Et
álibi
aliórum
plurimórum
sanctórum
Mártyrum
et Confessórum,
atque sanctárum
Vírginum.
And elsewhere in divers places, many other holy martyrs, confessors, and holy virgins. Пресвятая Богородице спаси нас! (Santíssima Mãe de Deus, salva-nos!) R.
Deo grátias. R.
Thanks be to God.
2023March is the month of Saint Joseph since 1855; 22,600 lives saved since 2007 For the Son of man ... will repay every man for what he has done. Please help save the unborn they are the future for the world It is a great poverty that a child must die so that you may live as you wish -- Mother Teresa Saving babies, healing moms and dads, 'The Gospel of Life' Our Bartholomew Family Prayer List Joyful Mystery on Monday Saturday Glorius Mystery on Sunday Wednesday Sorrowful Mystery on Friday Tuesday Luminous Mystery on Thursday Veterens of War Acts of the Apostles Nine First Fridays Devotion to the Sacred Heart From the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque How do I start the Five First Saturdays? Mary Mother of GOD 15 Promises of the Virgin Mary to those who recite the Rosary. The wonder-working Lydda Icon
The
wonder-working Lydda Icon; Apostles Peter and John were preaching in
Lydda built a church dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos; divine power
icon of the Virgin imprinted in color on the wall of the church (some
sources say the image was on a pillar)
Lydda
(Lod). Ludd. Greek name of Lod, 1 Macc. 11:34; Acts 9:32-38.
Lydda was a town about 11 miles SE of Joppa,
called Lod in the OT
It is located in the midst of a rich and fertile
plain. It was one of the most westernly of the Jewish settlements after
the Exile, the site of which is described as Gehaharashim, the valley of
the smiths or craftsmen. It was here that Peter healed the paralytic and
secured many converts (Acts 9:32-35). It was not Jewish, but pagan, under
the name Diospolis.(1 Chron 8:12), and modern Israelis have reverted to the OT name. The saints are a “cloud of witnesses over our head”, showing us life of Christian perfection is possible. When the Lord commanded us to be vigilant, he meant vigilance in both parts of man: in the body, against the tendency to sleep; in the soul, against lethargy and timidity. As Scripture says: Wake up, you just, and I have risen, and am still with you; and again, Do not lose heart. -- St Ephrem March 12 – Our Lady of the Elm Tree (1610) I had seen that kind of “necklace” before Sister Catharina Maria was once was a pagan, a Buddhist and anti-Catholic ... This is her testimonial: "Influenced by my older sister, my mother wanted to convert to Catholicism. She asked me to do the same. My answer was resolute: "No never," I firmly replied. Two years of spiritual struggle went by before I finally decided to ask to be baptized. But I still did not believe in God at all. God did not exist for me. I had asked for baptism only for my mother’s sake, just to please her. I continued in my disbelief until the priest poured the baptismal water on my forehead. The moment the water flowed down my face, my stony heart crumbled into the infinite Love of God, and looking at the Cross my eyes said, "I love you Lord." At the end of Mass, my mother gave me a Rosary as a baptism gift. I had seen my mother pray daily with that kind of "necklace." She even recited those prayers at night. The image of her praying, juxtaposed with the face of a Beautiful Lady, was my favorite "picture." I knew she was praying for me, her "prodigal" child. Since that day, the Rosary became, like for my mother, my favorite prayer. The Mary of Nazareth Team Source: rosarium.op.org
Mary's Divine Motherhood 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).Catechism of the Catholic Church 495, quoting the Council of Ephesus (431): DS 251. March 12 - Our Lady of Miracles (France) Joseph, the Loyal Servant One cannot doubt about it, this Joseph
was a man of righteousness and fidelity, betrothed to the mother of the
Savior. He was a loyal servant, I say, and prudent at the same time, he
whom the Lord chose to support His mother, provider of His flesh. To sum
it up, he was the unique and perfectly faithful cooperator in God's great
design on earth.
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux March 12 – Our Lady of the Elm (Italy, 1610) The Blessed Virgin Mary Will Take Care of Them In June 1912, Charles Peguy's son Pierre fell seriously ill. Peguy made a vow and went on pilgrimage to Chartres. “My old friend,” he wrote to Lotte, “I
felt this could be very serious...I went on pilgrimage to Chartres...
walked 144 km in three days... It is possible to see the bell tower of
Chartres Cathedral from 17 km away, while still walking on the plain...
As soon as I caught sight of it, I was enraptured. I was no longer aware
of my fatigue and my sore feet.
All my impurities fell off of me at once and I was
a new person.I prayed for about an hour in the Cathedral
on Saturday night and I prayed for an hour on Sunday morning before the
High Mass... I prayed as I have never prayed before; I was able to pray
for my enemies... My child is saved.
I offered the three of them (Peguy's wife did not
believe in God) to Our Lady. I can't take care of everything... My children are not even baptized. So I leave it all up to the Blessed Virgin Mary—she will take care of them." Taken from La Médaille Miraculeuse, (The Miraculous Medal), #65 |
|
1500 B.C. The Righteous
Phineas,
grandson of the High Priest Aaron (also commemorated today) son of
High Priest Eleazar also a priest and zealous in his service. divine
power icon of the Virgin imprinted in color on wall of church (some say
on a pillar) 295 St. Maximilian Martyr refused to enter the Roman army because of his Christian beliefs 303 St. Peter of Nicomedia Martyr 1st victims of last persecution by Roman Empire 303 St. Egdunus Martyr with 7 companions in Nicomedia 573 St. Paul Aurelian Welsh bishop able to perform miracles exorbitant nature 604 Saint Gregory Dialogus granted a vision of the Lord Himself; Pope of Rome; inheritance - establish 6 monasteries Ibídem deposítio sancti Innocéntii Primi, Papæ et Confessóris. Ipsíus autem festum quinto Kaléndas Augústi celebrátur. Item Romæ sancti Mamiliáni Mártyris. Also at Rome, St. Mamilian, martyr. 605 St. Peter the Deacon Papal secretary to Pope St. Gregory I the Great 645 St. Mura McFeredach Irish abbot disciple of St. Columba 712 St. Vindician Bishop of Arras-Cambrai 818 St. Theophanes Abbot Confessor relics were honored by many miraculous cures 951 St. Alphege Bishop prophet credited with helping to restore monasticism to England 1109 ST BERNARD OF CAPUA, BISHOP OF CALENO 1022 Simeon the New Theologian abbot successor to Saint John the Evangelist and Saint Gregory of Nazianzus 1092 Blessed Rusticus of Vallumbrosa 1109 St. Bernard of Carinola Bishop patron saint of Carinola died in extreme old age 1253 St. Fina "Seraphina"Virgin many miracles through her intercession Gregory appeared to her and said, "Dear child on my festival God will give you rest" 1319 Blessed Justina Bezzoli Diseases and sufferings of many kinds were cured through the prayers of Bd Justina, and still more wonderful miracles of healing were wrought after her death 1471 Blessed Dionysius the Carthusian a mystical writer 1606 BD NICHOLAS OWEN, MARTYR saved the lives of many priests by his extraordinary skill in devising hiding- places for them Father Garnet admitted him to the Society of Jesus, before 1580, and he was amongst the first English lay-brothers 1815 Bl. Joseph Tshang-ta-Pong Martyr of China a catechist put to death for the faith 1922 Blessed Angela Salawa served Christ and Christ’s little ones with all her strength 1940 Bl. Luigi Orine apostle of Mercy servant of poor founder |
|
The
voice of the Father is heard, the Son enters the water, and the Holy
Spirit appears in the form of a dove. |
Quote: Pope Paul VI’s 1969 Instruction
on the Contemplative Life includes this passage:
"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).
|
All the ends of the earth shall remember
and turn to the Lord; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him" (Psalm 21:28) |
Morning
Prayer and Hymn Meditation
of the Day God
loves variety. He doesn't mass-produce his saints.
