Mary Mother of GOD

Saints of this Day July 22 Undécimo Kaléndas Augusti
Et álibi aliórum plurimórum sanctórum Mártyrum et Confessórum, atque sanctárum Vírginum.
And elsewhere in divers places, many other holy martyrs, confessors, and holy virgins.

Friday, July 22, 2011 St. Mary Magdalen (Memorial) Exodus 20:1-17 Psalm 19:8-11 John 20:1-2, 11-18 Take heed not to foster thy own judgment, for, without doubt, it will inebriate thee; as there is no difference between an intoxicated man and one full of his own opinion, and one is no more capable of reasoning than the other. -- St. Francis de Sales

  Pope Benedict XVI to The Catholic Church In China {whole article here }
The saints are a “cloud of witnesses over our head”,
showing us life of Christian perfection is possible.
  15 Promises of the Virgin Mary to those who recite the Rosary
God's Masterpiece of Mercy July 22 - Our Lady of Safe Hiding, (Overloon, Holland)
The Blessed Virgin is given to us like God's masterpiece of mercy, as the one whose sole purpose in life is to let us enter the Father's mercy by this narrow, yet royal, door.  Since Mary is really the masterpiece of this mercy, she is, so to speak, the personification of the Father's mercy. Our Lord is the source of mercy for us, but in his close relationship with the Father, he is beyond mercy because he is the only Son of the Father.
However in the case of the Son, the Father does not adopt an attitude of mercy but an attitude of love.  Mary is a creature, a creature who is pure. Mercy completely enveloped her from the starting point; all her life she never ceased receiving the Father's mercy in plenitude. This mercy is intended to introduce her into love, but it is a love that takes on a special nuance, because when God's love is communicated to a creature, it necessarily takes the form of a merciful love.
Father Marie-Dominique Philippe (1912-2006)  Three Mysteries of Mercy - (Parole et Silence Editions, 2000)

July 22 - Our Lady of Safe Hiding (Overloon, Holland) - Birth of Saint Marguerite Mary Alacoque (1647)
I Spoke to Her Like a Child
I always ran to Mary in all my needs. I had the habit of giving the small crown of the Rosary to her,
kneeling on the floor on my bare knees, genuflecting or kissing the floor as many times as I said a ‘Hail Mary.’
She has always been a mother to me and has never refused to help me. I ran to her with so much trust that it seemed like I had nothing to fear under her maternal protection. I consecrated myself to Mary as her slave forever, begging her not to refuse my vow.  I spoke to her like a child, with simplicity, just like I would have spoken to my own good mother for whom I felt,  as a consequence, a strong and tender love. I entered the Convent of the Visitation, because I was attracted to the very sweet name of Mary. I believed that what I sought was there.
Saint Marguerite Mary Alacoque (d.1690) Her feast is celebrated on 17 October

Mary Mother of GOD

Saints of this Day July 22 Undécimo Kaléndas Augusti  

Called in the Gospel “the Mother of Jesus,” Mary is acclaimed by Elizabeth, at the prompting of the Spirit and even before the birth of her son, as “the Mother of my Lord” (Lk 1:43; Jn 2:1; 19:25; cf. Mt 13:55; et al.). In fact, the One whom she conceived as man by the Holy Spirit, who truly became her Son according to the flesh, was none other than the Father's eternal Son, the second person of the Holy Trinity. Hence the Church confesses that Mary is truly “Mother of God” (Theotokos). 
“The Blessed Virgin was eternally predestined, in conjunction with the incarnation of the divine Word, to be the Mother of God. By decree of divine Providence, she served on earth as the loving mother of the divine Redeemer, an associate of unique nobility, and the Lord's humble handmaid. She conceived, brought forth, and nourished Christ.”

THE EUCHARIST, A MYSTERY TO BE BELIEVED POST-SYNODAL APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION
SACRAMENTUM CARITATIS OF THE HOLY FATHER BENEDICT XVI

   THE saints and just, from the beginning of time and throughout the world, who have been made perfect, everlasting monuments of God’s infinite power and clemency, praise His goodness without ceasing; casting their crowns before His throne they give to Him all the glory of their triumphs: “His gifts alone in us He crowns.”

The POPES HTML
“The answers to many of life's questions can be found by reading the Lives of the Saints. They teach us how to overcome obstacles and difficulties, how to stand firm in our faith, and how to struggle against evil and emerge victorious.”  1913 Saint Barsanuphius

 “To withdraw into the desert is for Christians tantamount to associating themselves more intimately with Christ’s passion, and it enables them, in a very special way, to share in the paschal mystery and in the passage of Our Lord from this world to the heavenly homeland” (#1).





Benedict XVI_Archbishop_Hilarion
Benedict XVI receives Orthodox Archbishop Hilarion n September 18th, Pope Benedict XVI;  Archbishop Hilarion, president of the Department for External Church Affairs of the Patriarchate of Moscow.
The Orthodox Archbishop is currently visiting the Vatican at the invitation of Cardinal Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
This Pontifical Council underlined that the visit will confirm the ties of friendship between the Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church, with a view to closer collaboration and to favor the presence of the Church in the lives of the peoples of Europe and the world.
In addition, a further step in ecumenical relations is scheduled for the month of October in Cyprus: the meeting of the Joint International Commission for the Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, which will address the theme of Petrine Primacy.

Pope Benedict XVI to The Catholic Church In China {whole article here}
2000 years of the Catholic Church in China
The saints “a cloud of witnesses over our head”,
showing us life of Christian perfection is possible. Patron_Saints.html

THE PSALTER OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY PSALM 118G

I have hated the unjust: and I have loved thy way, O gracious Lady.
Help me, O Lady of the world, and I shall be saved: and I shall meditate the honor of thy commandments.
Make me always stand in thy fear: and deliver me not up, O Virgin, to those who calumniate me.
I am of thy own tongue: I am the least in thy family.
Keep me, O Lady, from those who neglect the judgments of thy justice.
Thou despisest all who depart from thy service: because their thought is unjust.

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Saint Frances Xavier Seelos  Practical Guide to Holiness

My God, I believe, I adore, I trust and I love Thee.  I beg pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not
O most Holy trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly.  I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the Tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifference by which He is offended, and by the infite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  I beg the conversion of poor sinners,  Fatima Prayer, Angel of Peace

The voice of the Father is heard, the Son enters the water, and the Holy Spirit appears in the form of a dove.

Nine First Fridays Devotion to the Sacred Heart From the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

How do I start the Five First Saturdays?

DECREES OF THE CONGREGATION FOR THE CAUSES OF SAINTS

God loves variety. He doesn't mass-produce his saints. Every saint is unique each the result of a new idea.

