284
St. Crescentia Martyrs St. Crescentia, Vitus and Modestus were Christians
who gave their live for the Faith in the Roman province of Lucania, in southern
Italy. Crescentia was Vitus' attendant. They were racked on the iron horse
until their limbs were dislocated. At this juncture, a great storm arose
which destroyed many temples, killing a multitude of pagans. An angel now
descended from heaven, set the martyrs free, and led them back to Lucania,
where they peacefully expired, worn out by their sufferings.
284 St. Vitus the only
son of a senator in Sicily, become a Christian when he was twelve. When his
conversions and miracles became widely known to the administrator of Sicily,
Valerian, he had Vitus brought before him, to shake his faith. He was unsuccessful,
but Vitus with his tutor, Modestus, and servant, Crescentia, fled to Lucania
and then to Rome, where he freed Emperor Diocletian's son of an evil spirit.
300? Ss. Vitus, Modestus And Crescentia,
Martyrs
The various texts
of the acta of St Vitus and his companions are duly registered in BHL together
with the accounts of the translations of the relics, etc. (nn. 8711—8723).
The more important of these documents are printed in the Acta
Sanctorum, June, vol. iii. A Greek version of the story was also current,
and from this it has found its way into the synaxaries. See Delehaye’s edition
of the Constantinopolitanum, c. 751. Everything points to the conclusion that St Vitus was
at first honoured alone, and that the names of Modestus and Crescentia were
only joined to his after some romance-writer had fabricated the story now
current. A good deal has been written on the cult of these martyrs. See for
example Lanzoni, Le Diocesi d’Italia, pp. 320—322; and Huelsen,
Le Chiese di Roma nel medio evo, pp. 499—500. At Corvey,
in particular, owing to the presence there of the alleged relics, great interest
has been taken in St Vitus, as may be learnt, e.g. from Philippi,
Abhandlungen über Gorveyer Geschichtsschreibung (1906),
pp. 49—100, and from K. Thiele, Die Reichsabtei Corvey
(1928). In
Sicily the people still come to the little church of Regalbuto to solicit
St Vitus’s help for the cure of mad people, as is proved by a booklet of Mgr
Salvatore, Breve Storia di S. Vito, published as recently
as 1934.
The cultus of these three saints goes back to very early times:
their names appear in the so-called martyrology of St Jerome or Hieronymianum, and it may be taken as certain that they were
actually Christians who gave their lives for the faith in the Roman province
of Lucania, in southern Italy. Nothing is known of their true history or
of the circumstances of their martyrdom; their very date is a matter of conjecture.
It is quite possible that they were natives of Sicily as tradition asserts,
but their legends are fantastic compilations of a much later time. The reputed
relics of St Vitus were conveyed to Saint-Denis, in Paris, in 775, and from thence were translated to Corvey,
or New Corbie, in Saxony in 836. So great was the devotion
to him which developed in Germany that he was included among the Fourteen
Holy Helpers. He came to be regarded as the special protector of epileptics
as well as of those suffering from the nervous affection called after him,
St Vitus’s Dance, and he is regarded as the patron of dancers and actors.
He was also invoked against storms, over-sleeping, the bites of mad dogs,
the bites of serpents, and against all injuries that beasts can do to men.
Hence he is often represented accompanied by an animal.
The
story told in the popular legend may be summarized as follows: Vitus was
the only son of a senator of Sicily named Hylas. The boy was converted to
Christianity at the age of seven or twelve, and was baptized without the
knowledge of his parents. The numerous miracles and conversions he effected,
however, attracted the notice of Valerian, the administrator of Sicily, who
joined with Hylas in trying to detach him from the faith. But neither promises
nor threats nor even torture could shake the boy’s constancy. Moved by divine
inspiration, Vitus escaped from Sicily with his tutor, Modestus, and his
attendant, Crescentia. An angel guided their boat safely to Lucania, where
they remained for a time preaching the Gospel to the people and sustained
by food brought them by an eagle. They then went to Rome, and St Vitus cured
the son of the Emperor Diocletian by expelling the evil spirit which possessed
him; but because he would not sacrifice to the gods his powers were attributed
to sorcery. He was cast into a cauldron filled with molten lead, pitch and
resin, from which he emerged as from a refreshing bath; a lion to which he
was exposed crouched before him and licked his feet. Then Modestus, Crescentia
and he were racked on the iron horse until their limbs were dislocated. At
this juncture a great storm arose which destroyed many temples, killing a
multitude of pagans. An angel now descended from Heaven, set the martyrs
free, and led them back to Lucania, where they peacefully expired, worn out
by their sufferings.
When Vitus would not sacrifice to the gods, his cure was attributed
to sorcery. He, Modestus, and Crescentia were subjected to various tortures
from which they emerged unscathed, and were freed when during a storm, temples
were destroyed and an angel guided them back to Lucania, where they eventually
died. So much for the legend. What is fact is that their cult goes back centuries
and that they were Christians who were martyred in Lucania. A great devotion
to Vitus developed in Germany when his relics were translated to Saxony in
836. He is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers and is the patron of epileptics,
those afflicted with St. Vitus' Dance (named after him}, dancers, and actors,
and is a protector against storms.
Vitus, Modestus, & Crescentia MM (RM) (Vitus also known as Guy, Veit,
Guido) the only son of Hylas, a senator in Sicily, become a Christian when
he was very young-- between the ages of seven and 12--by the influence of
the servants who tended him. His Christian tutor, Modestus, and his nurse,
Crescentia (wife of Modestus), accompanied him on his journeys throughout
Sicily. When his conversions and miracles became widely known to the administrator
of Sicily, Valerian, he had Vitus brought before him to shake his faith.
(Another version says that his incensed father gave him up to Valerian.)
He was unsuccessful, but Vitus with his tutor and nurse fled to Lucania and
then to Rome, where he exorcised Emperor Diocletian's son of an evil spirit.
When Vitus would not sacrifice to the gods his cure was attributed to sorcery.
He, Modestus, and Crescentia were subjected to various tortures, including
a cauldron of molten lead, from which they emerged unscathed. For example,
when throw into the den of a hungry lion, the beast merely licked Vitus affectionately.
One version says that the tormentors gave up and freed the trio when during
a storm temples were destroyed and an angel guided them back to Lucania,
where they eventually died.
The facts are that their cultus is ancient. We are not really even certain
about when they lived, although most place their martyrdom at the time of
Diocletian. There is even some confusion about the site of their martyrdom.
It appears that they may be two separate groups: Vitus alone in Lucania (whose
cultus is the oldest), and Vitus, Modestus, and Crescentia in Sicily.
The Vitus who is alone is celebrated in the Gelasian Sacramentary and an
early South Italian Book of the Gospels, which assigns to his feast a pericope
of the cure from demonic possession and sickness. The Martyrology of Bede
and the Old English Martyrology also list Vitus by himself. There is an ancient
church dedicated to him on the Esquiline Hill of Rome. Vitus's relics were
moved to Saint-Denis in Paris. A great devotion to Vitus developed in Germany
when his relics were translated to Corvey Abbey in Saxony in 836. Most of
the medieval abbeys in England celebrated Vitus and Modestus without Crescentia,
but five who followed the Sarum Rite added her name.
Saint Vitus is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, who, as a group, are especially
venerated in France and Germany. The Holy Helpers were believed to possess
especially efficacious intercessory power. The relics of Vitus are said to
possess many healing properties, especially when epileptics prayed before
them (Attwater, Benedictines, Bentley, Delaney, Encyclopedia, Farmer, Husenbeth,
Sheppard, White).
