In the year 47 AD according to Ernst, Gamba and Sausseret, or in 70 AD according to Hierzenberger, a woman named Vila (or Villa), originating from Ravessium, was afflicted with a high fever. She asked to be carried up to Mount Anis and laid herself down on the flat stone top of a dolmen, which had the reputation of being miraculous. It was known as the “fever stone”. The woman fell asleep and the Blessed Virgin appeared to her in a dream, telling her to visit Bishop George, the bishop of that diocese, to ask him to build a church. The bishop would be given a sign: Vila’s cure.

Early the next morning, Vila was cured and went to find the bishop who received her warmly. The prelate went up to Mount Anis (the date was July 11th), accompanied by his clergy. The precise place where the Virgin had appeared was covered with snow; a stag had traced the contour of the future building there with its antlers. The bishop had a wooden palisade made for this spot.

This is the origin of the sanctuary of Puy-en-Velay according to local tradition. It was the first sanctuary dedicated to the Mother of God in Europe. In the 11th century, Saint Leo IX (1002-1054) proclaimed it “the most famous sanctuary in France”. The “fever stone” mentioned in the story was kept in the cathedral until around the year 1000, at which time it was placed outside at the top of the monumental 134-step staircase.

The saints are a “cloud of witnesses over our head”, showing us life of Christian perfection is possible.

June 8 - Our Lady of Alexandria Egypt, 4th C. Every Priestly Vocation Passes through the Heart of the Blessed Virgin
We cannot live, we cannot look at the truth about ourselves without letting ourselves be looked at and generated by Christ in daily Eucharistic Adoration, and the Stabat of Mary, "Woman of the Eucharist," beneath her Son's Cross, is the most significant example of contemplation and adoration of the divine Sacrifice that has been given to us. ...

Lastly, the Holy Mother of God remains an indispensable foundation of the whole of priestly life. The relationship with her cannot be resolved in pious devotional practice but is nourished by ceaseless entrustment to the arms of the ever Virgin of the whole of our life, of our ministry in its entirety. Mary Most Holy also leads us, like John, beneath the Cross of her Son and Our Lord in order to contemplate, with her, God's infinite Love: "He who for us is Life itself descended here and endured our death and slew it by the abundance of his Life" (St Augustine, Confessions, IV, 12).

... Pope St Pius X said: "Every priestly vocation comes from the heart of God but passes through the heart of a mother." This is true with regard to obvious biological motherhood but it is also true of the "birth" of every form of fidelity to the Vocation of Christ. We cannot do without a spiritual motherhood for our priestly life: let us entrust ourselves confidently to the prayer of the whole of Holy Mother Church, to the motherhood of the People, whose pastors we are but to whom are entrusted our custody and holiness; let us ask for this fundamental support.

Saint John of Kronstadt >
glorified by Russian Orthodox Church 1990. also commemorated on December 20

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 84

O Lady, thou hast blessed thy house: thou hast consecrated thy dwelling.
This one is fair among the daughters of Jerusalem: whose memory is in blessing.
The holy angels have proclaimed her blessed: glorify her, ye Virtues and Dominations.
Ye peoples and nations, seek out her prudence: and search out the treasures of her mercy.
Think of her in goodness: and seek her in simplicity of heart.

Join us on CatholicVote.org. Be part of a new movement committed to using powerful media projects to create a Culture of Life. We can help shape the movement and have a voice in its future. Check it out at www.CatholicVote.org

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

An account of the legend of St Mary Magdalen’s and of St Martha’s presence in Provence will be found under July 22 and 29. For the shrine at Saint-Maximin, the reader may be referred to H. Leclercq’s  article ín DAC., vol. x (1932), cc. 2798—2819. The legend of Maximin and Sidonius seems originally suggested by the bringing to Provence of certain relics from Aydat, near Billom in Auvergne. See also Duchesne, Fastes Épiscopaux, Vol. i. pp. 321—362.

In Sardínia sancti Sallustiáni Confessóris.    In Sardinia, St. Sallustian, confessor.