As the liturgy says: Non est inventus similis illis--there are no two exactly alike.
It is we with our lack of imagination, who paint the same haloes on all the saints.
Dear Lord, grant us a spirit not bound by our own ideas and preferences.
 Grant that we may be able to appreciate in others what we lack in ourselves.
O Lord, grant that we may understand that every saint must be a unique praise of Your glory.
 Catholic saints are holy people and human people who lived extraordinary lives.

Each saint the Church honors responded to God's invitation to use his or her unique gifts.

1.    Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall receive signal graces. 2.    I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary. 3.    The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies. 4.    It will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of people from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things.  Oh, that soul would sanctify them by this means.  5.    The soul that recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary shall not perish. 6.    Whoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying themselves to the consideration of its Sacred Mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune.  God will not chastise them in His justice, they shall not perish by an unprovided death; if they be just, they shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life. 7.    Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the Sacraments of the Church. 8.    Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plentitude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the Saints in Paradise. 9.    I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary. 10.    The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in Heaven.  11.    You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the Rosary. 12.    I shall aid all those who propagate the Holy Rosary in their necessities. 13.    I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of death. 14.    All who recite the Rosary are my children, and brothers and sisters of my only Son, Jesus Christ. 15.    Devotion to my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.

Aramaic dialect of Edessa, now known as Syriac
  Christian council held at Edessa early as 197 (Eusebius, Hist. Eccl., V,xxiii).
Aramaic continued to be an important language for Jews, alongside Hebrew, and parts of the Talmud are written in it.

Great men covet to embrace martyrdom for a cause and principle.

To Save A Life is Earthly; Saving A Soul is Eternal Donation by mail, please send check or money order to:

Mother Angelica saving souls is this beautiful womans journey Shrine_of_The_Most_Blessed_Sacrament

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

Thus began a great adventure that would eventually result in the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, a Temple dedicated to the Divine Child Jesus, a place of refuge for all. Use this link to read a remarkable story about The Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament

Father Reardon, Editor of The Catholic Bulletin for 14 years Lover of the poor; “A very Holy Man of God.”

America's First Basilica Largest Nave in the World

James M. Reardon Publication History of Basilica of Saint Mary 1600-1932

James Michael Reardon Born in Nova Scotia, 1872;  Priest, ordained by Bishop Ireland;
Member -- St. Paul Seminary faculty.

The only replicas ever made:  in order from west to east {1932}.

Saints Simon (saw), Bartholomew (knife), James the Lesser (book), John (eagle), Andrew (transverse cross), Peter keys), Paul (sword), James the Greater (staff), Thomas (carpenter's square), Philip (serpent), Matthew (book), and Jude sword

St. Mary Magdelene "The Penitent" Tradition informs us that Mary of Magdala was young and pretty, and led a sinful life. It says in the Gospels that the Lord expelled seven devils from Mary (Luke. 8:2) followed the Lord, with Apostles through cities and villages of Judea Galilee preaching the Kingdom of God; together with pious women Joanna, wife of Choza (steward of Herod), Susanna and others, she served Him from her own possessions (Luke 8:1-3); According to Tradition, she took Emperor Tiberias a red egg as a symbol of the Resurrection, a symbol of new life with the words: "Christ is Risen!"Apud Massíliam, in Gállia, natális sanctæ Maríæ Magdalénæ, de qua Dóminus ejécit septem dæmónia, et quæ ipsum Salvatórem a mórtuis resurgéntem prima vidére méruit.
    At Marseilles in France, the birthday of St. Mary Magdalene, out of whom our Lord expelled seven demons, and who deserved to be the first to see the Saviour after he had risen from the dead.

She is called "the Penitent". St. Mary was given the name 'Magdalen' because, though a Jewish girl, she lived in a Gentile town called Magdale, in northern Galilee, and her culture and manners were those of a Gentile. St. Luke records that she was a notorious sinner, and had seven devils removed from her. She was present at Our Lords' Crucifixion, and with Joanna and Mary, the mother of James and Salome, at Jesus' empty tomb. Fourteen years after Our Lord's death, St. Mary was put in a boat by the Jews without sails or oars - along with Sts. Lazarus and Martha, St. Maximin (who baptized her), St. Sidonius ("the man born blind"), her maid Sera, and the body of St. Anne, the mother of the Blessed Virgin. They were sent drifting out to sea and landed on the shores of Southern France, where St. Mary spent the rest of her life as a contemplative in a cave known as Sainte-Baume. She was given the Holy Eucharist daily by angels as her only food, and died when she was 72. St. Mary was transported miraculously, just before she died, to the chapel of St. Maximin, where she received the last sacraments.

More about this saint: St. Mary Magdalen (Feast day - July 22) Mary Magdalen was well known as a sinner when she first saw Our Lord. She was very beautiful and very proud, but after she met Jesus, she felt great sorrow for her evil life. When Jesus went to supper at the home of a rich man named Simon, Mary came to weep at His feet. Then with her long beautiful hair, she wiped His feet dry and anointed them with expensive perfume. Some people were surprised that Jesus let such a sinner touch Him, but Our Lord could see into Mary's heart, and He said: "Many sins are forgiven her, because she has loved very much." Then to Mary He said kindly, "Your faith has made you safe; go in peace." From then on, with the other holy women, Mary humbly served Jesus and His Apostles. When Our Lord was crucified, she was there at the foot of His cross, unafraid for herself, and thinking only of His sufferings. No wonder Jesus said of her: "She has loved much." After Jesus' body had been placed in the tomb, Mary went to anoint it with spices early Easter Sunday morning. Not finding the Sacred Body, she began to weep, and seeing someone whom she thought was the gardener, she asked him if he knew where the Body of her beloved Master had been taken. But then the person spoke in a voice she knew so well: "Mary!" It was Jesus, risen from the dead! He had chosen to show Himself first to Mary Magdalen, the repentent sinner.
Mary Magdalene The Holy Myrrh-Bearer Equal of the Apostles On the banks of Lake Genesareth (Galilee), between the cities of Capharnum and Tiberias, was the small city of Magdala, the remains of which have survived to our day. Now only the small village of Mejhdel stands on the site.

Mary Magdalene (RM) 1st century; feast of her translation, especially in the Eastern Church, is May 4. Saint Mary Magdalene, the "Apostle to the Apostles," was the first to encounter the Risen Jesus. Just when it seems the real Mary Magdalene is revealed in Scripture, there are questions. She is further obscured by the legends that surround her following the Resurrection. There is a considerable difference of opinion, particularly between the exegetes of the East and the West as to the identity of Mary Magdalene.  Largely due to the influence of Saint Gregory the Great's writings, the Western liturgies have identified her with the unnamed sinner (Luke 7:36ff; cf. Luke 8:2) and Mary of Bethany, the sister of SS. Lazarus and Martha (see John 11). There is also a third Mary, who came from Magdala on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee near Tiberias in Judea. This is the woman from whom Jesus "had cast out seven devils" (Mark 16:9; Luke 8:2). She was one of the women present at Calvary and was the first to witness the Resurrection, which Jesus told her to announce to the disciples.