In art, Saint Vitus is depicted as a boy with a rooster and a cauldron. At
times he may be shown (1) with his Modestus and Crescentia as they refuse
to worship idols; (2) being put into an oven; (3) with a palm and cauldron;
(4) with a palm and dog; (5) with a chalice and dog; (6) with sword and dog;
(7) with a sword and rooster; (8) with a book and rooster; (9) with a wolf
or lion; or (10) as a young prince with a palm and sceptre (Roeder).
Saint Vitus is the patron of Prague, dogs, domestic animals, young people,
dancers, coppersmiths, actors, comedians, and mummers. He is invoked against
epilepsy, lightning, poisoning by dog or snake bite, sleeplessness, snakebite,
storm, and Saint Vitus Dance (Sydenham's chorea, a nervous disorder) (Bentley,
Roeder).
300 Tatian (Dulas) of Cilicia a
Christian of Zepherinum, Cilicia, who was martyred after having undergone
horrid tortures (Benedictines).M (RM)
302 Hesychius of Dorostorum
a Roman soldier martyred at Dorostorum (Sillistria) in Moesia (Bulgaria)
together with the veteran Saint Julius (Benedictines, Encyclopedia).M (RM)
302 St Hesychius, Martyr
See Delehaye,
Les Origines du Culte des Martyrs, pp. 248—249, and
285—286, as well as his article
“Saints de Thrace et de Mésie” in the Analecta Bollandiana,
vol. xxxi (1912), pp. 161—300. On St Julius, see May 27.
All that we know about St Hesychius is derived from the Acts—admittedly
genuine—of St Julius, a martyr of Durostorum in Moesia (the present Silistria
in Bulgaria), about the year 302. When St Julius was being led to execution
Hesychius said to him, “I pray, Julius, that you may happily complete
your sacrifice and receive the crown: and that I may follow you. My warmest
greetings to Pasicrates and Valentius.” (These were two other Christians
of their acquaintance who had been martyred a very short time before.) Julius
embraced Hesychius and replied, “Brother, make haste to come. They have already
heard your message I can see them now standing beside me even as I see you.”
The execution of St Hesychius actually took place soon after that of his
friend. St Hesychius, “martyr of Durostorum”, is honoured in the Hieronymianum on June 15 and also in the present Roman Martyrology.
Father Delehaye identifies him with the St Hesychius whom the Eastern church
assigns to Constantinople and venerates, together with some anonymous companions
on May 19. It is highly probable that the remains of St Hesychius were taken
to Constantinople, the inhabitants of which (like some other places) were
apt to claim as local martyrs any saints whose relics had been translated
thither from elsewhere.
303 Lybe, Leonis, and Eutropia
Lybe was beheaded; Leonis, her sister, died at the stake; and the 12-year-old
slave girl, Eutropia, was used as a target for the soldiers to practice their
shots. Their martyrdom took place under Diocletian at Palmyra in Syria (Benedictines).
MM (RM)
There seems
to be no separate biography of St Orsiesius, but in the Acta Sanctorum,
June, vol. iii, an account has been compiled from what materials
were then available concerning St Pachomius and St Theodore. See the
bibliography to St Pachomius (May 9). Two letters are extant, addressed by
St Athanasius to Orsiesius. See also the Analecta Bollandiana, vol.
xlvii (1929), pp. 376—377; Bardenhewer, Geschichte der altkirchlichen
Literatur, vol. iii, pp. 85—86; and De L. O’Leary, The Saints of
Egypt (1937), pp. 156—157.
380 Orsiesius the Cenobite
favorite disciple of Saint Pachomius at Tabennisi, and his assistant in drawing
up the rules for the cenobites succeeded Pachomius as abbot, (AC)
(also known as Orsisius) Orsiesius was a favorite disciple of Saint Pachomius
at Tabennisi, and his assistant in drawing up the rules for the cenobites.
He succeeded Pachomius as abbot. He was praised by Saint Antony and Saint
Athanasius, but some 12 years before his death he was forced by his monks
to resign because of the harshness of his rule. He resumed that office several
years later.
He is the author of an ascetical
treatise that Saint Jerome translated into Latin (Benedictines, Encyclopedia).
380 St Orsiesius, Abbot
While St Pachomius was ruling the great communities he had formed at Tabennisi
and elsewhere in the Egyptian desert he numbered among his disciples two
quite young men of exceptional promise: their names were Orsiesius (Horsi-isi)
and Theodore. Pachomius trained them with special care, often made them his
travelling companions and even consulted them about the rule he was composing.
But when he set Orsiesius over the monastery of Khenoboski some of the older
monks murmured at the appointment of so young a man. “Is the kingdom of God
then only for the old?” asked Pachomius, and he went on to prophesy that
Orsiesius would one day diffuse the splendour of a golden lamp over the house
of God.
Petronius, who
succeeded Pachomius, only survived his predecessor by fifteen days; Orsiesius
was then chosen to fill his place. To deputations sent from Tabennisi to
St Antony and St Athanasius to inform them of the death of Pachomius and
the election of Orsiesius, both those great saints spoke in terms of high
praise of their new superior. St Orsiesius indeed proved a holy ruler, but
after a time his strictness in enforcing the regulations about property provoked
discontent in certain monasteries not immediately under his eye. The opposition
increased until at length he felt unable to cope with it.
Rather than
be the occasion of a cleavage he resigned in favour of St Theodore who, however,
accepted office with the utmost reluctance, and would do nothing without
consulting St Orsiesius, to whom he was deeply attached. They even took it
in turns to make visitations of the various communities. After the death
of St Theodore, in 368, Orsiesius again assumed charge, and he continued
to rule alone until his death, the exact date of which is uncertain. He left
as a legacy to his monks an ascetic treatise in the form of an abridged compendium
of the rules and maxims of the religious life. St Jerome at a later date
translated it into Latin.
310 St. Dulas Martyr from
Zephyrium, Cilicia, he called Tatian Dulas in some lists. He was arrested
and refused to worship Apollo and other Roman gods. Tortured, Dulas died
while being taken to Tarsus.
310? St Tatian Dulas, Martyr
About the year 310 a prefect
of Cilicia named Maximus held an assize on the promontory of Zephyrium. The
first prisoner to be brought before him was a well-known local Christian
who had been arrested for his faith. Questioned as to his name, he said that
it was Tatianus, but that he was commonly called Dulas, and a douloz
he was indeed, the servant of Christ. As he refused to worship the gods,
the magistrate ordered that he should be beaten to bring him to his senses.
While the lashes were being administered, he rejoiced aloud that he was counted
worthy to confess Christ’s holy name. Afterwards also, under cross-examination,
he displayed great spirit, and did not scruple to denounce the heathen deities
as wood and stone, the work of men’s hands. “Do you call the great god Apollo
a work of men’s hands?” demanded the prefect sternly. Dulas in reply cited
Apollo’s unsuccessful pursuit of Daphne, and scoffingly asked how a being
so unchaste and so powerless could possibly be regarded as a god. The indignant
judge ordered him to be scourged across the stomach and then roasted on a
gridiron. Even these tortures did not daunt the confessor. The following
day, when again led to the court, he once more began to deride the gods,
and was punished by having hot coals applied to his head and pepper thrust
up his nostrils. Although he refused to eat food which had been offered in
sacrifice, some of it was forced down his throat. He was then strung up and
his flesh was torn with iron rakes. Maximus was that day returning to Tarsus,
and had given orders that all the Christian prisoners should be led after
him in chains. But Dulas was so completely shattered by his sufferings that
he died after the convoy started. His body was cast into a ditch, where it
was discovered by a shepherd’s dog. The Christians obtained possession of
the relics and gave them honourable burial.
