Seat."
Camillus made sweeping
reforms in the hospitals that were nothing short of revolutionary. His ideas
were few and simple, but they were full of common sense and nobility of heart.
At a time when medicine was backward, when attendants and orderlies were
recruited from among hardened criminals and chaplains and almoners from among
priests who had been suspended from their regular duties.
The filth and squalor that had been a standard
feature of hospitals were eliminated, and he himself would often get down
on his knees and scrub the floor. New arrivals were washed, their beds were
made regularly, the dirty linens were changed, wounds were dressed carefully,
and for the first time the patients were separated into different wards according
to the nature of their maladies.
From the moment of entry, each patient was given
personal attention. Day and night, Camillus would go from bed to bed, listening
to complaints, watching over the dying, giving Communion and Extreme Unction,
making sure that a person was properly cured before being allowed to leave,
and seeing to it that the food served was of good quality and properly cooked.
If the administration was slow in giving him the
supplies that he needed, he would go out on foot or with a little donkey
and beg from door to door. "I do not think," he said, "that in the whole
world there is a field of flowers whose scent could be sweeter to me than
is the small of these hospitals." "These holy places," as he once called
the hospital, were also the best places to convert souls to God.
His charity was
not confined within the walls of the hospitals.He sought out the destitute
who lived on the Quirinal or under the arches of the Coliseum. He visited
the sick in their homes and organized a soup kitchen on the Piazza Maddalena.
Nor did he confine himself to Rome, for he and
his companions, the Camillans, extended their activities to Milan, Genoa,
Florence, Mantua, Messina, Palermo, to the battlefields of Hungary where
the Austrian and Italian armies were fighting against the Turks (1595- 1601),
travelling on foot in shabby and travel-stained clothes, indifferent to the
bitter cold of winter the scorching heat of summer.
"The sun is one of God's
creatures," he said, "and will do me no more harm than God allows him to."
Like many
other saints, this man of genius had a wild and reckless youth before discovering
his vocation. His mother was nearly 60 when he was born. His father was a
minor nobleman who had been a captain in the army of Charles V. At the age
of 17, the 6'6" youth went with his father to fight in the service of Venice
against the Turks, but at the last moment he was prevented from joining his
troops by an ulcerous growth in his right leg, a painful, ugly problem that
was to remain with him throughout his life.
After another
attempt to serve in the Venetian forces, he went in 1571 to the hospital
of Saint James (San Giacomo) in Rome for incurables as a patient and servant,
but was soon dismissed. "This young man is incorrigible, and completely unsuited
to be an infirmarian," said the report on him; but in fact he returned there
several times, for the ulcer in his leg kept opening, and the only way in
which he could have it attended to was by working in the hospital.
He entered the service of Spain, but the expedition against Tunis for which
he enlisted was called off and the fleet was taken out of commission. Depressed,
demoralized, and out of work, Camillus drifted about until he came to Naples
where he fell into the habit of compulsive gambling. His few possessions--his
sword, his cloak, his shirt--were soon lost, and he was reduced to a state
of penury in the fall of 1574.
For a while he lived by begging alms in church
doors. Chastened by his penury and remembering a vow he had once made in
a fit of remorse to join the Franciscans, Camillus contracted a job as a
laborer on some Capuchins buildings in Manfredonia. On Candlemas Day, when
he was 25, he entered the novitiate of Capuchins but could not be professed
because of his leg. He was also denied by the Franciscan Recollects.
Camillus returned to and was admitted to the
hospital of Saint James, where he found his true vocation. Abandoning his
attempts to become a Franciscan, at which he had tried and failed four times,
he devoted himself to remedying the appalling conditions he found there.
Two other members of the staff, Bernardino Norcino, a storeman, and Curtio
Lodi, a steward, joined him to form the nucleus of the Camillans. Encouraged
by Saint Philip Neri, he resigned from Saint James and in 1584 was ordained
a priest by the exiled Thomas Goldwell of Saint Asaph, the last English bishop
of the old hierarchy. He was given an annuity by Fermo Calvi, a gentleman
of Rome. Camillus decided to leave Saint James, against the advice of his
confessor, Philip Neri.