Every saint is unique, for each is 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. Each saint the Church honors responded to God's
invitation to use his or her unique gifts.
God calls each
one of us to be a saint in order to get into heaven
The more "extravagant"
graces are bestowed NOT for the benefit of the recipients
so much as FOR the benefit of others. |
1500 B.C. The Righteous Phineas, grandson of the High Priest Aaron (also
commemorated today) and son of the High Priest Eleazar, was also a priest
and zealous in his service.
When the Israelites, after the holy Prophet Moses (September 4) led them out of Egypt, were already near the Promised Land, their neighbors the Moabites and Midianites were overcome by fear and envy. Not trusting in their own strength, they summoned the magician Balaam to put a curse on the Israelites. The Lord revealed His will to Balaam, and Balaam refused to curse the People of God, seeing that God was pleased to bless them (Num. 24:1). Then the Moabites drew the Israelites
into the worship of Baal-Peor. God punished the Jews for their apostasy,
and they died by the thousands from a plague. Many,
beholding the wrath of God, came to their senses and repented.
At this time a certain man named
Zimri, of the tribe of the Simeon, "brought his brother a Midianite
woman in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation
of the children of Israel, and they wept at the door of the tabernacle
of witness" (Num. 25:6). Phineas, filled with wrath, went into Zimri's
tent and killed both him and the Midianite woman with a spear.
The high priesthood, in accord with God's promise,
continued also with his posterity. St Phineas died at an advanced age
around 1500 B.C. "And the Lord said to Moses, 'Phineas... has caused My wrath against the children of Israel to cease, when I was exceedingly jealous among them.... Behold, I give him a covenant of peace, and he and his descendants shall have a perpetual covenant of priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel'" (Num. 25:10-13). After this, at the command of God, Phineas went at the head of the Israelite army against the Moabites and brought chastisement upon them for their impiety and treachery. After the death of the High Priest Eleazar, St Phineas was unanimously chosen as High Priest. |
The wonder-working
Lydda Icon; Apostles Peter and John were preaching in Lydda built
a church dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos divine power icon of the
Virgin imprinted in color on the wall of the church (some sources say
the image was on a pillar) Mentioned in the service for the
Kazan Icon (July 8 & October 22) in the third Ode of the Canon.
According to Tradition, the Apostles Peter and John
were preaching in Lydda (later called Diospolis) near Jerusalem. There
they built a church dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos, then went
to Jerusalem and asked her to come and sanctify the church by her presence.
She sent them back to Lydda and said, "Go in peace, and I shall be there
with you."Arriving at Lydda, they found an icon of the Virgin imprinted in color on the wall of the church (some sources say the image was on a pillar). Then the Mother of God appeared and rejoiced at the number of people who had gathered there. She blessed the icon and gave it the power to work miracles. This icon was not made by the hand of man, but by a divine power. Julian the Apostate (reigned 361-363) heard about the icon and tried to eradicate it. Masons with sharp tools chipped away at the image, but the paint and lines just seemed to penetrate deeper into the stone. Those whom the emperor had sent were unable to destroy the icon. As word of this miracle spread, millions of people came to venerate the icon. In the eighth century, St Germanus, the future Patriarch of Constantinople (May 12) passed through Lydda. He had a copy of the icon made, and sent it to Rome during the iconoclastic controversy. It was placed in the church of St Peter, and was the source of many healings. In 842, the reproduction was returned to Constantinople and was known as the Roman Icon (June 26). The oldest sources of information for the Lydda Icon are a document attributed to St Andrew of Crete in 726, a letter written by three eastern Patriarchs to the iconoclast emperor Theophilus in 839, and a work of George the Monk in 886. The icon still existed as late as the ninth century. |
295
St. Maximilian Martyr refused to enter the Roman army because of his
Christian beliefs
Item
Romæ sancti Mamiliáni Mártyris.
Sometimes listed as Mamilian. The son of Fabius
Victor, he refused to enter the Roman army because of his Christian
beliefs and was beheaded at Thebaste in modem Algeria. Also at Rome [erroneus], St. Mamilian, martyr somewhere near Carthage. 295 ST MAXIMILIAN, MARTYR THE passio of St Maximilian is one of that small collection of precious documents that is an authentic, contemporary and practically unembroidered account of the trial and death of an early martyr. It runs as follows: In the consulate of Tuscus and Anulinus, on March 1; at Theveste in Numidia,* [* Now Tebessa in Algeria. It is suggested that this is a copyist’s mistake, and that the martyrdom was really somewhere near Carthage. Cf. the penultimate paragraph.] Fabius Victor was brought before the court, together with Maximilian. The public prosecutor, Pompeian, opened the case, and said, “Fabius Victor is here with Caesar’s commissary, Valerian Quintian. I demand that Maximilian, son of Victor, a conscript suitable for service, be measured.” The proconsul Dion asked the young man his name, and he answered, “What is the good of replying? I cannot enlist, for I am a Christian”; and added when the proconsul told the usher to take his height, “I cannot serve, I cannot do evil. I am a Christian.” The proconsul repeated his order, and the usher reported that Maximilian measured five feet ten inches. Then the proconsul said he was to be given the military badge, but Maximilian persisted, “Never!—I cannot be a soldier.” Dion: You must serve or die. MAXIMILIAN: I will never serve. You can cut off my head, but I will not be a soldier of this world, for I am a soldier of Christ.+ [+ It was this insistence of the early Christians on being soldiers of Christ that gave us our word “pagan”: paganus a civilian. Cf. Shorter Oxford Dictionary, edition of 1936.] DI0N: What has put these ideas into your head? MAXIMILIAN: My conscience and He who has called me. DI0N (to Fabius Victor): Put your son right. VICTOR: He knows what he believes, and he will not change. DI0N (to Maximilian): Be a soldier and accept the emperor’s badge.{++A leaden seal (bulla), worn round the neck. Cf. the modern identity disc.