This martyr
seems to be identical with the “Dulas” who is mentioned as having been put
to death at Nicomedia on March 25, an entry found in all the texts
of the Hieronymianum see Delehaye’s Commentary, p. 160. For this we
have the still more reliable testimony of the early Syriac Breviarium,
again under March 25, and assigning Nicomedia as the place
of his suffering. If this identification be accepted it is clear that the
Greek passio, which the Bollandists in the eighteenth century printed
under June 15 in the Act Sanctorum (June, vol. iii), and which has
been summarized above, is not, as its editors then declared, of the highest
character, but open to grave suspicion. Still, the identity of the martyr
of Nicomedia with Tatian Dulas is not proved; though it is curious that the
Constantinople Synaxary (see Delehaye’s edition, cc. 750—751),
while telling the same story, speaks only of Dulas, omitting the
name Tatianus.
480 St. Abraham hermit and
confessor born near the Euphrates River in modern Iraq. While travelling
to Egypt to visit monastic communities, Abraham was taken prisoner by bandits
and held as a slave for five years. He escaped and made his way to Gaul where
he became a hermit. Recognized for his sanctity, he was ordained a priest
and became the abbot of St. Cyriacus Abbey.
Abraham of Saint-Cyrgues, Abbot (RM) Born on the banks of
the Euphrates River, Abraham travelled to Egypt, where he was attacked by
thieves and held captive for five years. When he escaped, he boarded a ship
sailing to Gaul. Thus, the Oriental settled as a hermit near Clermont in
the Auvergne. Eventually he was made abbot of the nearby monastery of Saint-Cyrgues
(Cyriacus) and ordained a priest. His is invoked against fever (Benedictines).
549 Melan of Viviers Saint
Melan was consecrated bishop of Viviers in 519. He was still bishop in 549,
when he sent representatives to a council at Orléans (Benedictines).
B (AC)
6th v. St. Vouga Irish bishop, also called Vougar, Veho,
and Fiech. He gave up his post and went to Briftany, France, where he lived
as a hermit near Lesneven.
Vouga of Lesneven B (AC) (also known as Vougar, Veho, Feock, Fiech) 6th century.
Saint Vouga, an Irish bishop, settled in Brittany, where he lived as a hermit
in a cell near Lesneven (Benedictines).
585 Vauge (Vorech) a holy priest
of Armagh, Ireland, fled to Penmarch, Cornwall, when it appeared he was to
be consecrated archbishop. There he built himself a hermitage. But that doesn't
mean that he kept to himself: He often preached to the local people and instilled
the desire for Christian perfection in their breasts. Vauge appears to be
the titular saint of Llanlivery in Cornwall under the name of Saint Vorech
(Husenbeth). (AC)
6th v. St. Trillo
A Welsh saint of whom little is known beyond his status as patron saint of
two sites in Gwynedd, Wales. In some lists he is called Drel or Drillo.
Trillo (Drillo, Drel) of Wales (AC) 6th or 7th century. Trillo,
son of a Breton chieftain, migrated to Wales with Saint Cadfan. He is the
patron of two places named Llandrillo in Denbighshire (now Gwynedd) and Monmouth.
At Gwynedd there is an ancient oratory in the Irish style built over a spring
that is used for baptisms named after him. Another Llandrillo in Merionethshire
(now Gwynedd) had a well where rheumatism was cured. A third church at Lladrygarn
in Anglesey still celebrates his feast today in accordance with early Welsh
calendars (Benedictines, Farmer).
686 St. Domitian &
Hadelin Two disciples of St. Landelinus at abbey of Lobbes, Belgium.
Domitian and Hadelinus (Adelin) of Lobbes, disciples and companions of Saint
Landelin at Lobbes Abbey and, apparently, at Créspin Abbey (Benedictines,
Encyclopedia). OSB (AC)
686
Landelinus, OSB Abbot (RM)
686 ST LANDELINUS,
ABBOT
There
are two short biographies of St Landelinus which profess to be of early date,
but the earliest of these was written more than a century after his death
and cannot be regarded as trustworthy. It has been critically edited in MGH.,
Scriptores Merov., vol. vi, pp 433—444. We have perhaps more reliable materials in the metrical
life of St Ursmar and in the Gesta Abbatum Lobbiensium. On
this life of Ursmar there is a useful article by K. Strecker, in the Neues Archiv for 1933, pp. 135—158. See also J. Warichez, L’Abbaye de Lobbes (1909), pp. 5 seq.; U. Berlière,
Monasticon Beige, vol. i, pp. 200 seq.; and
Van der Essen, Etude critique sur les Saints mérovingiens
(1907), pp. 126—133
As the founder
of the great abbeys of Lobbes and Crespin, and of two others less celebrated,
St Landelinus was held in honour by succeeding generations, though we do not know much about his life. He was born about the
year 625 at Vaux, near Bapaume, of Frankish parents, who entrusted him to
St Autbertus, bishop of Cambrai. But at the age of eighteen he broke away
from his guardian and fell in with evil companions, by whom he was led into
robbery and other crimes. The sudden death of one of his associates roused
him to a sense of his danger. A humble penitent, he returned to St Autbertus,
and then determined to withdraw to one of the places of his former life,
Lobbes, in the hope of atoning in solitude for his past excesses. But he
soon found himself surrounded by disciples who wished to imitate his life;
they were the nucleus from which grew the abbey of Lobbes.
St Landelinus constituted
his follower St Ursmar its first abbot, for he regarded himself as totally
unworthy to rule a religious house, and from Lobbes he went to Aulne and
from thence to Wallens, where, according to one biographer, other communities
sprang up round him. Still craving for solitude he penetrated, with St Adelinus
and St Domitian, into the vast forest which stretched between Mons and Valenciennes.
Even here he was followed, and for his new disciples he founded the abbey
of Crespin, which he was obliged to govern himself. Nevertheless, he spent
much of his time in a cell at some distance from the rest of the community.
He is said to have died in 686 or thereabouts.
Born at Vaux near Bapaume, France, c. 625; Though carefully raised
by Bishop Saint Aubert of Cambrai, Saint Landelinus went astray for a time.
We often take it for granted that we must teach children about the lures
and dangers of the world and the need for continual prayer and watchfulness
to avoid the pitfalls. Apparently, Bishop Aubert instilled only innocence
and virtue into Landelinus. Unprepared to handle the seductions of the world,
Landelinus fell in with bad company and became a robber. He was struck with
terror when one of his companions died suddenly. Recognizing his error, he
flew to Saint Aubert and threw himself at the feet of the good bishop who
had never ceased praying for Landelinus's repentance.
Aubert gave him the penance of making reparations in a monastery for some
years. This Landelinus undertook with fervor and contrition. His zeal became
such that Aubert ordained him deacon and, at the age of 30, priest. He was
assigned to preach but begged to be allowed to continue his penitential life
as a hermit. With Aubert's permission, Landelinus retired to Laubach on the
banks of the Sambre.
He attracted several disciples to him, who each lived in a separate cell.
In 654, they joined in community life by founding the Lobbes (Lanbacum) Abbey.
When the abbey was complete, the brothers tried to convince Landelinus to
govern them. Feeling himself unworthy to lead saints, he left them under
the direction of Saint Ursmar and again sought solitude. A second time, disciples
gathered leading to the establishment of Aulne Abbey in 656, which now belongs
to the Cistercians. The pattern repeated itself with the founding of the
abbey at Walers (657). Finally, Landelinus and his companions Saints Domitian
and Hadelinus erected some cells in a thick forest between Mons and Valenciennes.
Again, disciples found them and Créspin (Crepy, Crespiacum) Abbey
was founded in 670. Realizing that God might be telling him something, Landelinus
agreed to govern this flock, which he did until his death. While continuing
his penitential courses, Landelinus began preaching in the nearby villages.