After moving two or three times, he and his companions
settled down in an establishment in the street called Botteghe Oscure. The
short rules he prescribed for his order required going daily to the hospital
of the Holy Ghost to serve. Gradually the seed that he planted grew
into a mighty tree. On March 18, 1586, Pope Sixtus V approved his congregation
and in the same year the order received its distinctive habit--a black cloak
with a red cross on the right shoulder. Soon afterwards they were given the
hospice of the Magdalen near the Pantheon, and on September 21, 1591, Pope
Gregory XIV raised them to the rank of an order, that of the "Ministers of
the Sick."
In 1588, he was invited to Naples, and with 12 companions
founded a new house. Galleys holding plague victims were forbidden to dock,
and Camillus and his members would embark to minister to the sick. Two brothers
died, becoming the first martyrs of this order.
Camillus himself was the first Prefect
General of the order, which spread so rapidly that by 1607, seven years before
his death, it had eight hospitals, 15 houses, and over 300 members; and already
over 170 members had already died while carrying out their duties. To the
three great vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, the Camillans added
a fourth: "O Lord, I promise to serve the sick, who are Your sons and my brothers,
all the days of my life, with all possible charity"
By 1591, Camillus was suffering several other painful
diseases in addition to his ulcerous leg, but he refused to be waited upon.
He resigned as superior in 1607. He assisted at the general chapter in 1613
and visited the houses with the new superior general. In Genoa, he became
very ill, but recovered and continued the visitation. Camillus suffered a
relapse and received the last sacraments from Cardinal Ginnasi. He had revolutionized
nursing, insisting upon fresh air, suitable diets, isolation of infectious
patients, and spiritual assistance to the dying, for which reason the order
was also called "the Fathers of a Good Dying" or "Agonizantes" (Benedictines,
Encyclopedia, White).
In art, Saint Camillus is a layman tending the sick (Roeder).
He was declared the patron of the sick and their nurses by Leo XIII (Benedictines).
St. Camillus de Lellis Born at
Bacchianico, Naples, 1550; died at Rome, 14 July, 1614.
He was the son of an officer who had served both
in the Neapolitan and French armies. His mother died when he was a child,
and he grew up absolutely neglected. When still a youth he became a soldier
in the service of Venice and afterwards of Naples, until 1574, when his regiment
was disbanded. While in the service he became a confirmed gambler, and in
consequence of his losses at play was at times reduced to a condition of
destitution. The kindness of a Franciscan friar induced him to apply for
admission to that order, but he was refused. He then betook himself to Rome,
where he obtained employment in the Hospital for Incurables. He was prompted
to go there chiefly by the hope of a cure of abscesses in both his feet from
which he had been long suffering. He was dismissed from the hospital on account
of his quarrelsome disposition and his passion for gambling. He again became
a Venetian soldier, and took part in the campaign against the Turks in 1569.
After the war he was employed by the Capuchins at Manfredonia on a new building
which they were erecting. His old gambling habit still pursued him, until
a discourse of the guardian of the convent so startled him that he determined
to reform. He was admitted to the order as a lay brother, but was soon dismissed
on account of his infirmity. He betook himself again to Rome, where he entered
the hospital in which he had previously been, and after a temporary cure
of his ailment became a nurse, and winning the admiration of the institution
by his piety and prudence, he was appointed director of the hospital.
While in this office, he attempted to found an order
of lay infirmarians, but the scheme was opposed, and on the advice of his
friends, among whom was his spiritual guide, St. Philip Neri, he determined
to become a priest. He was then thirty-two years of age and began the study
of Latin at the Jesuit College in Rome. He afterwards established his order,
the Fathers of a Good Death (1584), and bound the members by vow to devote
themselves to the plague-stricken; their work was not restricted to the hospitals,
but included the care of the sick in their homes. Pope Sixtus V confirmed
the congregation in 1586, and ordained that there should be an election of
a general superior every three years. Camillus was naturally the first, and
was succeeded by an Englishman, named Roger. Two years afterwards a house
was established in Naples, and there two of the community won the glory of
being the first martyrs of charity of the congregation, by dying in the fleet
which had been quarantined off the harbour, and which they had visited to
nurse the sick.