425 Saint Ephraim, Patriarch of Antioch defended teaching of the Orthodox Church on the union of two natures the divine and the human in the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ; a Syrian distinguished for his virtue, piety, and compassion for all the destitute miracle of the omophorion
A military general under the emperors Anastasius (491-518) and Justin (518-527)
 The saint was distinguished for his virtue, piety, and compassion for all the destitute.
In the year 526 the Lord punished Antioch for Christians falling into the heresies of Nestorius and Eutyches, an earthquake destroyed this magnificent city. A large number of the inhabitants perished. Patriarch Euphrasios was crushed beneath a fallen column.
The emperor summoned Ephraim to oversee the restoration of the ruined city. Among the workers was a bishop who left his see for unknown reasons. He predicted to Ephraim his election to the patriarchal throne and asked him not to abandon deeds of charity, and to struggle firmly against the heretics. In the year 527 Ephraim was indeed elected to the patriarchal throne. He governed his flock firmly and wisely by the example of his life. He also defended it against heretical teachings through his sermons and letters.
The following event gives some idea of his faith. Near Herakleia was a stylite practicing asceticism, who had fallen into heresy. Learning about the ascetic, Ephraim went to him and urged him to be reunited to the Orthodox Church. The stylite was not agreeable. He decided to frighten the patriarch and he offered to kindle a large bonfire, so that they both might enter the fire. The bonfire was set, but the stylite did not dare to go into it. The patriarch prayed to the Lord Jesus Christ to show that his was the correct faith and, removing his omophorion, he put it in the bonfire. After three hours the firewood was consumed, but the omophorion of the saint was taken out unharmed. The stylite was converted from his heresy and reunited to the Church.
Ephraim fell asleep in the Lord in the year 425.

Apud Sénonas sancti Heráclii Epíscopi.    At Sens, the bishop St. Heraclius.

543 Saint Victorinus twin bishop brother of Saint Severinus preferred eremitical life B (RM)
Cameríni sancti Victoríni Confessóris, qui fuit prædícti sancti Severíni, Septempedáni Epíscopi, germánus frater.
    At Camerino, St. Victorinus, confessor, the twin brother of St. Severin, bishop of Septempeda.
Victorinus, brother of Saint Severinus, was made bishop of Camerino in 540 against his will by Pope Virgilius.

In Picéno sancti Severíni, Septempedáni Epíscopi.
   In Piceno, St. Severin, bishop of Septempeda.

To judge by the number of entries, nn. 5863 to 5874, in BHL., one would be disposed to think that materials for a life of St Medard were abundant. But most of these sources are very unsatisfactory. The poem of Venantius Fortunatus, though he was a friend of St Radegund and himself of contemporary date, tells us but little it is largely taken up with recounting some rather trivial and improbable miracles. The early prose life (c. An. 6oo), at one time also attributed to Venantius, is not by him, but it seems reliable. The best text of this is that edited by Bruno Krusch in MGH., Auctores Antiquissimi, vol. iv, part ii, pp. 67—73. Another anonymous life of the ninth century adds relatively little to our knowledge. On the other hand, a biography by Radbod, written about 1080, is full of information, but it is information of a most suspicious kind. He himself was bishop of the united sees of Noyon and Tournai, and there is grave reason to think that, being faced by a strong party who were opposed to this union of dioceses, he hoped to secure himself in his position by claiming that the arrangement was centuries old, and was based upon a precedent set by the deeply venerated St Medard. It seems incredible that, if the saint had really become bishop of Tournai, Gregory of Tours, Venantius and all other early writers could have failed to mention the fact. It is not even certain that the transfer of the see to Noyon took place in St Medard’s time. There is a convenient summary of the case by H. Leclercq in DAC., vol. xi, cc. 102—107 and see Duchesne, Fastes Épiscopaux, vol. iii, p. 102 and R. Hanon de Louvet, Histoire de la ville de Jodoigne (1941), cap. vii.

Metis, in Gállia, sancti Clodúlphi Epíscopi.    At Metz, the bishop St. Clodulph.

ST Clodulf and Ansegis were the sons of St Arnoul, bishop of Metz, and his wife Doda, who took the veil when her husband became a priest. Like their father, the two brothers held important offices at the court of the kings of Austrasia. Ansegis married Begga, a daughter of Pepin of Landen, and became the ancestor of the Carlovingian kings of France, but Clodulf, after the death in 656 of St Godo, bishop of Metz, was chosen to fill the episcopal seat formerly occupied by his father. As a layman he had lived a devout, edifying life, and as a priest and bishop he proved a model pastor, ruling his diocese wisely, giving alms liberally and ever advancing in the path of holiness. To illustrate his humility it is recorded that when, at his desire, a biography of his father was being compiled, he insisted upon mention being made of an episode which the writer would fain have omitted. It happened on one occasion that St Arnoul, after he had exhausted his own purse in charities, applied to his sons for more money to spend on the poor. Clodulf, whom he approached first, was ungracious and made no more than a niggardly response, but Ansegis generously placed all that was required at St Arnoul’s disposal.