} MAXIMILIAN: Not at all. I carry the mark of Christ my God already. DI0N: I shall send you to your Christ at once. MAXIMILIAN: I ask nothing better. Do it quickly, for there is my glory. DI0N (to the recruiting-officer): Give him his badge. MAXIMILIAN: I will not take the badge. If you insist, I will deface it. I am a Christian, and I am not allowed to wear that leaden seal round my neck. For I already carry the sacred sign of the Christ, the Son of the living God, whom you know not, the Christ who suffered for our salvation, whom God gave to die for our sins. It is He whom all we Christians serve, it is He whom we follow, for He is the Lord of life, the Author of our salvation. DION: Join the service and accept the seal, or else you will perish miserably. MAXIMILIAN: I shall not perish: my name is even now before God. I refuse to serve, DION: You are a young man and the profession of arms befits your years. Be a soldier. MAXIMILIAN: My army is the army of God, and I cannot fight for this world. I tell you, I am a Christian. DI0N: There are Christian soldiers serving our rulers Diocletian and Maximian, Constantius and Galerius. MAXIMILIAN: That is their business. I also am a Christian, and I cannot serve. DI0N: But what harm do soldiers do? MAXIMILIAN; You know well enough. DI0N: If you will not do your service I shall condemn you to death for contempt of the army. MAXIMILIAN: I shall not die. If I go from this earth my soul will live with Christ my Lord. DI0N: Write his name down. . . . Your impiety makes you refuse military service, and you shall be punished accordingly as a warning to others. He then read the sentence: “Maximilian has refused the military oath through impiety. He is to be beheaded.” MAXIMILIAN: God liveth! Maximilian’s age was twenty-one years, three months and eighteen days. On his way to death he said to the assembled Christians, “Beloved brethren, make haste to attain the vision of God and to deserve a crown like mine with all your strength and with the deepest longing.” He was radiant; and, turning to his father, he said, “That cloak you got ready for when I was a soldier, give it to the lictor. The fruits of this good work will be multiplied an hundredfold. May I welcome you in Heaven and glorify God with you!” Almost at once his head was cut off. A matron named Pompeiana obtained Maximilian’s body and had it carried in her litter to Carthage, where she buried it close to the holy Cyprian, not far from the palace. Victor went home joyfully, thanking God for having allowed him to send such a gift to Heaved, whither he was not long in following his son. Amen. The text of
the passio is in Acta Sanctorum, March,
vol. ii, and Ruinart, Acta sincera. See Allard, Histoire des Persecutions, vol. iv; Delehaye, Les
Passions des martyrs pp. 104—110. In the third century the
Roman army was’ recruited chiefly from volunteers, but the sons of veterans
were under obligation to serve. St Maximilian’s rejection of this obligation
has been the occasion of needless embarrassment to some writers (e.g. Paul Allard); the conflicting views on soldiering
current in the early Church can be conveniently examined (without
necessarily accepting all his conclusions) in the work of a Protestant scholar,
Dr C. J. Cadoux, The Early Christian Attitude to War.
Cf. St Victricius (August 7) and St Martin of Tours (November
11). In the Roman Martyrology, St Maximilian is called Mamilianus, and
the place of his martyrdom is erroneously given as Rome.
Maximilian of Theveste M (RM) (also known as Maximilian of Tebessa) Died 296. In the African churches of the late Roman Empire, it was not uncommon for liturgies to include readings from the acta and passios of martyrs. The one often included for Saint Maximilian is the authentic record of his trial in Numidia (now Algeria) and execution for refusing to be conscripted into the Roman army. Maximilian resisted because he didn't want to be tainted by the idolatry of wearing the emperor's image around his neck. Maximilian also refused because he was a pacifist, perhaps one of the earliest conscientious objectors. There has long been a debate within the Church concerning the radical pacifism advocated by Our Lord and the less stringent, but more practical, position allowing self-defense and just war. Prior to the Edict of Milan and the toleration of Christianity, Christians believed that bearing arms contradicted the Gospel. Tertullian, for example, prohibited military service. Saint Hippolytus said that it was impossible to be a soldier and a catechumen--as contradictory as being a prostitute and catechumen (at least part of his reasoning dealt with the association of soldiers with pagan gods and sacrifices). The Church moderated its position. The Council of Arles (314) said that soldiers who left the army during peacetime would be excommunicated. About 295, the proconsul Dion went to Theveste to recruit soldiers for the third Augustan legion stationed there. At this time the Roman army was mainly volunteers, but sons of veterans were obliged to serve. Maximilian, the 21-year-old son of the Roman army veteran Fabius Victor, was presented to the recruiting agent. The advocatus Pompeianus, seeing that Maximilian would make an excellent recruit, asked for him to be measured: he was 5'10" tall. The ensuing dialogue between the proconsul Dion and Maximilian has been preserved to this day. When asked his name, Maximilian replied, "Why do you wish to know my name? I cannot serve because I am a Christian." Nevertheless, orders were given for him to be given the military seal. He answered, "I cannot do it: I cannot be a soldier." When told he must serve or die, he said, "You may cut off my head, but I will not serve. My army is the army of God, and I cannot fight for this world," it was pointed out to him that there were Christians serving as bodyguards for the emperors Diocletian and Maximian. To this he replied, "That is their business. I am a Christian, too, and I cannot serve." Dion then told Victor to correct his son. Victor, who had become a Christian like his son, said, "He knows what he believes, and he won't change his mind." Dion insisted, "Agree to serve and receive the military seal." "I already have the seal of Christ, my God . . . I will not accept the seal of this world; if you give it to me, I will break it for it is worthless. I cannot wear a piece of lead around my neck after I have received the saving sign of Jesus Christ, my Lord, the son of the living God. You do not know Him; yet He suffered for our salvation: God delivered Him up for our sins. He is the one whom all Christians serve; we follow Him as the Prince of Life and Author of Salvation." Again Dion stated that there
are other Christians who are soldiers. Maximilian answered, "They know
what is best for them. I am a Christian and I cannot do what is wrong."
Dion continued, "What wrong do those commit who serve in the army?" Maximilian
answered, "You know very well what they do."