In 1591 Gregory XIV erected the congregation into a religious
order, with all the privileges of the mendicants. It was again confirmed
as such by Clement VIII, in 1592. The infirmity which had prevented his entrance
among the Capuchins continued to afflict Camillus for forty-six years, and
his other ailments contributed to make his life one of uninterrupted suffering,
but he would permit no one to wait on him, and when scarcely able to stand
would crawl out of his bed to visit the sick. He resigned the generalship
of the order, in 1607, in order to have more leisure for the sick and poor.
Meantime he had established many houses in various cities of Italy.
He is said to have had the gift of miracles and prophecy. He
died at the age of sixty-four while pronouncing a moving appeal to his religious
brethren. He was buried near the high altar of the church of St. Mary Magdalen,
at Rome, and, when the miracles which were attributed to him were officially
approved, his body was placed under the altar itself. He was beatified in
1742, and in 1746 was canonized by Benedict XIV.
[Note: In 1930, Pope Pius XI named St. Camillus de Lellis, together
with St. John of God, principal Co-Patron of nurses and of nurses' associations.]
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1679
Bl. Richard Langhorne English martyr educated at the Bedfordshire Inner Temple
worked as a lawyer; arrested as conspirator in the so-called “Popish Plot.”
Born in Bedfordshire, he was educated
at the Inner Temple and worked as a lawyer. He was arrested in 1667, released
in 1679, then arrested again as a conspirator in the so-called “Popish Plot.”
He was hanged at Tybum o July 14. Richard was beatified in 1929.
Blessed Richard Langhorne M (AC) Born in Bedfordshire, England; died 1679;
beatified in 1929. Richard Langhorne read law at the Inner Temple and was
called to the bar in 1654. executed at Tyburn alleged complicity in the 'Popish
Plot' (Benedictines).
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1610 Limæ, in Perúvia, sancti
Francísci Soláni, Sacerdótis ex Ordine Minórum
et Confessóris; qui, prædicatióne, signis et virtútibus
apud Indos Occidentáles illústris, migrávit ad Dóminum,
atque a Benedícto Décimo tértio, Pontífice Máximo,
Sanctórum fastis adscríptus est.
At Lima in Peru, St. Francis Solano, a priest
and confessor of the Order of Friars Minor. He passed to the Lord in the
West Indies, renowned for his preaching, miracles and virtues. Pope
Benedict XIII placed him on the canon of the saints.
Francis Solanus (Spanish: Francisco Solano) (10 March 1549
– 14 July 1610) was a Spanish missionary in South America, belonging to the
Order of Friars Minor (the Franciscans).
Francis Solanus was born in
Montilla, in the Diocese of Córdoba, Spain. He had distinguished parents
named Mateo Sanchez Solano and Anna Ximenes. When Francis turned twenty years
old, he joined the Franciscan Order at Montilla. Several years later he was
sent by his superiors to the convent of Arifazza as master of novices. He
sailed from Spain to the Americas in 1589 where he went to Peru via a ship
on the Pacific side of the Panamanian isthmus.
For twenty years Francis worked at evangelizing the vast regions of Tucuman
(present day northwestern Argentina) and Paraguay. He had a skill for languages
and succeeded at learning many of the regions' native tongues in a fairly
short period. It is claimed that he could also address tribes of different
tongues in one language yet be understood by them all. Being a musician as
well, Francis also played the violin frequently for the natives, which helped
them relate better to him.
After that came Francis' election to guardian of the Franciscan convent in
Lima, Peru. Further, he filled the office of custos of the convents of his
order in Tucuman and Paraguay. (Among friars the names are reversed. Hence
a group of men live in what is called a convent, while women live in a monastery).