In the opinion of the Eastern liturgists (and the venerable opinion of Saint Ambrose), there are three different people, and it certainly seems doubtful that Mary of Bethany and Mary the Sinner were the same person. Or does it?  Modern scholars do not believe they are the same woman because there is the question of the two different origins (Bethany and Magdala). But it has been suggested that if they are identical, it would be easier to explain why three adults siblings were living together without their spouses.

According to an ancient Eastern tradition, Mary Magdalene accompanied John and the Blessed Virgin to Ephesus, where she died and was buried. One of the tales of the Middle Ages was that she was betrothed to Saint John the Evangelist when Jesus called him, and that in anger "gave herself to all delight." Jesus, not wishing to damn her when the cause of her behavior was his calling of Saint John, converted her to penance.
A later pious legend in the West tells of her travelling to Provence, France, with Martha, Lazarus, and others to evangelize Gaul. These sources hold that she spent the last 30 years of her life in a cavern of La Sainte-Baume in the Maritime Alps, and was miraculously transported just before her death to the Chapel of Saint-Maximin, from whom she received the last sacraments and by whom she was buried at Aix.
Her relics have been claimed by various places at various times, but none of the stories can be authenticated. Saint Willibald is said to have seen her tomb in Ephesus in the 8th century. Vézelay (France) has claimed her relics since the 11th century (Attwater, Benedictines, Bentley, Delaney, Encyclopedia, Farmer, White).
In art, Mary Magdalene's emblem is a jar of ointment and she always has long hair. Among the scenes that may be portrayed, she is shown (1) wiping Christ's feet at the house of Simon; (2) anointing Him at Bethany; (3) with Martha [Caravaggio's painting]; (4) with Martha at the raising of Lazarus from the dead; (5) clinging to the foot of the Cross; (6) kissing or anointing Christ's feet at the Lamentation; (7) with the other two Marys at the tomb; (8) at His feet at Noli me Tangere (do not touch me) [view Fra Angelico's, Correggio's or Alonso Cani's versions]; (9) casting aside her jewels in the presence of Christ; (10) wringing her hands and spurning jewels; (11) weeping; (12) penitent in the desert with long hair and an ointment jar; (13) with Saint Mary of Egypt; (14) old and haggard, clad only in her long hair; (15) uplifted by angels at the canonical hours; or (16) in various scenes of shipwreck with Martha and Lazarus on their way to Marseilles (Roeder).
Because Mary Magdalene is described as weeping at Jesus' tomb on Easter Sunday, she is often portrayed in art as weeping, or with eyes red from having wept. This is the source of the English word "maudlin," meaning "effusively or tearfully sentimental." There is a Magdalene College at Oxford and a Magdalene College at Cambridge (different spelling), both pronounced "Maudlin."  Saint Mary Magdalene is especially venerated in Marseilles, Saint Maximin le Sainte-Baume, and Vézelay, France (Roeder). She is the patron of repentant sinners and of the contemplative life (Farmer).
Noli Me Tangere by Correggio Image courtesy of Pauly Fongemie
A woman whose name has entered forever into the Gospel account was born and grew up in Magdala. The Gospel tells us nothing of Mary's younger years, but Tradition informs us that Mary of Magdala was young and pretty, and led a sinful life. It says in the Gospels that the Lord expelled seven devils from Mary (Luke. 8:2). From the moment of her healing Mary led a new life, and became a true disciple of the Savior.
The Gospel relates that Mary followed after the Lord, when He went with the Apostles through the cities and villages of Judea and Galilee preaching about the Kingdom of God. Together with the pious women Joanna, wife of Choza (steward of Herod), Susanna and others, she served Him from her own possessions (Luke 8:1-3) and undoubtedly shared with the Apostles the evangelic tasks in common with the other women. The Evangelist Luke, evidently, has her in view together with the other women, stating that at the moment of the Procession of Christ onto Golgotha, when after the Scourging He took on Himself the heavy Cross, collapsing under its weight, the women followed after Him weeping and wailing, but He consoled them. The Gospel relates that Mary Magdalene was present on Golgotha at the moment of the Lord's Crucifixion. While all the disciples of the Savior ran away, she remained fearlessly at the Cross together with the Mother of God and the Apostle John.
The Evangelists also list among those standing at the Cross the mother of the Apostle James, and Salome, and other women followers of the Lord from Galilee, but all mention Mary Magdalene first. St John, in addition to the Mother of God, names only her and Mary Cleopas. This indicates how much she stood out from all the women who gathered around the Lord.
She was faithful to Him not only in the days of His Glory, but also at the moment of His extreme humiliation and insult. As the Evangelist Matthew relates, she was present at the Burial of the Lord. Before her eyes Joseph and Nicodemus went out to the tomb with His lifeless Body. She watched as they covered over the entrance to the cave with a large stone, entombing the Source of Life.
Faithful to the Law in which she was raised, Mary together with the other women spent following day at rest, because it was the great day of the Sabbath, coinciding with the Feast of Passover. But all the rest of the peaceful day the women gathered spices to go to the Grave of the Lord at dawn on Sunday and anoint His Body according to the custom of the Jews.
It is necessary to mention that, having agreed to go on the first day of the week to the Tomb early in the morning, the holy women had no possibility of meeting with one another on Saturday. They went separately on Friday evening to their own homes. They went out only at dawn the following day to go to the Sepulchre, not all together, but each from her own house.