The life printed in the Acta Sanctorum, June, vol. ii, is of the usual legendary type, written long after the events described. Rather better material is furnished by Paulus Diaconus in his Gesta Episcoporum Mettensium (edited in Pertz, MGH., Scriptores, vol. ii). See also Weyland, Vies des Saints du diocese de Metz, vol. iii (1909), pp. 322—347; J. Depoin, in the Revue Mabillon, 1921-1922 and Duchesne, Fastes Épiscopaux vol. iii, p. 56.

1154 St. William of York, Bishop austere life of a monk, practicing much prayer and mortification; Following his death, many miracles were attributed to him.
Eboráci, in Anglia, sancti Willhélmi, Epíscopi et Confessóris, qui, inter cétera ad ejus sepúlcrum patráta mirácula, tres mórtuos suscitávit, atque ab Honório Papa Tértio in Sanctórum cánonem relátus est.
    At York in England, St. William, archbishop and confessor, who, among other miracles wrought at his tomb, raised three persons from the dead.  He was placed in the calendar of the saints by Pope Honorius III.
William of York was the son of Count Herbert, treasurer to Henry I. His mother Emma, was the half-sister of King William. Young William became treasurer of the church of York at an early age and was elected archbishop of York in 1140. William's election was challenged on the grounds of simony and unchastity. He was cleared by Rome, but later, a new Pope, the Cistercian Eugene III, suspended William, and in 1147, he was deposed as archbishop of York.
William then retired to Winchester where he led the austere life of a monk, practicing much prayer and mortification. Upon the death of his accusers and Eugene III, Pope Anastastius IV restored William his See and made him archbishop. However, after one month back in York, the saintly prelate died in the year 1154. Some claim he was poisoned by the archdeacon of York, but no record of any resolution in the case remains extant. Pope Honorius III canonized William in 1227.

William Fitzherbert B (RM)  (also known as William of York or William of Thwayt) Died at York, June 8, 1154; canonized 1226 or 1227 by Pope Honorius III.  William Fitz Herbert--son of Count Herbert, treasurer to Henry I, and Emma, half sister of King Stephen--had impressed many as canon and treasurer of York Minster. In 1140, after the death of Archbishop Thurstand, he was elected archbishop in turn by a majority of the cathedral chapter. At this point the smooth running of William's life ended. Archdeacon Walter of York and the diocese's Cistercian monks claimed that he had paid to be elevated to the archbishopric and that he was sexually incontinent. Others, including the Augustinian priors, said that his friendship with his uncle, King Stephen, gave him an improper influence in securing election to the see.
The archbishop of Canterbury was reluctant to consecrate William under such a cloud of accusation. For a time even Pope Innocent III hesitated, before finally agreeing to support William. Henry of Blois, who was both bishop of Winchester and King Stephen's brother accordingly consecrated William and he took up his duties as archbishop in 1143.
But the dispute did not end; matters soon became difficult again. William failed to receive the official 'pallium,' symbol of the pope's authority, before the pope who sent it had died. The papal legate took the pallium back to Rome.
The new pope, Eugenius III, was a Cistercian and sided with the archbishop's opponents, including Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. William visited Rome to persuade the pope of his credentials. But the pope suspended him. To make things worse, a group of his followers now violently attacked some of the monks of Fountains Abbey, itself a Cistercian foundation, and set fire to the monastery farms. The abbot of Fountains, Henry Murdac, had been William's rival for the see of York in the first place.
A council held at Rheims in 1147 now deposed William. He went to stay with Henry of Blois, and spent six chastened years living as a monk at Winchester. Only when both the pope and the abbot of Fountains were dead was he able to make a successful appeal to Pope Anastasius IV and return in triumph to York. Enormous crowds gathered on a bridge over the River Ouse as William arrived. The bridge collapsed. Fortunately no one was injured, and this was taken as a sign of good things to come. William, however, had reached the end of his life.
William was mild and conciliatory towards his enemies, but within a few months he was dead, perhaps, it was rumored, from poison at the hands of Osbert, the new archdeacon of York. He was well liked by the people, and the rumored murder doubtless contributed to a popular demand for his canonization (Attwater, Benedictines, Bentley, Delaney, Encyclopedia).
Saint William is depicted in the episcopal insignia on many windows in York, England. He might be shown (1) on a shield with eight lozenges near him; (2) crossing the Ouse Bridge; (3) on horseback, received by the Mayor at Mickelgate Bar; (4) kneeling to kiss the cross at the entrance to York Minster; or (5) as a tonsured monk praying in the wilderness with a holy dove nearby (Roeder) .