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1680 Blessed Kateri
Tekakwitha Virgin daughter of a Mohawk warrior; smallpox attacked Kateri
and transfigured her face; teenage convert suffered greatly for her Faith;
lived a life dedicated to prayer, penitential practices, care for sick and
aged; devoted to the Eucharist and to Jesus Crucified; first Native
American declared a Blessed
Kateri was born near the town of Auriesville, New York, in the year 1656, the daughter
of a Mohawk warrior. She was four years old when her mother died of smallpox.
The disease also attacked Kateri and transfigured her face. She was adopted
by her two aunts and an uncle. Kateri became converted as a teenager. She
was baptized at the age of twenty and incurred the great hostility of her
tribe.
Although she had to suffer greatly for her Faith, she remained firm in it.
Kateri went to the new Christian colony of Indians in Canada. Here she lived
a life dedicated to prayer, penitential practices, and care for the sick
and aged. Every morning, even in bitterest winter, she stood before the chapel
door until it opened at four and remained there until after the last Mass.
She was devoted to the Eucharist and to Jesus Crucified. She died on April
7, 1680 at the age of twenty-four. She is known as the "Lily of the Mohawks".
Devotion to Kateri is responsible for establishing Native American ministries
in Catholic Churches all over the United States and Canada. Kateri was declared
venerable by the Catholic Church in 1943 and she was Beatified in 1980. Work
is currently underway to have her Canonized by the Church. Hundreds of thousands
have visited shrines to Kateri erected at both St. Francis Xavier and Caughnawaga
and at her birth place at Auriesville, New York. Pilgrimages at these sites
continue today.
July 14, 2010 Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha (1656-1680)
The blood
of martyrs is the seed of saints. Nine years after the Jesuits Isaac Jogues
and John de Brébeuf were tortured to death by Huron and Iroquois Indians,
a baby girl was born near the place of their martyrdom, Auriesville, New
York. She was to be the first person born in North America to be beatified.
Her
mother was a Christian Algonquin, taken captive by the Iroquois and given
as wife to the chief of the Mohawk clan, the boldest and fiercest of the
Five Nations. When she was four, Kateri lost her parents and little brother
in a smallpox epidemic that left her disfigured and half blind. She was adopted
by an uncle, who succeeded her father as chief. He hated the coming of the
Blackrobes (missionaries), but could do nothing to them because a peace treaty
with the French required their presence in villages with Christian captives.
She was moved by the words of three Blackrobes who lodged with her uncle,
but fear of him kept her from seeking instruction. Sh e refused to marry
a Mohawk brave and at 19 finally got the courage to take the step of converting.
She was baptized with the name Kateri (Catherine) on Easter Sunday.
Now
she would be treated as a slave. Because she would not work on Sunday, she
received no food that day. Her life in grace grew rapidly. She told a missionary
that she often meditated on the great dignity of being baptized. She was
powerfully moved by God’s love for human beings and saw the dignity of each
of her people.
She
was always in danger, for her conversion and holy life created great opposition.
On the advice of a priest, she stole away one night and began a 200-mile
walking journey to a Christian Indian village at Sault St. Louis, near Montreal.
For
three years she grew in holiness under the direction of a priest and an older
Iroquois woman, giving herself totally to God in long hours of prayer, in
charity and in strenuous penance. At 23 she took a vow of virginity, an unprecedented
act f or an Indian woman, whose future depended on being married. She found
a place in the woods where she could pray an hour a day—and was accused of
meeting a man there!
<>Her
dedication to virginity was instinctive: She did not know about religious
life for women until she visited Montreal. Inspired by this, she and two
friends wanted to start a community, but the local priest dissuaded her.
She humbly accepted an “ordinary” life. She practiced extremely severe fasting
as penance for the conversion of her nation. She died the afternoon before
Holy Thursday. Witnesses said that her emaciated face changed color and became
like that of a healthy child. The lines of suffering, even the pockmarks,
disappeared and the touch of a smile came upon her lips. She was beatified
in 1980.