Threatened with death if he remained obstinate, Maximilian answered, "This is the greatest thing that I desire. Dispatch me quickly. Therein lies my glory." Then he added, "I shall not die. When I leave this earth, I shall live with Christ, my Lord." He was sentenced accordingly: "Whereas Maximilian has disloyally refused the military oath, he is sentenced to die by the sword." Just before his execution, Maximilian encouraged his companions to persevere and asked his father to give his new clothes to the executioner. We are told that Fabius Victor "went home happily, thanking God for having allowed him to send such a gift to heaven." The place of Maximilian's death is given as Theveste (Tebessa) in Numidia, but it may have been nearer Carthage, where his body was taken for burial by a devout woman named Pompeiana. It was buried close to the relics of Saint Cyprian. As a side note, in 295, Diocletian issued an edict linking pagan religious practice to marriage and children. In 300, all soldiers were required to sacrifice to the civic gods (Attwater, Benedictines, Bentley, Encyclopedia, Farmer, Husenbeth, Markus). In art, St. Maximilian is a warrior with a banner that says In hoc vinces (Roeder). |
303 St. Peter of Nicomedia
Martyr 1st victims of last persecution by Roman Empire Ibídem pássio sancti Petri Mártyris, qui, cum esset cubiculárius Diocletiáni Imperatóris, et libérius de imménsis Mártyrum supplíciis quererétur, proptérea, jubénte eódem, in médium addúcitur, ac primo suspénsus, diutíssime flagris torquétur, deínde acéto ac sale perfúsus, ad últimum in cratícula lento igne assátur, sicque vere Petri éxstitit et fídei heres et nóminis. In the same city, the passion of the martyr St. Peter, chamberlain to Emperor Diocletian. For openly complaining of the atrocious torments inflicted upon the martyrs, he was, by order of the emperor, first suspended and for a long time scourged, then had salt and vinegar poured on his wounds, and finally was burned on a grate over a slow fire. Thus did he become a true heir of St. Peter's name and faith. 303 SS. PETER, GORGONIUS AND DOROTHEUS, Martyrs WHEN the Emperor Diocletian was in residence at Nicomedia in Asia Minor it was reported to him that there were Christians in his own household. He accordingly caused images of the gods to be set up and ordered that all suspected persons should offer sacrifice to them. The Christians boldly refused, and the first to incur his vengeance was Peter, his major-domo. We read in Eusebius and elsewhere of the terrible tortures he had to endure. Stripped naked,. he was suspended in the air while he was scourged until his bones were laid bare; vinegar mixed with salt was poured over the quivering flesh. Upon seeing this, Dorotheus, who was set over the imperial bedchamber, and Gorgonius, another high official, exclaimed, "Sire, why do you punish Peter for sentiments in which we all share? His faith, his opinion and his religion are ours also. Hitherto we have fought for you: from henceforth we will serve God whose creatures we are.” They and another official named Migdonius were thereupon tortured and then put to death. Peter, whose spirit was undaunted, was cut down and trampled underfoot and finally slowly roasted like meat on a spit, pieces of flesh being cut off from time to time. In themidst of his agony he uttered no cry of pain, but exclaimed exultingly, “The gods of the heathen are but devils : it is the Lord who made the heavens”. We know practically
nothing of these martyrs except what is found in the Ecclesiastical
history of Eusebius, bk viii, ch. 6. But it is noteworthy
that the Syriac Calendar or Breviarium of the end of the
fourth century mentions on this day the names of martyrs who suffered
at Nicomedia, and amongst these we find those of Peter and Dorotheus,
to whom Eusebius gives prominence. It is probable that the “Egdunus and
seven others at Nicomedia” commemorated in the Roman Martyrology all belong
to the same group. The “Migdonius” mentioned above and the “Egdunus” of
the martyrology are probably mere miswritings of the same name. Cf. note to St Gorgonius on September 9.
According
to tradition, he was a chamberlain at the court of Emperor Diocletian
at Nicomedia. Arrested for being a Christian when the last great persecution
of the Church was launched at Diocletian’s command, Peter was cruelly tortured
by having the flesh stripped from his body and salt and vinegar poured
and rubbed into the wounds. Finally, he was roasted to death over a fire.
He is ranked as one of the first victims of the last persecution by the
Roman Empire. Peter of Nicomedia M (RM) Saint Peter was Diocletian's valet (cubicularius) at Nicomedia. He had great pity for the Christian martyrs and shared their fate as one of the first victims of the last great persecution. The flesh was raked from his bones, salt and vinegar poured into the wounds, and finally he was roasted to death over a slow fire. The new calendar associates Peter of Nicomedia with Saints Gorgonius and Dorotheus, who were killed in the same persecution and who have their own feast day as well (Benedictines, Encyclopedia). |
303 St. Egdunus
Martyr with 7 companions in Nicomedia Nicomedíæ sanctórum Egdúni Presbyteri, et aliórum septem; qui singuli diébus suffocáti sunt, ut céteris metus incuterétur. At Nicomedia, St. Egdunus, priest, and seven others, who, one by one, on successive days, were strangled in order to terrify those who remained. Egdunus was suspended head downwards over a fire. Egdunus & Companions MM (RM) Died 303. Eight Christians were suspended upside-down over a fire in Nicomedia until they were suffocated by the smoke (Benedictines). |
573 St. Paul Aurelian Welsh bishop able
to perform miracles exorbitant nature 573 ST PAUL AURELIAN, BISHOP OF LÉON THE Bretons are fortunate in having a life of one of the fathers of Christianity in their country written before the wholesale destructions by the Northmen, with some authentic particulars of its author. He was a monk of Landévennec, named Wrmonoc, who knew the Léon country well; he based his work, he tells us, on an earlier life, and finished it. The following is a summary of this document. Paul Aurelian (afterwards known
as St Pol de Léon), was the son of Perphius, a British chief,
and was born in Penychen (or elsewhere) in South Wales. At the monastic school
to which he had asked to be sent he had as his fellows St David, St Samson
and St Gildas: this was at Ynys Byr under St Illtyd, and Paul
was present at the well-known miracle of the enlargement of that island.
She
prevailed upon him to stay some days, and on the eve of his departure
besought him with tears to obtain for her a favour from God. The place,
though convenient for their purpose, was too confined and close to “tiresome
relatives”. “It is easy for you to obtain what I want if you will but
pray to God for it: ask that the sea may be forced into a stationary
bed and that the land may be a little extended.” Then St Paul and his
sister knelt down on the shore in prayer, having first put two rows of
stones along low-water mark; and immediately the sea receded and left dry
ground behind. And the stones grew up into mighty pillars which acted as
a dyke and kept out the sea. St Paul and his disciples came
to the island of Ushant, where they landed at the place which is now called
Porz-Pol. There they built cells and lived happily for some time, until the
angel St Paul had seen before appeared again and told him to move further. Coming to the mainland they
went inland and made a settlement at Ploudalmézeau. Then Paul,
again urged on by the angel, made his way to the lord of the district,
a good Christian named Withur, who befriended them and gave them the island
of Batz, where St Paul settled down and built a monastery. Wonderful tales
are told about the benefits the saint conferred. He killed a dragon that
had done untold mischief, he taught the people how to get honey by gathering
a swarm of wild bees and setting them in a hive, and he tamed a wild
sow whose descendants remained at Léon for many generations. When Paul was talking one day
to Withur, a fisherman came to show them a fish he had caught. In its head
was embedded a bell which—curiously enough— turned out to be the very bell
which King Mark had refused to give St Paul. (In proof of the authenticity
of this incident the peasants of Léon point to an ancient hand-bell
which is preserved in their cathedral, made of red copper mingled with
silver. Miraculous properties were attributed to it.) The people who had profited
so much from the teaching and miracles of St Paul now began to clamour
to have him as their bishop. Withur was equally anxious, but he knew
how unwilling the holy man would be to accept such a dignity and therefore
he had recourse to a stratagem. He gave him a letter which he asked him
to deliver personally to King Childebert in Paris, as it contained matter
of great importance. It actually contained a request that St Paul should
be appointed bishop. He protested with tears, but the king had him consecrated
and then sent him back to Léon, where he was received with acclamation.