June 8, 2010  St. William of York (d. 1154)
A disputed election as archbishop of York and a mysterious death. Those are the headlines from the tragic life of today's saint.

Born into a powerful family in 12th-century England, William seemed destined for great things. His uncle was next in line for the English throne—though a nasty dynastic struggle complicated things. William himself faced an internal Church feud.  Despite these roadblocks, he was nominated as archbishop of York in 1140. Local clergymen were less enthusiastic, however, and the archbishop of Canterbury refused to consecrate William. Three years later a neighboring bishop performed the consecration, but it lacked the approval of Pope Innocent II, whose successors likewise withheld approval. William was deposed and a new election was ordered.

It was not until 1154—14 years after he was first nominated—that William became archbishop of York. When he entered the city that spring after years of exile, he received an enthusiastic welcome. Within two months he was dead, probably from poisoning. His administrative assistant was a suspect, though no formal ruling was ever made.  Despite all that happened to him, William did not show resentment toward his opponents. Following his death, many miracles were attributed to him. He was canonized 73 years later.

1154 St William, Archbishop of York
St WILLIAM FITZHERBERT, also known as William of Thwayt, is stated to have been the son of King Stephen’s half-sister Emma and of Count Herbert, treasurer to Henry I, and while yet young William himself was appointed treasurer of the church of York. He appears to have been somewhat indolent, but he was personally popular and, on the death of Archbishop Thurston of York in 1140, he was chosen to fill the vacancy. The validity of the election, however, was contested by Archdeacon Walter of York, together with a number of Cistercian abbots and Augustinian priors, who alleged unchastity and simony on the part of William and  undue influence on the part of the king. Stephen invested him with the temporalities of the see, but the archbishop of Canterbury, Theobald, hesitated to consecrate him, and the parties carried their case to Rome; where the objectors relied chiefly on the charge of intrusion into the see. Pope Innocent decided that the election might be regarded as valid provided the dean of York, also called William, should appear before a court to be held by Henry of Blois, who was bishop of Winchester and papal legate, and there swear that the chapter had received no mandate from the king.
   Dean William, who just at this time was made bishop of Durham, did not take that oath—it is possible that he could not without committing perjury. But in consequence of another papal letter, whose origins are uncertain and not altogether above suspicion, William Fitzherbert was able to satisfy Henry of Winchester, who duly consecrated him, and the clergy and people of York warmly welcomed him. He governed his diocese well; promoting peace so far as in him lay. But his opponents had abated none of their energy; and William, through, says a chronicler, his easy-goingness and tendency to procrastination, made a mistake that played into their hands. He failed to make arrangements for receiving the pallium that Pope Lucius II had sent by the hands of his legate, Cardinal Imar of Tusculum. Lucius died while the pallium was yet unconferred, and Imar took it back to Rome. To sue for it William was obliged to go again to Rome, selling or pledging some of the treasures of York to pay his expenses.
   But the new pope, Eugenius III, was a Cistercian and completely under the influence of St Bernard of Clairvaux, who had all along vigorously supported the cause of William’s opponents. Though the majority of the cardinals were in his favour, William was suspended on the ground that the bishop of Durham had not taken the oath prescribed by Innocent II. Thereupon the archbishop retired to the hospitality of his relative King Roger of Sicily. But his supporters in England, directly the news of the papal decision reached York, made an attack on Fountains Abbey, of which Henry Murdac, formerly a monk with Pope Eugenius, was abbot, and burnt its farms; they also seized and mutilated Archdeacon Walter. This criminality still further prejudiced William’s cause, and in 1147 the pope deposed him. Soon after Henry Murdac was nominated to be archbishop of York in his stead.
   Upon his return to England William took refuge with his uncle, Henry of Winchester, who treated him with honour but the deposed prelate was chastened by his misfortunes; he now shunned the luxury to which he had been accustomed, and elected to lead a penitential and austere life in the cathedral monastery. He remained thus in Winchester for six years, when in 1153 Pope Eugenius, St Bernard and Murdac all died within three months of one another: whereupon William went to Rome to plead for the restoration of his see with Pope Anastasius IV.  The new pontiff granted his petition, and conferred the pallium on him before he returned home.
   St William re-entered York in May 1154 amid popular demonstrations of joy. Under the weight of the crowds gathered to welcome him, the wooden bridge over the Ouse broke down, throwing many into the river. The rescue of these unfortunates, not one of whom sustained injury, was attributed by the citizens to the prayers of their restored archbishop. William showed no resentment towards his adversaries and almost at once visited Fountains Abbey, to which he promised restitution for the damage it had received from his violent relatives. But he did not live to carry out his projects for the benefit of his province. A month after his return to York he was taken with violent pain after celebrating a solemn Mass, and within a few days, on June 8, he was dead. The new archdeacon of York, Osbert, was haled before the king’s court on a charge of having poisoned the archbishop. The case was removed to the Holy See, but there is no record of any judgement having been given: the guilt or innocence of Osbert remains uncertain.
St William’s body was in 1284 translated from a chapel of the cathedral to the nave, in the presence of King Edward I and Queen Eleanor; but though the relics escaped destruction at the time of the Reformation and appear to have been preserved until the eighteenth century, they have now disappeared. His chief memorial in his cathedral is the great window which was put up in 1421 and is one of York’s three celebrated “walls of glass”; in its many lights there are depicted scenes from William’s life and miracles, supplemented by a few which properly belong to St John of Beverley and St John of Bridlington. Pope Honorius III canonized St William in 1227, after inquiry into the many wonders reported to have taken place at his tomb, and his feast is still observed in the dioceses of the north of England.