The Evangelist Matthew writes that the women came to the grave at dawn, or as the Evangelist Mark expresses, extremely early before the rising of the sun. The Evangelist John, elaborating upon these, says that Mary came to the grave so early that it was still dark. Obviously, she waited impatiently for the end of night, but it was not yet daybreak. She ran to the place where the Lord's Body lay.  Mary went to the tomb alone. Seeing the stone pushed away from the cave, she ran away in fear to tell the close Apostles of Christ, Peter and John. Hearing the strange message that the Lord was gone from the tomb, both Apostles ran to the tomb and, seeing the shroud and winding cloths, they were amazed. The Apostles went and said nothing to anyone, but Mary stood about the entrance to the tomb and wept. Here in this dark tomb so recently lay her lifeless Lord.
Wanting proof that the tomb really was empty, she went down to it and saw a strange sight. She saw two angels in white garments, one sitting at the head, the other at the foot, where the Body of Jesus had been placed. They asked her, "Woman, why weepest thou?" She answered them with the words which she had said to the Apostles, "They have taken my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him." At that moment, she turned around and saw the Risen Jesus standing near the grave, but she did not recognize Him.
He asked Mary, "Woman, why weepest thou? Whom dost thou seek?" She answered thinking that she was seeing the gardener, "Sir, if thou hast taken him, tell where thou hast put Him, and I will take Him away."
Then she recognized the Lord's voice. This was the voice she heard in those days and years, when she followed the Lord through all the cities and places where He preached. He spoke her name, and she gave a joyful shout, "Rabbi" (Teacher).
Respect and love, fondness and deep veneration, a feeling of thankfulness and recognition at His Splendor as great Teacher, all came together in this single outcry. She was able to say nothing more and she threw herself down at the feet of her Teacher to wash them with tears of joy. But the Lord said to her: "Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and tell them: "I ascend to My Father, and your Father; to My God and to your God."
She came to herself and again ran to the Apostles, to do the will of Him sending her to preach. Again she ran into the house, where the Apostles still remained in dismay, and proclaimed to them the joyous message, "I have seen the Lord!" This was the first preaching in the world about the Resurrection.
The Apostles proclaimed the Glad Tidings to the world, but she proclaimed it to the Apostles themselves.
Holy Scripture does not tell us about the life of Mary Magdalene after the Resurrection of Christ, but it is impossible to doubt, that if in the terrifying minutes of Christ's Crucifixion she was the foot of His Cross with His All-Pure Mother and St John, she must have stayed with them during the happier time after the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ. Thus in the Acts of the Apostles St Luke writes that all the Apostles with one mind stayed in prayer and supplication, with certain women and Mary the Mother of Jesus and His brethren.
Holy Tradition testifies that when the Apostles departed from Jerusalem to preach to all the ends of the earth, then Mary Magdalene also went with them. A daring woman, whose heart was full of reminiscence of the Resurrection, she went beyond her native borders and went to preach in pagan Rome. Everywhere she proclaimed to people about Christ and His teaching. When many did not believe that Christ is risen, she repeated to them what she had said to the Apostles on the radiant morning of the Resurrection: "I have seen the Lord!" With this message she went all over Italy.
Tradition relates that in Italy Mary Magdalene visited Emperor Tiberias (14-37 A.D.) and proclaimed to him Christ's Resurrection. According to Tradition, she took him a red egg as a symbol of the Resurrection, a symbol of new life with the words: "Christ is Risen!" Then she told the emperor that in his Province of Judea the unjustly condemned Jesus the Galilean, a holy man, a miracleworker, powerful before God and all mankind, had been executed at the instigation of the Jewish High Priests, and the sentence confirmed by the procurator appointed by Tiberias, Pontius Pilate.

Mary repeated the words of the Apostles, that we are redeemed from the vanity of life is not with perishable silver or gold, but rather by the precious Blood of Christ.  Thanks to Mary Magdalene the custom to give each other paschal eggs on the day of the Radiant Resurrection of Christ spread among Christians over all the world. On one ancient Greek manuscript, written on parchment, kept in the monastery library of St Athanasius near Thessalonica, is a prayer read on the day of Holy Pascha for the blessing of eggs and cheese. In it is indicated that the igumen in passing out the blessed eggs says to the brethren: "Thus have we received from the holy Fathers, who preserved this custom from the very time of the holy Apostles, therefore the holy Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene first showed believers the example of this joyful offering."

Mary Magdalene continued her preaching in Italy and in the city of Rome itself. Evidently, the Apostle Paul has her in mind in his Epistle to the Romans (16: 6), where together with other ascetics of evangelic preaching he mentions Mary (Mariam), who as he expresses "has bestowed much labor on us." Evidently, she extensively served the Church in its means of subsistence and its difficulties, being exposed to dangers, and sharing with the Apostles the labors of preaching.
According to Church Tradition, she remained in Rome until the arrival of the Apostle Paul, and for two more years following his departure from Rome after the first court judgment upon him. From Rome, St Mary Magdalene, already bent with age, moved to Ephesus where the holy Apostle John unceasingly labored. There the saint finished her earthly life and was buried.
Her holy relics were transferred in the ninth century to Constantinople, and placed in the monastery Church of St Lazarus. In the era of the Crusader campaigns they were transferred to Italy and placed at Rome under the altar of the Lateran Cathedral. Part of the relics of Mary Magdalene are said to be in Provage, France near Marseilles, where over them at the foot of a steep mountain a splendid church is built in her honor.
The Orthodox Church honors the holy memory of St Mary Magdalene, the woman called by the Lord Himself from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God.
Formerly immersed in sin and having received healing, she sincerely and irrevocably began a new life and never wavered from that path. Mary loved the Lord Who called her to a new life. She was faithful to Him not only when He was surrounded by enthusiastic crowds and winning recognition as a miracle-worker, but also when all the disciples deserted Him in fear and He, humiliated and crucified, hung in torment upon the Cross. This is why the Lord, knowing her faithfulness, appeared to her first, and esteemed her worthy to be first to proclaim His Resurrection.

St Mary Magdalen  The story of St Mary Magdalen, as generally received in the West following St Gregory the Great, is one of the most moving and encouraging in the Holy Scriptures.  Mention is made in the gospels of a woman who was a sinner (Luke VII 37-50, etc.), of Mary Magdalen, a follower of our Lord (John xx 10-18, etc.), and of Mary of Bethany, the sister of Lazarus (Luke X 38-42, etc.), and the liturgy of the Roman church by identifying these three as one single individual has set its approval on the ancient tradition and popular belief of Western Catholics.

    Mary Magdalen, whom our English ancestors called "Mawdleyn ", probably received her name from Magdala, a place on the western shore of the sea of Galilee, near to Tiberias, and our Lord first met her when on His Galilean ministry.       St Luke records that she was a sinner, and evidently a notorious sinner (though he says nothing to suggest that she was a public harlot, as is commonly supposed), and goes on to describe how, Christ having accepted an invitation to dine with a Pharisee, she came into the house while they were at table, fell weeping before Jesus, and, having wiped His feet with her own hair, anointed them with ointment from an alabaster box.    The Pharisee murmured at what seemed to him the unbecoming acquiescence of a prophet in the presence of a great sinner, and Jesus, knowing his thoughts, rebuked him; first by asking which of two released debtors, a great and a small, had the more cause to be grateful to their creditor, and then directly:

And to the penitent woman he said, "Thy sins are forgiven thee. Thy faith hath made thee safe. Go in peace."