The name of the oppidum where his seat was fixed was changed
to St-Pol-de-Léon in memory of him. He continued to live the same
austere life as before, his only food being bread and water except on
great festivals, when he took a little fish. It seems that Withur had given
him his own house on the island of Batz as a monastery for his monks,
and thither the holy bishop loved to retire at intervals for prayer and
contemplation. He lived to extreme old age,
but had resigned office for some years before his death. After having
outlived two of his followers whom he had ordained to succeed him in
his episcopacy, he died in his monastery at Batz. St Paul was endowed
with the gift of prophecy and foretold the incursions of the Marcomanni
(North-men), says Wrmonoc, and he recounts the saint’s last moments very
simply and movingly. For discussion of this narrative—which
must by no means be taken at its face value—the reader may be referred
to the works mentioned below. It may be added that there are considerable
traces of St Paul Aurelian in Wales, and in Cornwall at Paul, close to
the western shore of Mount’s Bay. If his sister’s little monastery was
in fact close by, on Gwavas Lake (as Charles Henderson thought), it is
an interesting coincidence that, when driven out by the French Revolution,
the last bishop of Léon, John Francis de la Marche, landed in Mount’s
Bay in 179I, nine days before St Paul’s feast. That feast is now observed
in the diocese of Quimper and at the monastery on Caldey. The earliest manuscript (tenth century) of Wrmonoc’s Life of St Paul Aurelian was printed by C. Cuissard in the Revue Celtique, vol. v (1883), pp. 417—458; a later manuscript (eleventh-twelfth century) is printed in Analecta Bollandiana, vol. i (1882), pp. 209—258. See also vol. ii, pp. 191-194. The fullest and best discussion of the subject is by Canon G. H. Doble, St Paul of Léon (1941), where the more important parts of the Wrmonoc vita are translated; cf. the same writer’s article, “St Paulinus of Wales”, in Laudate, July 1941. See also LBS., vol. iv, pp. 75—86 and F. Duine, Sources hagiographiques ... de Bretagne, pp. 58—61. Probably of Roman-Welsh descent, he was the son of a local Welsh chieftain. He studied under St. Illtyd at the Ynys Byr monastery and, according to tradition, was granted permission to become a hermit. Ordained, he nevertheless gathered around himself a group of followers and acquired such a reputation for goodness that a king in Brittany asked him to preach the Christian faith to his subjects. Paul sailed to Caldey Island in Brittany soon after and founded a monastery at PorzPol on the island of Quessant. Later he established himself and his followers at Ouismor. There, over his objections, he was made a bishop, although he was finally permitted to resign after several years and retire to Batz. He was reputed to be able to perform miracles. |
604
Saint Gregory Dialogus granted a vision of the Lord Himself Pope of
Rome used inheritance to establish 6 monasteries
Romæ sancti Gregórii Primi, Papæ, Confessóris et Ecclésiæ Doctóris exímii; qui, ob res præcláræ gestas atque Anglos ad Christi fidem convérsos, Magnus est dictus et Anglórum Apóstolus appellátus. At Rome, St. Gregory, pope and eminent doctor of the Church, who on account of his illustrious deeds and the conversion of the English to the faith of Christ, was surnamed the Great, and called the Apostle of England. Born in Rome around the year 540. His grandfather was Pope Felix, and his mother Sylvia (November 4) and aunts Tarsilla and Emiliana were also numbered among the saints by the Roman Church. Having received a most excellent secular education, he attained high government positions. 604 ST GREGORY THE GREAT, POPE,
DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH
POPE GREGORY I, most justly called “the Great”, and the first pope who had been a monk, was elected to the apostolic chair when Italy was in a terrible condition after the struggle between the Ostrogoths and the Emperor Justinian, which ended with the defeat and death of Totila in 562. The state of Rome itself was deplorable: it had been sacked four times within a century and a half, and conquered four times in twenty years, but no one restored the damage done by pillage, fire and earthquake. St Gregory, writing about 593, says: “We see what has become of her who once appeared the mistress of the world. She is broken by all she has suffered from immense and manifold misfortunes. . . . Ruins upon ruins everywhere! . . . Where is the senate? Where are the people? We, the few who are left, are menaced every day by the sword and innumerable trials…Deserted Rome is in flames: her buildings also.” The saint’s family, one of the few patrician families left in the city, was distinguished also for its piety, having given to the Church two popes, Agapitus I and Felix III, Gregory’s great-great-grandfather. Little is known of Gordian, Gregory’s father except that he was a regionarius—whatever that might be—and that he owned large estates in Sicily as well as a house on the Coelian Hill; his wife Silvia is named as a saint in the Roman Martyrology. Gregory appears to have received the best education obtainable at that time in Rome, and to have taken up the career of a public official. In 568 a fresh calamity fell upon Italy in the form of the first Lombard invasion, and three years later the barbarian horde came alarmingly near Rome. At that time of panic Gregory probably showed something of the wisdom and energy which distinguished him later, for at the age of about thirty we find him exercising the highest civil office in Rome—that of prefect of the city. In that capacity he gained the respect arid esteem of the Romans and developed an appreciation of order in the administration of affairs which he retained throughout his life. Faithfully and honourably though Gregory fulfilled his duties, he had long been feeling the call to a higher vocation, and at length he resolved to retire from the world and to devote himself to the service of God alone. He was one of the richest men in Rome, but he gave up all, retiring into his own house on the Clivus Scauri, which he turned into a monastery and which he placed under the patronage of St Andrew and in the charge of a monk called Valentius, of whom Gregory writes that he was “the superior of my monastery and of myself”. The few years the saint spent in this seclusion were the happiest of his life—although his excessive fasting brought on gastric troubles and sowed the seeds of the painful infirmity which tormented him for the rest of his life. It was not likely that a man
of St Gregory’s talents and prestige would be left long in obscurity
at such a time, and we find him ordained seventh deacon of the Roman church,
and then sent as papal apocrisiarius or ambassador at the Byzantine court.
The contrast between the magnificence of Constantinople and the miserable
condition of Rome could not fail to impress the saint, but he found the
etiquette of the court wearisome and the intrigues revolting. He had the
great disadvantage of knowing no Greek, and more and more he lived a
monastic life with several of the monks of St Andrew’s who had accompanied
him. In Constantinople he met St Leander, Bishop of Seville, with
whom he formed a lifelong friendship, and at whose request he began
a commentary on the Book of Job which he afterwards finished at Rome
and which is generally known as his Moralia. Most of the dates
in St Gregory’s life are uncertain, but it was probably about the beginning
of the year 586 that he was recalled to Rome by Pelagius II. He immediately
settled down again, deacon of Rome though he was, in his monastery of
St Andrew, of which he soon became abbot; and it seems that it is to this
period we must refer the celebrated story told by the Venerable
Bede on the strength of an old English tradition.