Comment: We like to think that our proposed holiness
is thwarted by our situation. If only we could have more solitude, less opposition,
better health. Kateri repeats the example of the saints: Holiness thrives
on the cross, anywhere. Yet she did have what Christians—all people—need:
the support of a community. She had a good mother, helpful priests, Christian
friends. These were present in what we call primitive conditions, and blossomed
in the age-old Christian triad of prayer, fasting and alms: union with God
in Jesus and the Spirit, self-discipline and often suffering, and charity
for her brothers and sisters.
Quote:Kateri said: “I am not my own; I have given myself to
Jesus. He must be my only love. The state of helpless poverty that may befall
me if I do not marry does not frighten me. All I need is a little food and
a few pieces of clothing. With the work of my hands I shall always e arn
what is necessary and what is left over I’ll give to my relatives and to
the poor. If I should become sick and unable to work, then I shall be like
the Lord on the cross. He will have mercy on me and help me, I am sure.”
Bl. Kateri Teckakwitha is the
first Native American to be declared a Blessed.
She is the patroness of the environment and ecology as is St.
Francis of Assisi.
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1809 St. Nicodemus of the Holy
Mountian Greek Monk and writer; entered
the monastery of Athos in 1775 and worked with St. Macanus Nataras of Corinth
to compile the Philokalia {means 'Love of what is beautiful'}, a massive compendium
of monastic life and
spirituality
Born in Naxos, Greece, he entered
the monastery of Athos in 1775 and worked with St. Macanus Nataras of Corinth
to compile the Philokalia, a massive compendium of monastic life and spirituality. Nicodemus also made
translations of Western spiritual writings. He was canonized by the Orthodox
Greek Church in 1955.
Saint Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain was born on the Greek island
of Naxos in the year 1748, and was named Nicholas at Baptism. At the age of
twenty-six, he arrived on Mount Athos and received the monastic tonsure in
the Dionysiou monastery with the name Nicodemus.
As his first obedience, Nicodemus served as his monastery's secretary.
Two years after his entry into the Dionysiou monastery, the Metropolitan
of Corinth, St Macarius Notaras (April 17), arrived there, and he assigned
the young monk to edit the manuscript of the PHILOKALIA, which he found in
1777 at the Vatopedi monastery. Editing this book was the beginning of many
years of literary work by St Nicodemus. The young monk soon moved to the
Pantokrator skete, where he was under obedience to the Elder Arsenius of
the Peloponnesos, under whose guidance he zealously studied Holy Scripture
and the works of the Holy Fathers.
In 1783 St. Nicodemus was tonsured to the Great Schema, and he
lived in complete silence for six years. When St Macarius of Corinth next
visited Athos, he gave the obedience of editing of the writings of St. Symeon
the New Theologian to St. Nicodemus, who gave up his ascetic silence and
occupied himself once more with literary work. From that time until his death
he continued zealously to toil in this endeavor.
Not long before his repose, Father Nicodemus, worn out by his
literary work and ascetic efforts, went to live at the skete of the iconographers
Hieromonks Stephen and Neophytus Skourtaius, who were brothers by birth.
He asked them to help in the publication of his works, since he was hindered
by his infirmity. There St. Nicodemus peacefully fell asleep in the Lord
on July 14, 1809.
According to the testimony of
his contemporaries, St. Nicodemus was a simple man, without malice, unassuming,
and distinguished by his profound concentration. He possessed remarkable
mental abilities: he knew the Holy Scriptures by heart, remembering even
the chapter, verse and page, and he could even recite long passages from
the writings of the Holy Fathers from memory.