Thus, he fulfilled God's plan for his life (Benedictines, Encyclopedia, Husenbeth).
In art, Saint Landelin is portrayed as he is dying in sackcloth and ashes,
while the devil carries his former companion to hell. He might also be shown
in Mass vestments, striking water from the earth with his pastoral staff
(Roeder). Landelinus is venerated in Cambrai (Roeder).
706 Constantine of Beauvais
a monk under Saint Philibert at Jumièges. He later became bishop of
Beauvais (Benedictines).B (AC).
853 St. Benildis Spanish
woman martyr, converted by the heroic death of St. Athanasius. A priest,
St. Athanasius, died in the city of Córdoba at the hands of the Moors,
the Islamic rulers of that era. Benildis converted during the martyrdom of
St. Athanasius and she died at the stake the following day.
Benildis of Cordova M (RM). Benildis was so moved by the fortitude displayed
by St. Athanasius, a Spanish priest, during his martyrdom at the hands of
the Moors, that she braved death at the stake on the following day. Her ashes
were thrown into the Guadalquivir (Benedictines).
960 Edburga of Winchester;
as a child, her royal father offered her precious jewels in one hand and
a penitential habit in the other: Edburga chose the latter joyfully relics
were enshrined and many miracles have taken place, OSB V Abbess (AC)
St Edburga,
whose name, like other Anglo-Saxon names of this class, is variously spelt,
seems to have enjoyed a considerable cultus in Worcestershire
and the neighbouring region, probably because her relics, or part of them,
were preserved at Pershore. See the list of calendar entries in Stanton’s
Menology, p. 271. The account given above is derived
almost entirely from William of Malmesbury, but there is also a life, apparently
still unprinted, by Malmesbury’s contemporary, Osbert of Clare. There is
also a life, still unpublished, in the Gotha MS.; see Analecta
Bollandiana, vol. lviii (1940), p. 100, n. 54. St Edburga’s fame rested
largely on the miracles her relics were believed to have worked; a short
summary of these is to be found in one of the Harleian manuscripts at the
British Museum.
960 St Edburga Of Winchester, Virgin
Three Anglo-Saxon princesses of the name of Edburga
are included in the calendars of the saints. The nun who is venerated on
this day was the granddaughter of King Alfred, and the daughter of King Edward
the Elder, by his third wife, Edgiva. Her parents, who seem to have destined
her to the religious life from the cradle, determined to test her vocation
when she was only three years old. Her father took her on his knees and,
showing her on the one hand a chalice with a book of the Gospels, and on
the other a little pile of necklaces and bracelets, asked her to choose which
she would have. The little girl eyed the trinkets with obvious aversion,
but held out her arms towards the sacred objects. She was placed in the abbey
which King Alfred’s widow had founded at Winchester, and in due course rose
to be abbess. She was famous for her charity, her humility and her miracles.
It is recorded that she would sometimes rise during the night while the other
nuns were sleeping and would silently remove their sandals, clean them, and
replace them beside their beds.
Saint Edburga was a granddaughter of King Alfred and the daughter
of Edward the Elder. It is reported that, while she was still a young child,
her royal father offered her precious jewels in one hand and a penitential
habit in the other. Edburga chose the latter joyfully. At that her parents
placed her in Saint Mary's Convent, which was founded by Alfred's widow,
Alswide, at Winchester, finished by her own father, and placed under the
direction of Saint Etheldreda.
Having finished her education, Edburga became a nun and later
the abbess of the foundation. After Edburga died of a fever, Bishop Saint
Ethelwold placed her remains in a rich shrine, which Abbess Saint Elfleda
covered with gold and silver. When the Earl Egilwald of Dorsetshire sought
relics for his newly rebuilt foundation of Pershore in Worcestershire after
its pillage by the Danes, the abbess give him part of Edburga's skull, some
of her ribs, and other bones, which were enclosed in a rich case. She was
especially venerated at Pershore in Worcestershire, where these relics were
enshrined and many miracles have taken place, and at Saint Mary's in Winchester
(Attwater, Benedictines, Husenbeth).
1053 Bardo of Mainz helmet,
a lamb, and a Psalter were gifts presented to Bardo as a child, and these
symbolized courage, gentleness, and piety, each of which marked his later
career education came at Fulda, where he also received the Benedictine habit
and became the dean. Upon his ordination as a priest in 1029; succeed
the archbishop of Mainz; to the end Bardo preserved the simple habits
of a monk; s noted for his love of the poor, the destitute, and animals;
lover of birds, many rare specimens of which he collected and tamed, and
taught to feed from his own plate; advocated, especially to young people,
the virtues of self-discipline and temperance OSB B (AC)
There is a
short life by Fulkold, who was the chaplain of Bardo’s successor in the see
of Mainz. It was edited for Pertz, MGH., Scriptores, vol.
xi, pp. 317—321. This is a much better source than the longer biography by
an anonymous monk of Fulda, which was alone accessible to Mabillon and the
Bollandists, but which is mainly filled with hagiographical commonplaces.
See also H. Bresslau in Jahrbiicher des Deutschen Reichs
unter Konrad II (1879), pp. 473-479 F. Schneider, Der hl.
Bardo (1871); C. Will, Regesten zur Gesch. der Mainzer Erzbischöfe,
vol. i (1877), pp. 165—176; Strunck and Giefers, Westfalia
Sancta (1855), pp. 143—153
1053 St Bardo, Archbishop of Mainz
St Bardo was born about the year 982 at Oppershofen
in the Welterau, on the right bank of the Rhine. His parents, who were related
to the Empress Gisela, sent him to be educated in the abbey of Fulda, where
he received the habit. In after days his former fellow students liked to
recall how, when they had found him poring over the famous book of St Gregory
on the duties of pastors (Regula Pastoralis), he had jokingly
remarked in reply to their surprise, “Well, perhaps some silly king will
make me a bishop some day if no one else can be found for the work; so I
may as well learn how it should be done.” About the year 1029 he was nominated
abbot of Kaiserswerth by the Emperor Conrad II, and he subsequently became
superior of Horsfeld. Still higher promotion was in store for him. In 1031,
after the death of Aribo, he was chosen to occupy the important metropolitan
see of Mainz. In his new office he retained all the simplicity and austerity
of a monk whilst dispensing alms and hospitality as befitted a bishop. He
was esteemed by all classes, but made himself particularly the champion of
the poor, whom he defended from their oppressors and to whom his house was
ever open.
Bardo played an important part in two synods of Mainz which met
under the presidency of Pope Leo IX to put down simony and to
enforce clerical celibacy. The pope took occasion on one of his visits to
persuade Bardo to relax some of his austerities which were undermining his
health and threatened to shorten his life. Always stern with himself, the
good archbishop was extraordinarily merciful to others: insults or wrongs
against himself he seemed never to resent. One day, at his own table, as
he was denouncing the vice of intemperance, his eyes fell upon a young man
whose mocking expression and tittering clearly indicated that he was making
fun of his host. The archbishop ceased speaking and looked straight at the
culprit. Then, instead of administering the rebuke which all present expected,
he took up a dish of food and directed that both the vessel and its contents
should be presented to the young man.
Bardo’s
kind heart also made him a lover of animals. He had a collection of rare
birds, many of which he had tamed and had taught to feed from his hand. His
death took place on June 10, 1053. He was universally mourned, Jews as well
as Christians lamenting his loss.
Born
at Oppershofen, Germany, in 982; died in Mainz, in 1053; feast day formerly
June 10. A helmet, a lamb, and a Psalter were gifts presented to Bardo as
a child, and these symbolized courage, gentleness, and piety, each of which
marked his later career. He was a German of good birth, and received his
first schooling from an old woman who taught him his letters and to read
the Psalms as he sat in her lap.