    In his very next chapter St Luke, in speaking of the missionary travels of our Lord in Galilee, tells us that He and His apostles were accompanied and ministered to by certain women, among them (by name) Mary Magdalen, "out of whom seven devils had gone forth ".  Later, He entered into a certain town and was received by Martha and her sister Mary, who supposedly had come to live with their brother. Lazarus at Bethany in order to be nearer the Master who, at their instance, had restored him to life.   Martha, busy about the house, appealed to Him to urge Mary to help her, rather than to sit continually at His feet listening to His words, and received that answer which has puzzled and consoled all succeeding ages:
"Martha, Martha, thou art careful and art troubled about many things.  But one thing is necessary.  Mary hath chosen the best part, which shalt not be taken away from her."    Mary the sinner had become Mary the contemplative.
   On the day before the triumphal entry into Jerusalem which was the prelude to His passion, Jesus supped with the family of Lazarus at Bethany (Jesus loved them, St John tells us), and on this occasion Mary again anointed His head and feet and wiped them with her hair, so that " the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment ".   And again there was a critic present, this time Judas Iscariot the apostle, scandalized not because he was self-righteous but because he was dishonest and avaricious ;  and even the other disciples were distressed at what seemed a waste.   And again Jesus vindicated Magdalen:
 "Let her alone  Why do you molest her?  She hath wrought a good work upon me.  For the poor you have always with you, and whensoever you will you may do them good; but me you have not always. She hath done what she could: she is come beforehand to anoint my body for the burial.  Amen, I say to you-wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, that also which she hath done shall be told for a memorial of her."  "And behold !" says St John Chrysostom, "what He said has come to pass. Wherever you go you will hear her praises sung...The dwellers in Persia, in India..in the British isles celebrate this deed."
   And yet Mary Magdalen is remembered at least as well for other things.   In the darkest hour of our Lord's life she stood at some distance, watching Him on the cross; and with "the other Mary" she saw the great stone rolled before the door of the tomb wherein lay the body of the Lord.   But the crowning mercy of the life of Mary Magdalen was yet to come, for it was she who, bearing sweet spices and weeping by the sepulchre early on the first day of the week, was the first to see, to be greeted by, and to recognize, the risen Christ; she, the contemplative, was the first witness to that resurrection without which our faith and our preaching are alike vain ; it was to the abused flesh of the penitent that the radiant and glorified body of the Son of God was first na'de manifest.
Jesus saith to her, "Mary"  She, turning, saith to Him, "Master!" Jesus saith to her: "Do not touch me, for I am not yet ascended to my Father.  But go to my brethren and say to them: I ascend to my Father and to your Father, to my God and to your God."
   According to Eastern tradition, Mary Magdalen after Pentecost accompanied our Lady and St John to Ephesus where she died md was buried; the English pilgrim St Willibald was shown her shrine there in the middle of the eighth century. But according to the tradition of France, in the Roman Martyrology and by the granting of various local feasts, she, with Lazarus, Martha. and others, evangelized Provence. The last thirty years of her life, it is claimed, she spent in a cavern of a rock, La Sainte Baume, high up among the Maritime Alps, to be transported miraculously, just before she died, to the chapel of St Maximin; she received the last sacraments from and was buried by that saint.
    The earliest known reference to the coming of the Palestinians to France is of the eleventh century, in connection with the relics of St Mary Magdalen claimed by the abbey of Vézelay in Burgundy; the elaborations of the story seem to have spread in Provence only during the thirteenth. From 1279 the relics of the Magdalen are said to be in the keeping of the monks of Vézelay and of the Dominican friars of Saint-Maximin, to the shrine in which church and the cave at La Sainte Baume pilgrimage is still popular.
      But research, especially by Mgr Duchesne, has demonstrated more and more clearly that neither the relics nor the story of the voyage of the friends of our Lord to Marseilles can be relied on as authentic; in spite of the defence of those piously concerned on behalf of the local belief, it cannot be doubted that the whole story is a fabrication.
  Among the other curious and baseless tales current about the saint in the middle ages is that she was affianced to St John the Evangelist when Christ called him. "She had thereof indignation that her husband was taken from her, and went and gave herself to all delight; but because it was not fitting that the calling of St John should be the occasion of her damnation, therefore our Lord mercifully converted her to penance, and because He had taken from her sovereign delight of the flesh, He replenished her with sovereign spiritual delight before all other, that is, the love of God" (The Golden Legend).

Philíppis, in Macedónia, sanctæ Syntyches, cujus méminit beátus Paulus Apóstolus.
    At Philippi in Macedonia, St. Syntyche, mentioned by the blessed apostle Paul.

356 St Joseph of Palestine,  mentioned in RM, appears nowhere venerated liturgically in the world, not even country where he was so conspicuous a figure; he privately exorcised an indwelling demon in the name of our Lord, and the energumen was delivered; making the sign of the cross upon a vessel of water, poured it on the kilns, and the fire instantly burst forth and burned; Constantine the Great gave Joseph the rank of comes with authority to build churches over Galilee, particularly in Jewish towns; Scythopolis (Bethsan), lodged St Eusebius of Vercelli; harboured other servants of God, like St  Epiphanius; at Tiberias produced Massoretic doctors, who are famous for the invention of the vowel points to preserve the pronunciation of written Hebrew

   Constantine the Great gave Joseph the rank of comes (he is sometimes referred to as "Count Joseph"), with authority to build churches over Galilee, wherever he should judge proper, but particularly in the Jewish towns. It is said that, the Jews having employed many artifices to hinder the work and stopped his lime-kilns from burning, he, making the sign of the cross upon a vessel of water, poured it on the kiln, and the fire instantly burst forth and burned.  But Joseph eventually had to leave Tiberias, and went to live at Scythopolis (Bethsan), where in 355 he lodged St Eusebius of Vercelli, banished by the Asians. He harboured other servants of God, among the rest St Epiphanius, who had from his own mouth the particulars here related. Joseph was then seventy years of age, and died soon after, about the year 356. It is matter for remark that, though he is mentioned in the Roman Martyrology, his name having been added by Baronius, St Joseph appears to have been venerated liturgically nowhere in the world, not even in the country of which he was so conspicuous a figure.

See the Acta Sanctorum, July, vol. v, where a Latin translation is provided of the textof St Epiphanius. 356 St. Joseph of Palestine A convert from Judaism and patron of St. Eusebius of Vercelli and St. Epiphanus. One tradition states that Joseph was so moved by the deathbed Baptism of the great Jewish rabbi, Hillel, that he became a Christian. His Jewish congregation beat him and threw him in a river, but he still refused to abjure the faith. He was made a comes by Emperor Constantine and built Christian churches in Galilee. Joseph protected St. Eusebius of Vercelli and St. Epiphanus. St. Epiphanius wrote Joseph’s biography.