A brief account of this rather unsatisfactory case is given in the Acta Sanctorum, June, vol. ii. It is mainly derived from J. B. Possevinus, De Sanctis ci Beatis Tudertibus (Perugia, 1597).

An account of Bd Pacifico is furnished in an appendix to the June volume i of the Acta Sanctorum. He is also prominent in Wadding’s Scnptores, and in the Annales Ordinis Minorum, vol. xiv. See further, the Miscellanea Franciscana, vols. iii and vii, and Leon’s Auréole Séraphique (Eng. trans.), vol. ii, pp. 352—355. Small separate lives have been published by M. Cazzola and by another writer, who remains anonymous.

1609 Saint Tevdore was a simple priest who labored in the 16th century in the village of Kvelta led them in the wrong direction Embittered hungry for revenge, they beheaded Fr. Tevdore
At that time the Ottoman Empire and Persia were locked in a bitter feud over control of the Near East. At the beginning of 1609 the Ottomans conquered first the city of Baghdadi, then part of Samtskhe in southern Georgia. In June of that year they launched an attack on eastern Georgia.

At that time the Georgian ruler was the young King Luarsab II. When the Ottomans penetrated Kartli, the king was absent, abiding in his summer residence, Tskhireti Castle. But the Ottomans knew the location of his castle, and they also knew that his troops were small in number. They plotted to lay siege to the castle, capture the king, and ultimately annex all of Georgia.

The Ottomans quickly crossed the Trialeti mountain range and advanced into Manglisi, pillaging the lands and laying waste to the people as they went.

St. Luarsab had received no warning of the attack, and the enemy was just minutes from his castle.

In the village of Kvelta, not far fromManglisi, the Turks captured the priest Tevdore, a man sincere before God and devoted to his king and motherland. Fr. Tevdore was unable to escape to the woods with the other villagers, so he locked the doors to the church and concealed its sacred treasures. When the Ottoman Turks found Fr. Tevdore, they commanded him to lead them to Tskhireti Castle and threatened to kill him if he refused.
Hoping to deceive them, Tevdore led the Ottomans along a narrow, rocky mountain path away from Tskhireti Castle. Many horses and soldiers fell from the path to their deaths.  But after some time the Ottomans realized that the priest had led them in the wrong direction. Embittered and hungry for revenge, they beheaded Fr. Tevdore.