The literary work of St. Nicodemus was varied. He wrote a preface
to the PHILOKALIA, and short lives of the ascetics. Among the saint's ascetical
works, his edition of Lorenzo Scupoli's book, UNSEEN WARFARE is well known,
and has been translated into Russian, English, and other languages. A remarkable
work of the ascetic was his MANUAL OF CONFESSION (Venice, 1794, 1804, etc.),
summarized in his treatise, "Three Discourses on Repentance". His most edifying
book CHRISTIAN MORALITY was published in Venice in 1803.
The saint also made great contributions by publishing liturgical
books. Using materials from the manuscript collections of Mt Athos, he published
sixty-two Canons to the Most Holy Theotokos -- the title, NEW THEOTOKARION
(Venice, 1796, 1849).
St. Nicodemus prepared a new edition of the the PEDALION or RUDDER,
comprised of the canons of the Holy Apostles, of the holy Ecumenical and
Local Synods, and of the holy Fathers.
St Nicodemus had a special love for hagiography, as attested by
his work, NEW EKLOGION (Venice, 1803), and his posthumous book, THE NEW SYNAXARION
in three volumes (Venice, 1819). He completed a Modern Greek translation
of a book by St Theophylact, Archbishop of Bulgaria, PAUL'S FOURTEEN EPISTLES
in three volumes. St. Nicodemus himself wrote AN INTERPRETATION OF THE SEVEN
CATHOLIC EPISTLES (also published at Venice in 1806 and 1819).
The exceedingly wise Nicodemus is also known as the author and
interpreter of hymns. His Canon in honor of the Mother of God "Quick to Hear"
(November 9) and his "Service and Encomium in Honor of the Fathers who Shone
on the Holy Mountain of Athos" are used even beyond the Holy Mountain. Some
of his other books include the HEORTODROMION, an interpretation of the Canons
which are sung on Feasts of the Lord and of the Mother of God (Venice, 1836),
and THE NEW LADDER, an interpretation of the 75 Hymns of Degrees (Anabathmoi)
of the liturgical book called the OKTOECHOS (Constantinople, 1844).
Nikodemus vom Athos Orthodoxe Kirche: 14. Juli
Nikolaus (den Namen Nikodemus (Nikodimos) nahm er als Mönch
an) wurde 1748 auf der Insel Naxos (Griechenland) geboren. Er studierte Theologie
in Smyrna (Izmir), ging aber nach Naxos zurück, als die Türken
griechische Bewohner töteten. Er war dann Sekretär des Metropoliten
auf Naxos und kam hier mit Mönchen vom Berg Athos zusammen. Er brach
1775 zum Athos auf und besuchte vorher den früheren Erzbischof Makarios,
der als einfacher Mönch auf einer kleinen Insel lebte. Mit Makarios
zusammen verfaßte er dann mehrere Schriften zu verschiedenen Themen.
Das erste Buch zu der strittigen Frage der Häufigkeit der Kommunion wurde
zeitweise verboten. Ihr größtes Werk war die "Philokalie", die
erstmals 1792 erschien, eine Sammlung von Texten von mehr als 30 ostkirchlichen
Schriftstellern aus dem 3. bis 15. Jahrhundert zum Jesusgebet. Dieses Werk
hat die orthodoxe Spiritualität maßgeblich beeinflußt. Nikolaus
setzte sich außerdem für die Anerkennung der von Türken ermordeten
Griechen als Neu-Märtyrer ein. Er starb 1809 auf dem Athos. Da er auf
dem Athos lebte, trägt er auch den Beinamen Hagiorit. Er wurde 1955
vom Synod des ökumenischen Patriarchats heilig gesprochen .
Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain
Born on Naxos, c. 1748; died on Mount Athos, July 14, 1809; canonized by
the Orthodox Church in 1955.
In 1775, Nicodemus, a 26-year-old student, was forced by Turkish
persecutors to flee from Smyrna. He joined a Dionysiou Monastery on Mount
Athos, which Greeks call the 'Holy Mountain,' and stayed there for the rest
of his life. Nicodemus was one of the two best- known Greek religious writers
of his age, a canonist, hagiographer, liturgist, ascetic, and mystic.