St Gregory, it appears, was one day walking through the market when he noticed three golden-haired, fair-complexioned boys exposed for sale and inquired their nationality. “They are Angles or Angli”, was the reply. “They are well named,” said the saint, “for they have angelic faces and it becomes such to be companions with the angels in heaven.” Learning that they were pagans, he asked what province they came from. “Deira.”—“De ira!” exclaimed St Gregory. “Yes, verily they shall be saved from God’s ire and called to the mercy of Christ. What is the name of the king of that country?”—“Aella.”—“Then must Alleluia be sung in Aella’s land.” So greatly was he impressed by their beauty and by pity for their ignorance of Christ that he resolved to preach the gospel himself in Britain, and started off with several of his monks. However, when the people of Rome heard of their departure they raised such an outcry that Pope Pelagius sent envoys to recall them to Rome. The whole episode has been declared apocryphal by modern historians on the ground of the flimsiness of the evidence. They also point out that Gregory never alludes to the incident, and moreover that even in his most informal writings he never indulges in puns. On the other hand, the first part of the story—the scene in the market-place—may easily be true: men sometimes pun in familiar conversation who would abstain from the practice when writing. Also it might plausibly be urged that St Gregory’s admiration for the fair complexion and hair of the English lads, while natural enough in an Italian, is not the sort of trait which it would have occurred to a northern scribe to invent; while finally there can be no dispute that Gregory later on was deeply interested in St Augustine’s mission, however it came about. The trental of Masses or Gregorian Masses for the Dead are also connected in origin with this period. Justus, one of his monks, being ill, acknowledged to having three golden crowns hidden away, and the abbot sternly forbade the brethren to have any communication with him or to visit him on his death-bed. Upon his death he was excluded from the monks’ burial ground and was interred under a dunghill, the pieces of gold being buried with him. Nevertheless, as he died penitent, the abbot ordered that Mass should be offered for thirty days for the repose of his soul, and we have St Gregory’s own testimony that at the close of that time the dead man’s soul appeared to Copiosus, his natural brother, assuring him that he had been in torments but was now released. A terrible inundation of the Tiber was followed by another and an exceptionally severe outbreak of the plague: Rome was again decimated, and in January 590 Pelagius died of the dread disease. The people unanimously chose Gregory as the new pope, and to obtain by penitence the cessation of the plague he ordered a great processional litany through the streets of Rome. From seven churches in the city proceeded seven columns of people, who met at St Mary Major. St Gregory of Tours, after the report of one who was present, describes it: “The procession ordered for Wednesday took place on three successive days the columns proceeded through the streets chanting ‘Kyrie eleison’ while the plague was still raging; and as they walked people were seen falling and dying about them. Gregory inspired these poor people with courage, for he did not cease preaching and wished that prayer should be made continually.” The faith of the people was rewarded by the speedy diminution and cessation of the plague, as we learn from contemporary writers, but no early historian mentions the appearance of the Archangel Michael sheathing his sword on the summit of Hadrian’s mausoleum during the passing of the procession. This legend, which subsequently gained great credence, accounts for the figure of the angel which now surmounts the ancient pile and for the name of Sant’ Angelo which the castle has borne since the tenth century. Although St Gregory had thus been publicly devoting himself to the help of his fellow-citizens, his inclinations still lay in the direction of the contemplative life, and he had no intention of becoming pope if he could avoid it: he had written to the Emperor Maurice, begging him not to confirm the election; but, as we are told by Gregory of Tours, “while he was preparing to run away and hide himself; he was seized and carried off to the basilica of St Peter, and there, having been consecrated to the pontifical office, was given as pope to the city”. This took place on September 3, 590. A correspondence with John, Archbishop of Ravenna, who had modestly censured him for trying to avoid office, led to Gregory’s writing the Regula Pastoralis, a book on the office of a bishop. In it he regards the bishop as first and foremost a physician of souls whose chief duties are preaching and the enforcement of discipline. The work met with immediate success, and the Emperor Maurice had it translated into Greek by Anastasius, Patriarch of Antioch. Later St Augustine took it to England, where 300 years later it was translated by King Alfred, and at the councils summoned by Charlemagne the study of the book was enjoined on all bishops, who were to have a copy delivered to them at their consecration. For hundreds of years Gregory’s ideals were those of the clergy of the West and “formed the bishops who have made modern nations”. To the twofold duty of enforcing discipline and of preaching the pope set himself vigorously from the moment of his assuming office. He promptly and publicly deposed the Archdeacon Laurence, the most important ecclesiastic in Rome, “on account of his pride and misdemeanors, about which we think it our duty to keep silence”, says an old chronicle; he appointed a vice-dominus to look after the secular affairs of the papal household, he enacted that only clerics should be attached to the service of the pope, he forbade the exaction of fees for burial in churches, for ordinations, or for the conferring of the pallium, and he prohibited deacons from conducting the sung part of the Mass lest they should be chosen for their voices rather than for their character. In the matter of preaching, St Gregory was no less zealous: it was the great work he did for the churches of Rome. He liked to preach during Mass and preferred to choose as his subject the gospel for the day. We still possess a number of these homilies, which are popular and eloquent they always end with a moral lesson which each one is to apply to himself. In his instructions to his vicar in Sicily and to the overseers of his patrimony generally, Gregory constantly urged liberal treatment of his vassals and farmers and ordered that money should be advanced to those in difficulties. He was indeed an ideal papal landlord; his tenants were flourishing and content, and yet money flowed into the treasury. After his death he was blamed for the empty coffers left to his successors, but his huge charities—which took almost the form of state relief—must have saved multitudes from starvation in that distressful period. Large sums were spent in ransoming captives from the Lombards, and we find him commending the bishop of Fano for breaking up and selling church plate for that object and advising another prelate to do the same. In view of a threatened corn shortage he filled the granaries of Rome, and a regular list was kept of the poor to whom grants were periodically made. Cases of “decayed gentlewomen” seem to have received special consideration. St Gregory’s sense of justice showed itself also in his enlightened treatment of the Jews, whom he would not allow to be oppressed or deprived of their synagogues. He declared that they must not be coerced but must be won by meekness, and charity, and when the Jews of Cagliari in Sardinia complained that their synagogue had been seized by a converted Jew who had turned it into a church, he ordered the building to be restored to its former owners. From the very outset of his pontificate the saint was called upon to face the aggressions of the Lombards, who from Pavia, Spoleto and Benevento made incursions into other parts of Italy. No help was obtainable from Constantinople or from the exarch at Ravenna, and it fell upon Gregory, the one strong man, not only to organize the defences of Rome, but also to lend assistance to other cities. When in 593 Agilulf with a Lombard army appeared before the walls of Rome and general panic ensued, it was not the military or the civil prefect but the Vicar of Christ who went out to interview the Lombard king. Quite as much by his personality and prestige as by the promise of an annual tribute Gregory induced him to withdraw his army and leave the city in peace. For nine years he strove in vain to bring about a settlement between the Byzantine emperor and the Lombards; Gregory then proceeded on his own account to negotiate a treaty with King Agilulf, obtaining a special truce for Rome and the surrounding districts. Anticipating a few years we may add that Gregory’s last days were cheered by news of the re-establishment of peace. It must have been a relief to the saint to turn his thoughts sometimes from the busy world to his writings. Towards the end of 593 he published his celebrated Dialogues—one of the most popular hooks of the middle ages. It is a collection of tales of visions, prophecies and miracles gathered from oral tradition and designed to form a sort of picture of Italian efforts after holiness. His stories were obtained from people still living who, in many cases, claimed to be eye-witnesses of the events recorded. St Gregory’s methods were not critical, and the reader today must often feel misgivings as to the trustworthiness of his informants. Modern writers have wondered whether the Dialogues could have been the work of anyone so well balanced as St Gregory, but the evidence in favour of his authorship seems conclusive; and we must remember that it was a credulous age and that anything unusual was at once put down to supernatural agency. Of all his religious work in
the West that which lay closest to Gregory’s heart was the conversion of
England, and the success which crowned his efforts in that direction was to
him—as it necessarily is to Englishmen—the greatest triumph of his life. Whatever
may be the truth of the Angles and Angels story, it seems most probable
that the first move in regard to the sending of a mission came from England
itself. This is the inference to be drawn from two letters of St Gregory
still preserved. Writing to the French Kings Thierry and Theodebert he
says:
During nearly the whole of
his pontificate St Gregory was engaged in conflicts with Constantinople—sometimes
with the emperor, sometimes with the patriarch, occasionally with both.