St. Movean Abbot and companion of St. Patrick, also called Biteus. Movean was abbot of Inis-Coosery, County Down, Ireland. He served as a missionary in Perthshire and died as a hermit.

Dabius (Davius) of Scotland (AC). The Irish priest Dabius preached effectively in his homeland before migrating to Albany, Scotland. He is the titular patron of several churches, including the parish of Domnach Cluana in the County Down, and of Kippau in the Highlands. May be identical with Saint Movean (Biteus), a disciple of Saint Patrick (Benedictines, Husenbeth).

Movean (Biteus) of Inis-Coosery Abbot (AC).  Movean was a disciple of Saint Patrick and abbot of Inis-Coosery in County Down.

He seems to have also worked in Perthshire, where he is thought to have died as a hermit (Benedictines).

668 St. Wandrille Benedictine abbot  a noble family and related to Blessed Pepin of Landen, he was sent to the court of the Frankish king Dagobert I
In monastério Fontanéllæ, in Gállia, sancti Wandregísili Abbátis, miráculis clari; cujus corpus ad Blandínum monastérium, in Flándria, póstea delátum fuit.
    In the monastery of Fontanelle in France, Abbot St. Wandrille, famous for his miracles.  His body was afterwards translated to the monastery of Blandin, in Flanders.
Also called Wandregisilus and Vandrille. Born near Verdun, France, to a noble family and related to Blessed Pepin of Landen, he was sent to the court of the Frankish king Dagobert I (r. 629-639) of Austrasia (parts of modern Germany and France). There he wed in accordance with the wishes of his family. In 628, after a pilgrimage to Rome, he and his wife separated by mutual agreement so that each could enter the religious life. After living for a time as a hermit, he entered the Benedictine monastery of Montfaucon, in Champagne, France, where he lived for ten years. Wandrille then left the abbey to become a hermit at St. Ursanne, Jura. He then went to Roumain-Moutier, where he was ordained. He founded the monastery of Fontenelle, in Normandy a school as well as what was to become a leading missionary center and one of the respected monastic institutions of France.

Wandrille (Wandregisilus) was born at the end of the sixth century, or the beginning of the seventh, in the neighbourhood of Verdun, a relative of Bd Pepin of Landen, the ancestor of the Carolingian dynasty; he was brought up in a sober and Christian home, where he was taught the rudiments of secular learning.  For the Frankish nobility all advancement and successful careers began at the royal court, and when he was old enough to the Austrasian court Wandrille went.    In accordance with the wishes of his parents he married.   He did not want to, for his heart was, set on the monastic life, but he found that his bride shared his wishes they therefore lived together as brother and sister (though it is also said that they were first the parents of St Landrada), until such time as Wandrille could arrange his secular affairs, when each went into a monastery.  This happened about the year 628, and not without objection from King Dagobert, who did not want to lose so reliable and efficient a servant.  Wandrille first of all put himself under the direction of St Baudry at Montfaucon, near Verdun, and a few months here showed him that he needed a life of complete solitude for a time.   So he retired to the wooded banks of the river Doubs, at Saint-Ursanne in the Jura, and there built himself a log hut, in which he lived for five or six years.  His way of life and the nature of the austerities he practised (eating only twice a week, sleeping only an hour or two, saying his office with bare limbs on the frozen ground) are very reminiscent of the monks of Ireland, it has been said that probably the memory of St Columban haunted his mind; the district in which he was now living had been sanctified by the life and death of St Ursicinus, one of Columban's disciples, and Wandrille even projected a visit to Ireland.  He left this place and the disciples who had gradually gathered round him there, and went for a time to St Columban`s abbey at Bobbio, and from thence to the abbey of Romain-Moñtier, on the I'sere.  Here he remained for ten years, perfecting himself in the rules and exercises of the cenobitical life and receiving holy orders from the hands of St Ouen, Archbishop of Rouen, in whose diocese he worked for a time.

There are two lives of this saint, printed in the Acta Sanctorum (July, vol. v) and elsewhere; but only the first, composed in very barbarous Latin by a monk of Fontenelle about the year 700, is of any historical value. This has been critically edited by B. Krusch in the fifth volume of MGH., Scriptores Merov., pp. 1-24.  The other life, which dates only from the middle of the ninth century, is quite worthless.  From a misapprehension of the character of this second text a good deal that has been written popularly about St Wandregisilus is unreliable  this remark applies notably to the life published by Dom Besse in the series "Les Saints".  See also Gesta sanct patrum Fontaneliensis coenobii, ed. Lohier-Laporte (1936), pp. 114.

Menáti, in território Arvernénsi, sancti Meneléi Abbátis.
    At Menat, in the territory of Auvergne, St. Meneleus, abbot.

1088  Bd Benno, Bishop Of Osnabruck; noteworthy work as an architect "official architect" to the Emperor Henry III; sent more than once as imperial envoy to pope St Gregory; founded Iburg monastery

His mind was on that "something else" most of the time, for he prayed continually.

Still another time, through his intercession, a woman was delivered from possession of five devils.

1619 Lawrence of Brindisi, Doctor of the Church by Pope John XXIII both a brilliant military tactician as well as a peacemaker; became a Capuchin Franciscan in Verona at 16 and took the name Lawrence excelled at Bible studies; main contributions are in the nine volumes of his sermons (RM) OFM Cap. (also known as Laurence, Lorenzo)
Ulyssipóne, in Lusitánia, sancti Lauréntii a Brundísio, Sacerdótis et Confessóris; qui Ordinis Minórum sancti Francísci Capuccinórum Miníster éxstitit Generális, atque, divíni verbi prædicatióne et árduis pro Dei glória gestis præclárus, a Leóne Décimo tértio, Summo Pontífice, Sanctórum fastis adscríptus est.
   
At Lisbon in Portugal, St. Lawrence of Brindisi, priest and confessor, superior general of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin of St. Francis.  Illustrious for his preaching and his arduous labour for the glory of God, he was canonized by Pope Leo XIII.
Born in Brindisi, Naples, Italy, July 22, 1559; died in Lisbon, Portugal, July 22, 1619; beatified in 1783; canonized in 1881; declare a Doctor of the Church by Pope John XXIII in 1959; feast day formerly on July 23.  Cesare de Rossi was born to a Venetian family in the kingdom of Naples. He was educated by the local Conventual Franciscans and then by his uncle in the College of Saint Mark in Venice. He was both a brilliant military tactician as well as a peacemaker.  At age 16, he became a Capuchin Franciscan in Verona and took the name Lawrence. He pursued higher studies in theology, philosophy, and Scripture at the University of Padua. There he demonstrated an incredible gift for languages--Greek, Hebrew, German, Bohemian, French, and Spanish--and excelled at Bible studies. He gave a Lenten course of sermons while still a deacon, and after being ordained, he preached successfully in Padua, Verona, Vicenza, and elsewhere in northern Italy.