He found inspiration in the writings of western Catholic Christians
as well as in those of his own Orthodox Church. He translated into Greek the
Spi ritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, upon which he modelled
a volume of meditations, and the Spiritual Combat of Lorenzo Scupoli. He
saw the rules of the church as a means of guiding men and women in the right
direction, the way a rudder guides a ship, so he made a collection of Greek
church laws that he called the Pidalion, which in Greek means 'rudder.'
His greatest work, compiled in collaboration with Saint Macarius
of Corinth (who had been driven from his diocese by the Turks), was to edit
and publish a book on mysticism and prayer, the Philokalia (which means 'Love
of what is beautiful'), which was first printed in Venice in 1782. The book
concerns itself above all with a prayer renowned in Greek Christendom, the
so- called 'Jesus-prayer':
Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of God, have mercy upon me.
The Philokalia is a collection of passages from the spiritual
writings of the Greek fathers and ascetics, which has had a deep and lasting
influence among Eastern Orthodox Christians. An Athonite abbot has written
that "Almost all the monks of the Holy Mountain regard Saint Nicodemus as
their chief elder and spiritual guide." Two volumes of extracts from the
Russian version of the Philokalia were published in English in 1951 and 1954
(Attwater, Bentley).
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1866 John Keble Er
schrieb Bücher mit Gedichten und Hymnen
Anglikanische Kirche: 14. Juli
John Keble wurde 1792 geboren. Er studierte in Oxford, wurde 1816 ordiniert
und von 1818 bis 1823 war er als Tutor in Oxford tätig. 1827 gab er
den Gedichtband 'The Christian Year' mit Gedichten zu den Sonn- und Festtagen
des Kirchenjahres heraus. Drei seiner Gedichte werden heute noch als Kirchenlieder
gesungen. Von 1831 bis 1841 hatte Keble eine Profesur in Oxford inne. Seine
Predigt am 14. Juli 1833, in der er eine Wiederbelebung der Kirche forderte,
war der Beginn des Oxford Movements oder Tractarian Movements (wegen der
90 veröffentlichten Traktate zur Reformation der anglikaischen Kirche).
Keble wirkte von 1836 bis zu seinem Tod am 29.3.1866 als Pfarrer in Hursley
(bei Winchester). Er schrieb Bücher mit Gedichten und Hymnen. Drei Jahre
nach seinem Tode errichteten Freunde das Keble College in Oxford .
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1929 Karolina Utriainen
in Finnland geboren Über fünfzig Jahre hielt Karolina Utriainen
über 20.000 Predigten, von denen viele aufgeschrieben und auf Tonträgern
aufgezeichnet wurden
Evangelische Kirche: 14. Juli
Karolina Utriainen wurde am 30.6.1843 in Finnland geboren. Als neunjährige
fiel sie das erstemal in Bewußtlosigkeit und begann zu predigen. Diese
Gabe kam immer wieder über Karolina und ihre Predigten lösten eine
Erweckungsbewegung aus. Zunächst kam die Gabe unregelmäßig
über sie, in späteren Jahren immer morgens um 5 Uhr. Über
fünfzig Jahre hielt Karolina Utriainen über 20.000 Predigten, von
denen viele aufgeschrieben und auf Tonträgern aufgezeichnet wurden.
Abgesehen von ihrer Predigtgabe war sie Hausfrau auf einem großen Bauerngut
und Mutter von vier Kindern. 1913 hörte die Predigtgabe auf, kehrte
aber 1926 zurück und begleitete sie bis zu ihrem Tod am 14.07.1929.
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Mary Mother of GOD
Saint of the Day July 014 Prídie Idus Júlii
1614 Camillus
de Lellis, Priest To him the only people that mattered were the sick,
for in serving them he was serving God; charity was the only thing that made
life worth living, the surest way of bringing man closer to God, the only
true life-blood of the Church; for the first time the patients were separated
into different wards according to the nature of their maladie RM
Pope Sixtus IV
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.