He protested constantly against the exactions of Byzantine officials
whose pitiless extortions reduced the Italian country people to despair,
and remonstrated with the emperor against an imperial edict which prohibited
soldiers from becoming monks. With John the Faster, Patriarch of Constantinople,
he had an acrimonious correspondence over the title of Oecumenical or
Universal which that hierarch had assumed. It only meant the general or
superior authority of one archbishop over many, but the use of the title
Oecumenical Patriarch seemed to savour of arrogance, and Gregory resented
it. For his own part, though one of the most strenuous upholders of the
papal dignity, he preferred to call himself by the proudly humble title
of Servus servorum Dei—Servant
of the servants of God— a title still retained by his successors. In 602
the Emperor Maurice was dethroned by a military revolt under Phocas, who
murdered the old emperor and his whole family in the most brutal fashion.
The writing of a tardy but rather painfully diplomatic letter to this
cruel usurper is the only act which has exposed the pope to hostile criticism.
The letter consists mainly of hopes that peace is now assured; in the
interest of his defenceless people Gregory could not afford to
launch denunciations. Into the thirteen years of
his pontificate Gregory had crowded the work of a lifetime. His deacon
Peter declared that he never rested, and he certainly did not spare himself,
though he suffered from chronic gastritis and was a martyr to gout.
He became reduced almost to a skeleton, and the sands of life were running
low, yet he dictated letters and looked after the affairs of the Church
to the very end. Almost his last action was
to send a warm winter cloak to a poor bishop who suffered from the cold.
Gregory was buried in St Peter’s, and as the epitaph on his tomb expresses
it, “after having conformed all his actions to his doctrines, the great
consul of God went to enjoy eternal triumphs.” St Gregory has been credited
with the compilation of the Antiphonary, the revision and reatrangement
of the system of church music, the foundation of the famous Roman schola cantorum, and the composition of several well-known hymns.
These claims have been contested, though he certainly had considerable effect
on the Roman liturgy. But his true work lies in other directions. He is venerated
as the fourth doctor of the Latin church, in which capacity he may be said
to have popularized St Augustine and to have given clear expression
to certain religious doctrines which had not previously been perfectly defined.
For several centuries his was the last word on theology, though he was a
popular preacher, catechist and moralist rather than a theologian. Perhaps
his chief work was in strengthening the position of the Roman see. As the
Anglican Milman writes in his History of Latin Christianity:
“It is impossible to conceive what would have been the confusion,
the lawlessness, the chaotic state of the middle ages without the medieval
papacy ; and of the medieval papacy, the real father is Gregory the Great.”
Not without reason did the Church bestow upon him that seldom granted
title of Magnus, “the Great”. As stated above, King Alfred
the Great had a translation made of St Gregory’s Regula
Pastoralis, and presented a copy to each of his bishops. This
he equipped with both a preface and an epilogue written by himself, and
he also prefixed some Anglo-Saxon verses, of which the following prose
translation may give an idea: This message Augustine brought
over the salt sea from the south to the islanders, as the pope of Rome,
the Lord’s champion, had formerly decreed it. The wise Gregory was versed
in many true doctrines through the wisdom of his mind, his hoard of
studious thoughts. For he gained over most of mankind to the guardian
of Heaven [St Peter], he the best of Romans, wisest of men, most gloriously
famous. Afterwards King Alfred translated every word of me into English
and sent me to his scribes south and north; ordered more such to be brought
to him after the exemplar, that he might send them to his bishops, for
some of them needed it who knew little Latin. St Gregory’s
own letters and writings are the most reliable source of information
for the history of his life, but in addition to these we have a short
Latin biography by a monk of Whitby which probably dates from the early
years of the eighth century, another by Paul the Deacon late in
the same century, and a third by John the Deacon, between 872 and 882.
We have also valuable notices in Gregory of Tours, Bede and other
historians, and especially in the Liber Pontificalis. For
the letters of St Gregory the edition of P. Ewald and L. M. Hartmann in
MGH should of course be consulted. A valuable modern life in brief compass
is that of Mgr Batiffol in the series “Les Saints” (Eng. trans., 1929). See
also the Acta Sanctorum, March, vol. ii; Mann,
Lives of the Popes vol. i; Snow, Life of St
Gregory the Great Niche and Martin, Histoire de l’Eglise,
vol. v (1938) and amongst Anglican writers the very careful work
of Dr J. H. Dudden, St Gregory the Great (1905) but the literature
of the subject is, of course, vast. See the bibliographies in DAC. and
DTC.
Leading a God-pleasing life, he yearned for monasticism with all his soul. After the death of his father, St Gregory used his inheritance to establish six monasteries. At Rome he founded a monastery dedicated to the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, where he received monastic tonsure. After the death of Pope Pelagius,
St Gregory was chosen to the Roman See. For seven months he would not
consent to accept this service, considering himself unworthy.
He finally accepted consecration only after the
persistent entreaties of the clergy and flock. Wisely leading the Church, St
Gregory worked tirelessly in propagating the Word of God. St Gregory
compiled the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts in the Latin language,
which before him was known only in the verbal tradition. Affirmed by
the Sixth Ecumenical Council, this liturgical service was accepted by
all the Orthodox Church.
He zealously struggled against the Donatist heresy;
he also converted the inhabitants of Brittany pagans and Goths, adhering
to the Arian heresy to the True Faith. St Gregory has left behind numerous
written works. After the appearance of his book, DIALOGUES CONCERNING
THE LIFE AND MIRACLES OF THE ITALIAN FATHERS (DIALOGI DE VITA ET MIRACULIS
PATRUM ITALIORUM), the saint was called "Dialogus." His PASTORAL RULE
(or LIBER REGULAE PASTORALIS) was well-known. In this work, St Gregory
describes the model of the true pastor. His letters (848), dealing with
moral guidance, have also survived.