In 1596, he became a definitor general of the order in Rome, a position he was to hold five times. Pope Clement VIII commissioned him to evangelize the Jews; his facility with Hebrew contributed to his success at this task. He accompanied Blessed Benedict of Urbino to Germany to establish the Capuchins as a means of counteracting the spread of Lutheranism. They nursed plague victims and established monasteries at Prague, Vienna, and Gorizia, which were to develop into the provinces of Bohemia, Austria, and Styria. Lawrence then was elected minister general of the Capuchins.
During this time, the Turks were threatening to conquer Hungary.
Emperor Rudolf II begged Lawrence to unite the German princes against them. As a result of his efforts, an army was mustered, and he was appointed chaplain general. Before the battle of Szekes-Fehervar in 1601, the generals consulted him on strategy. He advised an attack, rallied the troops, and rode before the army with a crucifix. The victory of Szekes-Fehervar was attributed to him.  In 1602, he was elected vicar general of the Capuchins but refused re-election in 1605.
The emperor later commissioned Lawrence to persuade Philip III of Spain to join the Catholic League, and in the course of this task, he founded a house of Capuchins in Madrid. He was then sent to Munich as nuncio of the Holy See at the court of Maximilian of Bavaria, head of the League, from which location, in addition to his other duties, he administered two provinces of his order.  After serving as a diplomat for two more royal tangles, returned to the monastery of Caserta in 1618, desiring a more solitary life.  Representatives from Naples came to him, however, and asked him to intercede for them with King Philip about the Spanish viceroy, the duke of Osuna, whose dictatorial methods they feared would cause a rebellion.  Although he was ill and tired and predicted that he would not return alive, he agreed. He was forced to travel to Lisbon in the heat of summer. There he convinced the king of the seriousness of the case, and the duke was recalled. After accomplishing his aim, he returned to his lodging and died on his sixtieth birthday. Lawrence was buried in the cemetery of Poor Clares at Villafranca.
His written works included some controversial pieces against the Lutherans and a commentary on Genesis, but his main contributions are in the nine volumes of his sermons (Attwater, Benedictines, Bentley, Delaney, Encyclopedia, Farmer, Walsh, White).

Cessare De Rossi, was born at Brindisi in the kingdom of Naples in 1559, of a Venetian family of good standing. He was educated first by the Conventual Franciscans in his birthplace and then by his uncle in the college of St Mark at Venice. He made rapid progress, both in studies and in the spiritual life, and when he was sixteen received the Capuchin Franciscan habit at Verona, taking the name of Laurence.
   He made his philosophical and theological studies at the University of Padua, displaying a marvellous gift for languages: he learned Greek, Hebrew, German, Bohemian, French and Spanish, and had an extraordinary knowledge of the text of the Bible. White still a deacon he preached a Lenten course of sermons, and after his ordination preached with great fruit in Padua, Verona, Vicenza and other towns of northern Italy.   In 1596 he went to fill the office of definitor general of his order in Rome, and was charged by Pope Clement VIII to work for the conversion of the Jews.  In this he had considerable success, his knowledge of Hebrew being a valuable adjunct to his learning and holy life.  He was sent with Bd Benedict of Urbino into Germany to establish the Capuchins there as a bulwark against Lutheranism; they began this work by nursing those sick of the plague, and before they left they had founded friaries at Prague, Vienna and Gorizia, which developed into the provinces of Bohemia, Austria and Styria.  At the chapter of 1602 he was elected minister general of the Capuchins, and administered his charge with both vigour and charity, setting out at once on a visitation of the provinces. But when his term of tffice was up, in 1605 he refused to accept re-election; nor was there other work lacking for him to do.
    While still vicar general Laurence had been sent by the emperor, Rudolf II, to enlist the help of the German princes against the Turks who were threatening the whole of Hungary.  He was successful in his mission, an army was got together, and Laurence was appointed chaplain general of the forces.  He even fulfilled in some respects the duties of chief-of-staff as well : before the battle of Szekes-Fehervar in 1601 the friar was consulted by the generals; he advised assault, gave a rousing address to the troops, and himself rode before the army-armed with a crucifix.
   The crushing defeat of the Turks was attributed on all hands to St Laurence.  There is a story that on his way back from this campaign he stayed with his brethren at Gorizia, where our Lord appeared to them in choir and gave all holy communion with His own hand. Having spent some time preaching and recoaciling heretics in Germany he was commissioned by the emperor to induce Philip III of Spain to join the Catholic League, and took the opportunity to found a house of Capuchins in Madrid. Then he was sent to Munich as nuncio of the Holy See at the court of Maximilian of Bavaria, head of the League; from here he administered two provinces of his order and continued his work of pacification and conversion.  After settling two more royal quarrels he retired in 1618 to the friary at Caserta, hoping there to be free from exterior distractions, though he had
had the will and the grace never to allow his activities in secular affairs to get in the way of the principal business of self-sanctification.  He frequently fell into ecstasy while saying Mass, and his personal devotion was the starting-point of all his achievements.
    But princes and governors, however irreligious themselves, often value the service of truly religious men.  The chief men of Naples came to Laurence and complained of the tyranny of the Spanish viceroy, the Duke of Osuna;  they feared a rising of the people; would he go to the court of King Philip and put their case before him?  The saint was still not very old, but he was worn out and he was ill ; moreover, he predicted that if he went he would never return. He set out. When at last he arrived in Madrid the king was not there: he had gone to Lisbon.  So Laurence followed him across Spain and Portugal in the heat of summer.  He used all his eloquence and power of persuasion on behalf of the Neapolitans, and gained his point; the Duke of Osuna should be recalled.
   Then Laurence returned to his lodging, and there, on his birthday, July 22, in the year 1619, he died.   He was buried in the cemetery of the Poor Clares at Villafranca, and was beatified in 1783; when in the course of the process his writings were examined, it was recorded of them that " Indeed, he is fit to be included among the holy doctors of the Church". These writings consist for the most part of sermons, but include also a commentary on the book of Genesis and some works against Luther; until recently but little of them had been printed. St Laurence of Brindisi was canonized in 1881.

So excellent was his knowledge of Hebrew, the rabbis felt sure he was a Jew who had become a Christian.