Years later he still remembered
what he owed to her and made good provision for her care.
The balance of his education came at Fulda, where he also received
the Benedictine habit and became the dean. Upon his ordination as a priest
in 1029, Bardo was appointed an abbot at Werden am Ruhr because of his family
connection with the empress. One day, when he was at court, the archbishop
of Mainz, seeing in his hand his richly wrought abbot's staff, remarked:
"Abbot, I think that staff would become my hand better than yours," to which
Bardo replied: "If you think so, it will not be hard for you to get it."
On returning to his quarters, he called one of his attendants and, giving
him the staff and other insignia of his office, told him to take them as
a gift to the archbishop. When the attendant returned, Bardo asked him how
the archbishop had received them, "Middling well," was the answer. "Only
middling well?" said the abbot, "Heaven knows, perhaps before long they will
be mine again." And sure enough, before long his words came true: he
was restored to his abbey. In 1031, Bardo was appointed abbot of Hersfeld
and was also appointed to succeed the archbishop of Mainz.
He made, however, an unfortunate beginning. When preaching before the emperor
one Christmas morning, through sickness or nervousness he made a very poor
impression. "What a man for an archbishop!" said those who heard him. "He
is a stick. He cannot preach. Why did your Majesty appoint such a boorish
monk?" And the emperor himself felt that he had made a mistake in appointing
an ignorant monk to the most important diocese in Germany. Bardo was
due to preach again before the emperor a few days later, and his friends
advised him not to, but he replied: "To every man his own burden," and faced
the ordeal. This time he preached with such ease and power and created so
admirable an impression that the emperor was delighted, and said as he sat
down to dinner: "The archbishop has restored my appetite."
For a time Bardo was chancellor and grand
almoner of the empire, yet to the end Bardo preserved the simple habits of
a monk. He practiced austerities so severe that Pope Saint Leo IX advised
him to relax them. He was noted for his love of the poor, the destitute,
and animals. He was also a lover of birds, many rare specimens of which he
collected and tamed, and taught to feed from his own plate. Bardo was diligent
in his diocese and, as a prelate, a true father in God. He completed the building
of his great cathedral in honor of Saint Martin. He had a great sense of
justice, and protected many from the harsh treatment or wrong conviction;
and, hating drunkenness and other gross habits, he advocated, especially
to young people, the virtues of self-discipline and temperance (Benedictines,
Encyclopedia, Gill).
1204 Isfrid, O. Praem.Born
c. 1114; The Norbertine Saint Isfrid was provost of the church of Jerichow
in the diocese of Havelberg. He was elected bishop of Ratzeburg (Regensburg),
Germany. He is honored on this day by his order (Norbertines).
Orlando Catanii Servant of God Third Order Franciscan; St. Francis
his spiritual director.
June 15, 2010
An unexpected encounter with St. Francis of Assisi
in 1213 was to forever change—and enrich—the life of Count Orlando of Chiusi.
On the day a festival was being organized for a huge throng, St. Francis,
already well known for his sanctity, delivered a dramatic address on the
dangers of worldly pleasures. One of the guests, Orlando (also known as Roland)
was so taken by Francis' words that he sought out the saint for advice on
how best to lead a life pleasing to God.
A short time later, Francis visited Count Orlando in his own palace, located
at the foot of Mount La Verna. Francis spoke again of the dangers of a life
of wealth and comfort. The words prompted Orlando to rearrange his life entirely
according to the principles outlined by Francis. Furthermore, he resolved
to share his wealth by placing at Francis' disposal all of Mount La Verna,
which belonged to Orlando. Francis, who found the mountain's wooded recesses
and many caves and ravines especially suitable for quiet prayer, gratefully
accepted the offer. Orlando immediately had a convent as well as a church
built there; later, many chapels were added. In 1224, two years before the
death of Francis, Mount La Verna was the location where Francis received
the holy wounds of Christ.
In return for his generous gift, Orlando desired only to be
received into the Third Order and to have St. Francis as his spiritual director.
Under Francis' guidance, Orlando completely detached himself from worldly
goods. He zealously performed acts of charity as a Christian nobleman. After
his happy death Orlando was laid to rest in the convent church on Mount La
Verna.
Comment: Even Francis,
Lady Poverty’s favorite knight, needed a suitable place to pray. Captivated
by Francis’ preaching, Orlando restructured his life. One of the possessions
he parted with was Mt. La Verna, which he offered to the Little Poor Man.
There Francis found the solitude he sought. In one mountainside cave, he
was branded with Christ’s own wounds. We may not be as wealthy as Orlando,
but we have enough to spare. Only God can know who in Lady Poverty’s realm
will be nurtured in sanctity because we imitate Orlando in generosity.
1250 St. Aleydis or Adelaide, Virgin born at Shaerbeck, near
Brussels entered a Cistercian convent at seven named Camera Sanctae Mariae,
and she remained there for the rest of her life; offered up her sufferings
for the souls in purgatory and had visions of their being set free through
her intercession
1250 St Aleydis,
Or Alice, Virgin
This is a
very simple life but it leaves the impression of an absolutely sincere record,
written down by a contemporary who was probably a Cistercian monk and confessor
to the community. Aleydis was a charming and delicate little girl, born at
Schaerbeek, near Brussels, who at the age of seven seems of her own
choice to have been committed
to the care of a community of Cistercian nuns in the neighbouring convent
called “Camera Sanctae Mariae”, a name which still survives in the Bois de
la Cambre just outside the city. She was, before all else, humble and retiring.
There
are some simple miracles recorded of her, such as the spontaneous relighting
of a candle which had fallen and been extinguished, and she devoted herself
in every possible way to the service of her religious sisters. While still
very young she contracted leprosy, and to the great sorrow of all the community
had to be segregated. This was only the occasion, we are told, of her
taking refuge more completely than before in the wounds of Christ. Her
one comfort lay in the reception of holy communion. She was not, however,
on account of possible contagion from her lips touching the cup, allowed
to receive in both kinds, as the others then did, and this was a matter of
great distress to her until our Lord Himself assured her that she lost nothing
thereby. “Where there is part”, she was told, “there also is the whole.”
On the feast of St Barnabas, 1249, she suddenly became very ill and was anointed,
but it was revealed to her that she would remain on earth yet a year longer.
She then lived on in great suffering, losing the sight of both eyes, but
offering her pains for the souls in purgatory. Moreover, she was sustained
by ecstasies and revelations, which came to her more and more frequently
as the end drew near. A year later, on Friday, June 10, she was again anointed,
and the next morning Aleydis happily breathed her last at daybreak on the
feast of St Barnabas.
The life is
printed in the Acta Sanctorum, June, vol. iii, and also in
Henriquez, Quinque Prudentes Virgines. Pope Pius X in
1907 formally authorized her cultus under the title of Saint Aleydis. Her feast is kept in the Cistercian Order and
in the diocese of Malines, on June 15.
Adelaide
of La Cambre, OSB Cist. V (AC) (also known as Aleydis, Alice); cultus confirmed
in 1907. Saint Adelaide was a young Cistercian nun of the La Cambre convent
who endured many physical afflictions. She became blind, contracted leprosy,
and then paralysed. She had to be segregated from her community. Adelaide
offered up her sufferings for the souls in purgatory and had visions of their
being set free through her intercession. Her life was written by a contemporary
(Benedictines, Encyclopedia).
1299 BD JOLENTA OF HUNGARY, WIDOW
JOLENTA, or Helena as she is called by the Poles, was one of four sisters
who are honoured with the title of Blessed. They were the daughters of Bela
IV, King of Hungary, the nieces of St Elizabeth, the great-nieces of St Hedwig,
and lineal descendants of the Hungarian kings St Stephen and St Ladislaus.