1679 Bds. Philip Evans priest S.J. and John Lloyd a secular priest, missionary to minister in his own country; Martyred " as priests who had come unlawfully into the realm"
Philip Evans was born at Monmouth in 1645, was educated at Saint-Omer, and joined the Society of Jesus at the age of twenty.  in 1675 he was ordained at Liege and sent to South Wales.   He was soon well known for his zeal, but no active notice was taken by the authorities until the scare of  "Oates's  plot ", when in the November of 1678 John Arnold, of Llanvihangel Court near Abergavenny, a justice of the peace and hunter of priests, offered a reward of £200 for his arrest. Father Evans refused to leave his flock, and early in December was caught at the house of Christopher Turberville at Sker in Glamorgan. He refused the oath and was confined alone in an underground dungeon in Cardiff Castle. Two or three weeks afterwards he was joined by Mr John Lloyd, a secular priest, who had been taken at Penlline in Glamorgan.  He was a Breconshire man, who had taken the missionary oath at Valladolid in 1649 and been sent to minister in his own country.
  After five months the two prisoners were brought up for trial at the shire-hall in Cardiff, charged not with complicity in the "plot" but as priests who had come unlawfully into the realm.   It had been difficult to collect witnesses against them, and they were condemned and sentenced by Mr Justice Owen, Wynne principally on the evidence of two poor women who were suborned to say that they had seen Father Evans celebrating Mass.  On their return to prison they were better treated and allowed a good deal of liberty, so that when the under-sheriff came on July 21 to announce that their execution was fixed for the morrow, Father Evans was playing a game of tennis and would not return to his cell till he had finished it.  Part of his few remaining hours of life he spent playing on the harp and talking to the numerous people who came to say farewell to himself and Mr Lloyd when the news got around. The execution took place on Gallows Field (at the northeastern end of what is now Richmond Road, Cardiff).

Bd Philip died first, after having addressed the people in Welsh and English, and saying, "Adieu, Mr Lloyd, though for a little time, for we shall shortly meet again", to Bd John, who made only a very brief speech because, as he said, "I never was a good speaker in my life".  See Challoner, MMP., pp. 544-547. Challoner cites the Florus Anglo-Bavaricus, and there was also a broadsheet printed the same year (1679), of which there is a copy at the British Museum, describing the martyr's death. See also T. P. Ellis, Catholic Martyrs of Wales (1933),  pp. 119-125 and Catholic Record Society Publications, vol. xlvii (1953), pp. 296-299

1679 Sts. Philip Evans & John Lloyd
Philip Evans was born at Monmouth in 1645, was educated at Saint-Omer, and joined the Society of Jesus at the age of twenty. In 1675 he was ordained at Liege and sent to South Wales. He was soon well known for his zeal, but no active notice was taken by the authorities until the scare of Oates plot, when in the November of 1678 John Arnold, of Llanvihangel Court near Abergavenny, a justice of the peace and hunter of priests, offered a reward of £200 for his arrest. Father Evans refused to leave his flock, and early in December was caught at the house of Christopher Turberville at Sker in Glamorgan. He refused the oath and was confined alone in an underground dungeon in Cardiff Castle. Two or three weeks afterwards he was joined by Mr John Lloyd, a secular priest, who had been taken at Penlline in Glamorgan. He was a Breconshire man, who had taken the missionary oath at Valladolid in 1649 and been sent to minister in his own country. After five months the two prisoners were brought up for trial at the shire-hall in Cardiff, charged not with complicity in the plot but as priests who had come unlawfully into the realm. It had been difficult to collect witnesses against them, and they were condemned and sentenced by Mr Justice Owen Wynne principally on the evidence of two poor women who were suborned to say that they had seen Father Evans celebrating Mass. On their return to prison they were better treated and allowed a good deal of liberty, so that when the under-sheriff came on July 21 to announce that their execution was fixed for the morrow, Father Evans was playing a game of tennis and would not return to his cell till he had finished it. Part of his few remaining hours of life he spent playing on the harp and talking to the numerous people who came to say farewell to himself and Mr Lloyd when the news got around. The execution took place on Gallows Field (at the north-eastern end of what is now Richmond Road, Cardiff). St Philip died first, after having addressed the people in Welsh and English, and saying ‘Adieu, Mr Lloyd, though for a little time, for we shall shortly meet again , to St John, who made only a very brief speech because, as he said, ‘I never was a good speaker in my life .

Philip Evans, SJ, and John Lloyd, Priests MM (RM) Died at Cardiff, Wales, on July 22, 1679; beatified in 1929; canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1970 as two of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
Philip Evans was born in Monmouthshire, Wales, in 1645, and educated at Saint-Omer. He joined the Society of Jesus when he was 20 and was ordained at Liège, Belgium, in 1675. Father Philip was sent back to Wales to minister to the Catholics in the southern part of the country. For several years he zealously ministered to his flock unmolested, but the civil authorities turned a blind eye until November 1678. Although John Arnold, a justice of the peace and hunter of priests, offered a 200 pound bounty for his arrest, Father Evans refused to leave his flock untended.
Meanwhile, John Lloyd, a native of Breconshire (Brecknockshire), Wales, was educated at Ghent, Belgium, and Valladolid, Spain, where he was ordained in 1653. The following year he returned to Wales and ministered to his fellow countrymen for 24 years.
In December 1678, Father Evans was arrested at the home of Christopher Turberville at Sker, Glamorgan. When he refused to take the Oath of Supremacy, he was imprisoned alone in Cardiff Castle, until he was joined several weeks later by John Lloyd, who was arrested at Penllyn, Glamorgan. They had both been arrested in the hysteria of the Titus Oates plot to kill King Charles II.
After five months, the two priests were brought to trial, but when no evidence of their complicity could be produced, they were charged with being priests, which was illegal in the realm. Few were willing to serve as witnesses against them. Finally, they were convicted on the evidence of two poor women who were suborned to say that they had seen Father Evans celebrating Mass.
Following the trial they were returned to prison, where they were allowed a great deal of liberty- -so much liberty that when an official came to tell them they were be executed the following day, Father Evans was playing tennis and would not return to his cell until he had finished it. Father Evans spent his remaining hours playing the harp and talking to his well-wishers who came to visit them. It almost seems as though the local people were reluctant to have treated them in such an uncharitable manner.
They were executed on Gallows Field (at the northeastern end of what is now Richmond Road). Father Evans addressed the onlookers in Welsh and English and, turning to his fellow martyr, said: "Adieu, Mr. Lloyd, though for a little time, for we shall shortly meet again." After Evans death, Father Lloyd made only a brief speech because, as he said, "I never was a good speaker in my life" (Benedictines, Delaney, Walsh)