When she was five years old, Jolenta was committed to the care of her elder
sister, Bd Cunegund, or Kinga, who had married Boleslaus II, King of Poland.
Under their fostering care, the little girl grew up a pattern of virtue.
She became the wife of Duke Boleslaus of Kalisz, with whom she spent a happy
married life. Both of them were addicted to good works, and together they
made various religious foundations. Jolenta was beloved by all, but especially
by the poor, for whom she had a tender love. After the death of her husband,
as soon as she had settled two of her daughters, she retired with the third
and with Bd Cunegund, now, like herself, a widow, into the convent of Poor
Clares which Cunegund had established at Sandeck. Jolenta's later years,
however, were spent at Gnesen as superior of the convent of which she had
been the foundress. She died there in 1299.
See J. B. Prileszky,
Acta Sanctorum Hungariae, vol.
ii, Appendix, pp. 54-55; Hueber, Menologium
Franciscanum, p. 918; and cf. the bibliography attached to Bd Cunegund
on July 24.
1537 Bls. Thomas Green,
Thomas Scryven, and Thomas Reding English Carthusian martyrs starved to death
at Newgate
Thomas Green studied at St. John's College, Cambridge, entering the London
Charterhouse of the Carthusians where he took vows and received ordination.
Arrested for opposing King Henry VIII's (r. 1509-1547) claim of spiritual
supremacy over the English Church, Thomas was imprisoned with two other Carthusians,
the lay brothers Thomas Scryven and Thomas Reding, and four other companions.
All were starved to death at Newgate.
BB Thomas Green, Thomas Scryven & Thomas Reding, O.Cart. (AC); beatified
in 1886. Thomas Green (or Greenwood), who was a fellow at Saint John's College
in Cambridge, took monastic vows and was ordained a priest at the Carthusian
Charterhouse in London. Scryven and Reding were lay brothers in the same
house. The trio, plus an additional four companions, were starved to death
in Newgate Prison because of their refusal to sign the Oath of Supremacy
(Benedictines).
1601 St. Germaine Cousin
The Rosary was her only book, and her devotion to the Angelus was so great
that she used to fall on her knees at the first sound of the bell, even though
she heard it when crossing a stream.
And she had the most important prayer of all -- the Mass. Every day, without
fail, she would leave her sheep in God's care and go to Mass.
1601 St Germaine of Pibrac, Virgin
“A SIMPLE maiden, humble, and of lowly birth,
but so greatly enlightened by the gifts of divine wisdom and understanding,
and so remarkable for her transcendent virtues, that she shone like a star
not only in her native France but throughout the Catholic Church.” Such is
the description of St Germaine Cousin set down in the apostolic brief which
numbered her among the Blessed.
She
was the daughter of Laurent Cousin, an agricultural labourer, and was born
about the year 1579 at Pibrac, a village near Toulouse. Her mother, Marie
Laroche, died when her. little girl was scarcely out of the cradle. From
her birth Germaine suffered from ill-health; she was scrofulous, and her
right hand was powerless and deformed. Her father had no affection for her,
whilst his second wife actively disliked her. She treated her stepdaughter
most harshly, and after the birth of her own children she kept Germaine away
from her healthier step-brothers and sisters.
The
poor girl was made to sleep in the stable, or under the stairs, was fed on
scraps, and as soon as she was old enough was sent out to mind sheep in the
pastures. She was destined to remain a shepherdess for the rest of her life.
Germaine
accepted the treatment she received as though it were her due, and God made
use of it to lead her to great perfection. Out in the fields, alone with
nature, she learned to commune with her divine Creator, from whom she learnt
directly all that she required to know. He spoke to her soul as He speaks
to the humble and clean of heart, and she lived ever consciously in His presence.
Nothing could keep her from Mass. If she heard the bell when she was in the
fields, she would plant her crook and her distaff in the ground, commend
her flock to her angel guardian, and hurry off to church. Never once on her
return did she find that a sheep had strayed, or had fallen a prey to the
wolves that lurked in the neighbouring forest of Boucône, ever-ready
to pounce upon unattended sheep. As often as she could she made her communion,
and her fervour was long remembered in the village. Although she took no
part in the social life of her neighbours, and never mixed with girls of
her own age, yet she would often gather the young children round her to teach
them the simple truths of religion, and to lead them to love God.
Her
neighbours at first accepted the estimate of her family, and were disposed
to despise her and to turn her to ridicule. But gradually strange stories
began to circulate respecting her. To reach the church from the pastureland,
she had to cross a stream which was sometimes swollen by the rain. On one
occasion, when it had become a torrent so strong that men feared to cross,
people said, “Germaine will not come to Mass to-day!” But they were mistaken;
and two villagers who had watched her at the stream confidently asserted
that the waters had parted to let her cross, just as the Red Sea had parted
for the Israelites of old.
It might have
been thought that anyone so poor as Germaine would be unable to exercise
the corporal works of mercy. Love, however, can always find a way, and the
scanty food that was grudgingly doled out to her was shared with beggars.
Even this was made a cause for complaint. One cold winter’s day her stepmother
pursued her with a stick, declaring that she was concealing stolen bread
in her apron. To the amazement of the pitying neighbours, who would have
protected her, that which fell from the apron was not bread, but summer flowers.
Contempt now gave way to veneration, and the inhabitants of Pibrac began
to realize that they had a saint in their midst. Even her father and stepmother
relented towards her; they would now have allowed her to take her proper
place in their home, but Germaine chose to continue to live as before. It
was not for long. Her feeble frame was worn out; her work on earth was done;
and one morning she was found lying dead on her straw pallet under the stairs.
She was twenty-two years old. Her body,
which was buried in the church of Pibrac, was accidentally exhumed in 1644,
forty-three years after her death, and was found in perfect preservation.
It was afterwards enclosed in a leaden coffin, which was placed in the sacristy.
Sixteen years later it was still flexible and well preserved. This circumstance,
and the numerous miracles which were ascribed to her, encouraged a desire
for official sanction of her cultus. Owing to the French
Revolution, however, and other hindrances, her beatification and canonization
were deferred until the pontificate of Pius IX. An annual pilgrimage takes
place on June 15 to Pibrac church, where her relics still rest.
A painstaking
biography is that of Louis Veuillot, which has been revised for the series
“Les Saints”, by his nephew, Francois Veuillot. See also the attractive sketch
of H. Ghéon, La Bergère au pays des loups (1923).
The most authentic source is D. Bartolini, Commentarium actorum
omnium cannonizationis . . . Germanae Cousin . . . (2
vols., 1868).
Born in 1579 of humble parents
at Pibrac, a village about ten miles from Toulouse; died in her native place.
When Hortense decided to marry Laurent Cousin in Pibrac, France,
it was not out of love for his infant daughter. Germaine was everything Hortense
despised. Weak and ill, the girl had also been born with a right hand that
was deformed and paralyzed. Hortense replaced the love that Germaine has
lost when her mother died with cruelty and abuse.
Laurent, who had a weak character,
pretended not to notice that Germaine had been given so little food that
she had learned to crawl in order to get to the dog's dish. He wasn't there
to protect her when Hortense left Germaine in a drain while she cared for
chickens -- and forgot her for three days. He didn't even interfere when
Hortense poured boiling water on Germaine's legs.
With this kind of treatment,
it's no surprise that Germaine became even more ill. She came down with a
disease known as scrofula, a kind of tuberculosis that causes the neck glands
to swell up. Sores began to appear on her neck and in her weakened condition
to fell prey to every disease that came along. Instead of awakening Hortense's
pity this only made her despise Germaine more for being even uglier in her
eyes. Germaine found no sympathy and love with her siblings. Watching their
mother's treatment of their half-sister, they learned how to despise and
torment her, putting ashes in her food and pitch in her clothes. Their mother
found this very entertaining.
Hortense did finally get concerned
about Germaine's sickness -- because she was afraid her own children would
catch it. So she made Germaine sleep out in the barn. The only warmth Germaine
had on frozen winter nights was the woolly sheep who slept there too. The
only food she had were the scraps Hortense might remember to throw her way.
The abuse of Germaine tears at our hearts and causes us to cry for pity and
justice. But it was Germaine's response to that abuse and her cruel life
that wins our awe and veneration. Germaine was soon entrusted with
the sheep. No one expected her to have any use for education so she spent
long days in the field tending the sheep. Instead of being lonely, she found
a friend in God. She didn't know any theology and only the basics of the
faith that she learned the catechism. But she had a rosary made of knots
in string and her very simple prayers: "Dear God, please don't let me be
too hungry or too thirsty. Help me to please my mother. And help me to please
you." Out of that simple faith, grew a profound holiness and a deep trust
of God. She frequented the Sacraments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist,
and it was observed that her piety increased on the approach of every feast
of Our Lady.
The Rosary was her only book, and her devotion to the Angelus
was so great that she used to fall on her knees at the first sound of the
bell, even though she heard it when crossing a stream.
And she had the most important prayer of all -- the Mass. Every day, without
fail, she would leave her sheep in God's care and go to Mass. Villagers wondered
that the sheep weren't attacked by the wolves in the woods when she left
but God's protection never failed her. On several occasions the swollen waters
were seen to open and afford her a passage without wetting her garments..
No matter how little Germaine had, she shared it with others. Her scraps
of food were given to beggars. Her life of prayer became stories of God that
entranced the village children.
But most startling of all was the forgiveness to showed to the woman who
deserved her hatred.
Hortense, furious at the stories about her daughter's holiness, waited only
to catch her doing wrong. One cold winter day, after throwing out a beggar
that Germaine had let sleep in the barn, Hortense caught Germaine carrying
something bundled up in her apron. Certain that Germaine had stolen bread
to feed the beggar, she began to chase and scream at the child. As she began
to beat her, Germaine opened her apron. Out tumbled what she had been hiding
in her apron -- bright beautiful flowers that no one had expected to see
for months. Where had she found the vibrant blossoms in the middle of the
ice and snow? There was only one answer and Germaine gave it herself, when
she handed a flower to her mother and said, "Please accept this flower, Mother.
God sends it to you in sign of his forgiveness."
As the whole village began to talk about this holy child, even Hortense began
to soften her feelings toward her. She even invited Germaine back to the
house but Germaine had become used to her straw bed and continued to sleep
in it.
At this point, when men were beginning to realize the beauty of her life,
God called her to Himself. One morning in the early summer of 1601, her father
finding that she had not risen at the usual hour went to call her; he found
her dead on her pallet of vine-twigs. She was then twenty-two years old,
overcome by a life of suffering.
With all the evidence of her holiness, her life was too simple and hidden
to mean much beyond her tiny village -- until God brought it too light again.
When her body was exhumed forty
years later, it was found to be undecayed, what is known as incorruptible.
As is often the case with incorruptible bodies of saints, God
chooses not the outwardly beautiful to preserve but those that others despised
as ugly and weak. It's as if God is saying in this miracle that human ideas
of beauty are not his. To him, no one was more beautiful than this humble
lonely young woman.
After her body was found in this state, the villagers started to speak again
of what she had been like and what she had done.
Soon miracles were attributed to her intercession and the clamor for her
canonization began.
Her remains were buried in the parish church of Pibrac in front of the pulpit.
In 1644, when the grave was opened to receive one of her relatives, the body
of Germaine was discovered fresh and perfectly preserved, and miraculously
raised almost to the level of the floor of the church. It was exposed for
public view near the pulpit, until a noble lady, the wife of François
de Beauregard, presented as a thanks-offering a casket of lead to hold the
remains. She had been cured of a malignant and incurable ulcer in the breast,
and her infant son whose life was despaired of was restored to health on
her seeking the intercession of Germaine. This was the first of a long series
of wonderful cures wrought at her relics. The leaden casket was placed in
the sacristy, and in 1661 and 1700 the remains were viewed and found fresh
and intact by the vicars-general of Toulouse, who have left testamentary
depositions of the fact. Expert medical evidence deposed that the body had
not been embalmed, and experimental tests showed that the preservation was
not due to any property inherent in the soil. In 1700 a movement was begun
to procure the beatification of Germaine, but it fell through owing to accidental
causes. In 1793 the casket was desecrated by a revolutionary tinsmith, named
Toulza, who with three accomplices took out the remains and buried them in
the sacristy, throwing quick-lime and water on them. After the Revolution,
her body was found to be still intact save where the quick-lime had done
its work.
The private veneration of Germaine
had continued from the original finding of the body in 1644,
supported and encouraged by numerous cures and miracles.
The cause of beatification was
resumed in 1850. The documents attested more than 400 miracles or extraordinary
graces, and thirty postulatory letters from archbishops and bishops in France
besought the beatification from the Holy See. The miracles attested were
cures of every kind (of blindness, congenital and resulting from disease,
of hip and spinal disease), besides the multiplication of food for the distressed
community of the Good Shepherd at Bourges in 1845. On 7 May, 1854, Pius IX
proclaimed her beatification, and on 29 June, 1867, placed her on the canon
of virgin saints. Her feast is kept in the Diocese of Toulouse on 15 June.
She is represented in art with a shepherd's crook or with a distaff; with
a watchdog, or a sheep; or with flowers in her apron.
In this way, the most unlikely of saints became recognized by the Church.
She didn't found a religious order. She didn't reach a high Church post.
She didn't write books or teach at universities. She didn't go to foreign
lands as a missionary or convert thousands. What she did was live a life
devoted to God and her neighbor no matter what happened to her. And that
is all God asks.
In Her Footsteps: Do you make excuses not to help others because
you have so little yourself? Share something this week with those in need
that may be painful for you to give up.
Prayer: Saint Germaine, watch over those children who suffer
abuse as you did. Help us to give them the love and protection you only got
from God. Give us the courage to speak out against abuse when we know of
it. Help us to forgive those who abuse the way you did, without sacrificing
the lives of the children who need help. Amen
1601 St. Germaine Cousin
400 miracles parted waters{see
below for more}
Her remains were buried
in the parish church of Pibrac in front of the pulpit. In 1644, when the
grave was opened to receive one of her relatives, the body of Germaine was
discovered fresh and perfectly preserved, and miraculously
raised almost to the level of the floor of the church. It was exposed for public view
near the pulpit, until a noble lady, the wife of François de Beauregard,
presented as a thanks-offering a casket of lead to hold the remains. She had
been cured of a malignant and incurable ulcer in the breast, and her infant son
whose life was despaired of was restored
to health on her
seeking the intercession of Germaine. This was the first of
a long series of
wonderful
cures wrought at her relics. The leaden casket was placed in
the sacristy, and in 1661 and 1700 the remains were viewed
and found fresh and intact
by the vicars-general of Toulouse, who have left testamentary depositions
of the fact. Expert medical evidence deposed that the body had not been embalmed,
and experimental tests showed that the preservation was not due to any property
inherent in the soil.
In 1700 a movement was
begun to procure the beatification of Germaine, but it fell through owing
to accidental causes. In 1793 the
casket was desecrated by a revolutionary tinsmith, named Toulza, who with three accomplices
took out the remains
and buried them in the sacristy, throwing quick-lime and water on them. After the Revolution,
her body was found to be still intact save where the quick-lime had done
its work. The private veneration of Germaine had continued from the original
finding of the body in 1644, supported and encouraged by numerous cures and
miracles. The cause of beatification was resumed in 1850. The documents attested
more than 400 miracles or extraordinary graces, and thirty
postulatory letters from archbishops and bishops in France besought the beatification
from the Holy See. The miracles attested were cures of every kind (of
blindness, congenital
and resulting from disease, of hip and spinal disease), besides the multiplication
of food for the distressed community of the Good Shepherd at Bourges in 1845. On 7 May, 1854, Pius IX proclaimed
her beatification, and on 29 June, 1867, placed her on the canon of virgin
saints. Her feast is kept in the Diocese of Toulouse on 15 June. She is represented in art with a shepherd's
crook or with a distaff; with a watchdog, or a sheep; or with flowers in
her apron.
Her feast is kept in the Diocese of Toulouse on 15 June.
1601 St. Germaine Cousin Born in 1579 of humble parents at
Pibrac, a village about ten miles from Toulouse; died in her native place.
When Hortense decided to
marry Laurent Cousin in Pibrac, France, it was not out of love for his infant
daughter. Germaine was everything Hortense despised. Weak and ill, the girl
had also been born with a right hand that was deformed and paralyzed. Hortense
replaced the love that Germaine has lost when her mother died with cruelty
and abuse. Laurent, who had a weak character, pretended not to notice that
Germaine had been given so little food that she had learned to crawl in order
to get to the dog's dish. He wasn't there to protect her when Hortense left
Germaine in a drain while she cared for chickens -- and forgot her for three
days. He didn't even interfere when Hortense poured boiling water on Germaine's
legs. With this kind of treatment, it's no surprise that Germaine became
even more ill. She came down with a disease known as scrofula, a kind of tuberculosis
that causes the neck glands to swell up. Sores began to appear on her neck
and in her weakened condition to fell prey to every disease that came along.
Instead of awakening Hortense's pity this only made her despise Germaine
more for being even uglier in her eyes.
Germaine found no sympathy
and love with her siblings. Watching their mother's treatment of their half-sister,
they learned how to despise and torment her, putting ashes in her food and
pitch in her clothes. Their mother found this very entertaining. Hortense
did finally get concerned about Germaine's sickness -- because she was afraid
her own children would catch it. So she made Germaine sleep out in the barn.
The only warmth Germaine had on frozen winter nights was the woolly sheep
who slept there too. The only food she had were the scraps Hortense might
remember to throw her way.
The abuse of Germaine tears
at our hearts and causes us to cry for pity and justice. But it was Germaine's
response to that abuse and her cruel life that wins our awe and veneration.
Germaine was soon entrusted with the sheep. No one expected her to have any
use for education so she spent long days in the field tending the sheep.
Instead of being lonely, she found a friend in God. She didn't know any theology
and only the basics of the faith that she learned the catechism. But she
had a rosary made of knots in string and her very simple prayers: "Dear God,
please don't let me be too hungry or too thirsty. Help me to please my mother.
And help me to please you." Out of that simple faith, grew a profound holiness
and a deep trust of God.
The Cistercian community was
inspired by her spirit of humility. However, at an early age, she contracted
leprosy and had to be isolated. The disease caused Aleydis intense suffering,
and eventually she became paralyzed and was afflicted with blindness.
Aleydis' greatest consolation came from reception of the Holy Eucharist,
although she was not allowed to drink from the cup because of the danger
of contagion. However, the Lord appeared to her with assurance that to receive
under one species, was sufficient. Known for visions and ecstasies,
she died in 1250. Devotion to her was approved in 1907 by Pope Pius X.
There is much sickness and related suffering in the world today. Like St.
Aleydis, we must try to turn our suffering into good and pray that God will
give us the strength to endure and that we may be consoled through the reception
of the Sacraments.
Germaine Cousin V (RM) (also known as Germana of Pibrac) Born at Pibrac (near
Toulouse), France, in 1579; died 1601; beatified on May 7, 1854; canonized
on June 29, 1867 by Pope Pius IX.
Saint Germaine was the daughter of Laurent Cousin, a farm worker, and his
wife, Marie Laroche. Her mother died while she was still an infant. A sickly
child, she suffered scrofula among other conditions, and her right hand was
deformed. Her father and his second wife (or her half-brother's wife) treated
her badly. After her stepmother's children were born, Germaine was kept isolated
from her siblings. She slept in the stable or in a cupboard under the stairs
and was poorly fed on scraps. At the age of nine, Germaine was put to work
as a shepherdess, which is not a terrible business for one who liked to pray.
Germaine was very devout, however, and refused to miss Mass. If she heard
the bell calling the faithful to Mass while she was tending the sheep, she
set her crook and her distaff in the earth, declared her flock to be under
the care of her guardian angel, and went to church. Her sheep never came
to any harm during her absences, even though ravening wolves inhabited the
nearby forest of Boucône. It is reported that once she crossed the
raging Courbet River by walking over the waters so that she could get to
church.
Germaine was so poor that it is hard to imagine she would have the resources
to exercise the corporal works of mercy. Yet love can always find a way.
She was always ready to lend a hand to anyone needing it, especially the
children whom she would gather in the fields to teach a simple catechism.
She shared what little food she received with those poorer than herself.
The neighbors laughed at her religious devotion and called her 'the little
bigot'; Germaine took it all in good humor. Once in the winter her stepmother
accused her of stealing bread and pursued her threateningly with a stick.
When Germaine opened her apron, summer flowers tumbled out. The neighbors
and her parents were awed and began to treat her as a holy person. Her parents
invited her to rejoin the household, but Germaine chose to continue living
as before.
At 22, she was found dead on her straw pallet under the stairs. Her body
was buried in the Church of Pibrac opposite the pulpit. When it was accidentally
exhumed in 1644 by workmen renovating the church and identified by the withered
hand, it was found incorrupt. After being exposed for one year for veneration,
her relics were transferred to a leaden coffin and placed in the sacristy.
Sixteen years later, her body was found to be still well preserved, and miracles
were attributed to her. Her relics remain in the church at Pibrac, and an
annual pilgrimage is made there. The process of canonization, begun in 1700,
was delayed for Germaine because of the intervening French Revolution and
similar problems. She was, however, successfully invoked by Popes Pius VII
in 1813 and Pius IX in 1849 (Attwater, Benedictines, Encyclopedia, Walsh,
White).
In art, Saint Germaine is depicted as a peasant girl with flowers falling
around her in winter. She might also be portrayed tending sheep or dying
alone in poverty (Roeder). She is venerated in Pibrac, Toulouse, France (Roeder).
Germaine is the patroness of young country girls (Encyclopedia).
1886 Bd Aloysius Palazolo
founder of the brothers of the Holy Family and Sisters of the Poor; His charitable work
was particularly concerned witht he reclaiming of prostitutes.
Born at Bergamo in 1827; ordained priest, 1850. His charitable work
was particularly concerned witht he reclaiming of prostitutes. He died
on 15 June, 1886 and was beatified in 1963.
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Mary Mother of GOD
Saint of the Day June 15 Décimo octávo Kaléndas
Júlii 
Quote: Pope Paul VI’s 1969 
Benedict XVI met with Aram I Catholicos
of Cilicia, the highest authority of the Orthodox Church.
The Pope remembered the martyrs of the Armenian
Church and the Armenian genocide, without explicitly mentioning it,
and denounced the persecution of Christians in modern times.
Benedict XVI
As we watch the spectacle of the world seeming
to self-destruct before our eyes, we can’t help but be saddened
and even frightened by so much evil run rampant. Iraq, Lebanon, Afghanistan,
Somalia, North Korea—It is all a disaster of epic proportions displayed
in living color on our television screens.