St Gregory headed the Church for thirteen years,
ministering to all the needs of his flock. He was characterized by an
extraordinary love of poverty, for which he was granted a vision of the
Lord Himself. Pope St Gregory the Great, as
he is known, died in the year 604, and his relics rest in the cathedral
of the holy Apostle Peter in the Vatican.
Orthodoxe und Evangelische Kirche: 12. März Katholische und Anglikanische Kirche: 3. September Gregor von Rom Ikonenzentrum Saweljew Gregor
wurde um 540 in einer sehr reichen, dem Hochadel angehörenden römischen
Familie geboren. Schon als junger Mann wurde er Präfekt von Rom.
Als er feststellte, daß ihn die umfangreiche Arbeit von seiner
Hingabe an Gott abhielt, legte er mit 35 Jahren sein Amt nieder und wandelte
seinen Grundbesitz in Klöster um. Aus dem Palast seines Vaters wurde
das Andreaskloster, in dem er selber mit Freunden nach der Regel Benedikts
lebte. Papst Pelagius II. ernannte ihn zum Gesandten in Byzanz. Nachdem
Pelagius 590 starb, wurde Gregor gegen seinen Willen zum Bischof von
Rom berufen. Gregor ordnete die Finanzen der Kirche neu. Die erzielten
Einnahmen retteten die Kirche und die Stadt in Zeiten des Hungers und
der Pest und ermöglichten Tributzahlungen an die Langobarden.
Gregor war sicher einer der größten Päpste des ersten christlichen Jahrtausends. Er ordnete die Kirche und ihre Finanzen und verschaffte ihr durch seine Diplomatie weltliches Ansehen. Er erneuerte auch die Liturgie, übertrug die Kirchenmusik an geschulte Chöre und bevorzugte den einstimmigen Gesang ohne Instrumente. Hieraus entstand die Form des gregorianischen Chorals. Die Zukunft der Kirche sah Gregor bei den im Norden lebenden Völkern. 596 sandte er deshalb 36 Mönche mit ihrem Abt Augustinus als Missionare nach England. Schon fünf Jahre später konnte er zwei Bistümer einrichten. Gregor nannte sich auch als erster Papst "Diener der Diener Gottes". Er starb am 12. März 604 in Rom. Der Titel Dialogus, den Gregor in dere orthodoxen Kirche trägt, entstand nach dem Erscheinen seines Werkes "Dialogi de vita et miraculis patrum Italiorum" 1295 wurde ihm der Titel eines Kirchenlehrers verliehen. Wegen seiner großen Gelehrsamkeit wurde er zum Patron des Schulwesens, der Lehrer, Studenten und Schüler. In den Schulen wurde lange Zeit am 12. März ein Schülerfesttag gefeiert, an dem die Rollen der Schüler und Lehrer getauscht wurden. Dieser Tag wurde auch in evangelischen Gebieten noch gefeiert. Bei der Kalenderreform wurde sein Gedenktag in der katholischen Kirche aus der Fastenzeit auf den Tag seiner Papstweihe verlegt. |
Ibídem deposítio sancti Innocéntii
Primi, Papæ et Confessóris. Ipsíus autem festum
quinto Kaléndas Augústi celebrátur. In the same place, the death of St. Innocent I, pope and confessor. His feast is celebrated on the 28th of July. |
605
St. Peter the Deacon Papal secretary to Pope St. Gregory I the
Great A Benedictine monk, he was a companion of Gregory and his faithful secretary. The pontiff dictated the four books of the Dialogues to Peter. He is also revered as the patron saint of Biella, Italy. Peter the Deacon, OSB (AC) Peter, usually described as a Benedictine, was the disciple, secretary, and companion of Saint Gregory the Great, to whom the great pope dictated the four books of his Dialogues. Peter is venerated as the patron of Salassola in the diocese of Biella near Venice (Benedictines). |
645 St. Mura McFeredach
Irish abbot disciple of St. Columba He was named abbot of Fahan and is patron saint of Fahan in County Derry. Also called Muran and Murames, he is remembered by one of his crosses that remains standing at Fahan. Mura McFeredach, Abbot (AC) (also known as Muran, Murames, Muranus, Muru) Born in Donegal, Ireland; Saint Mura was appointed the first abbot of Fahan (Innisowen, County Donegal) by Saint Columba, whose staff and little bell still exist. The crozier can be found in the Royal Irish Academy and the bell in the Wallace Collection in London. His cross is also preserved at Fahan as a National Monument. He is the special patron of the O'Neill clan and of Fahan (Benedictines, Encyclopedia, Farmer). |
712
St. Vindician Bishop of Arras-Cambrai. Born at Bullecourt, France, in
632, he became a disciple of St. Eligius.
Named bishop of Cambrai about 669, he was a dedicated prelate who visited
parishes and promoted monasticism. He also courageously opposed the
actions of the Frankish king Thierry III (r. 670-687) and his mayor of
the palace, Ebroin, in executing Bishop St. Leodegarius of Autun, and
he secured reparations for the sin from the ruler.
He spent his final years at St. Vaast Monastery, Arras, an institution that King Thierry supported. Vindician died while on a visit to Brussels, Belgium. |
818
St. Theophanes Abbot Confessor relics were honored by many miraculous
cures Constantinópoli sancti Theóphanis, qui, ex ditíssimo pauper Mónachus efféctus, ab ímpio Leóne Arméno, pro cultu sacrárum Imáginum, biénnio deténtus est in cárcere, et inde in Samothráciam deportátus, ibídem, ærúmnis conféctus, réddidit spíritum, multísque miráculis cláruit. Constantinópoli sanctórum Theóphanis
et Sociórum.
At Constantinople, St. Theophanes,
who gave up great riches to embrace the poverty of the monastic state.
The impious Leo the Armenian kept him in prison for two years because
of his veneration of sacred images, and later sent him into Thrace in
exile. There, overwhelmed with afflictions, but famous for miracles,
death came upon him.817 ST THEOPHANES THE CHRONICLER, ABBOT IT was at the court of the
Emperor Constantine V that St Theophanes grew up. His father had died
early, leaving him heir to a large estate and entrusting him to the guardianship
of the emperor. He was induced to marry, but by mutual agreement his
wife became a nun; Theophanes also retired from the world and seemingly
built two monasteries, the first of which was situated on Mount Sigriana,
near Cyzicus. When he established the second, on the island of Kalonymos,
which was part of his heritage, he made this his home, and there spent
six years. Eventually he returned to Mount Sigriana and remained
on as abbot. In 787 Theophanes was invited to take part in the Second
Council of Nicaea, which sanctioned the use and veneration of sacred images.
But Leo the Armenian in 814 reversed the policy of his predecessors, and
strove to suppress the cultus of images. Recognizing
how widespread was the authority and reputation of St Theophanes, he
attempted to win him over to his side by civilities and crafty letters.
But the holy man was well armed against all the devices which could be
used to ensnare him. At the age of fifty he had begun to be grievously
afflicted with the stone and with another painful internal disease; but,
called to Constantinople by the emperor, he obeyed the call, although
he was at the time tortured by these agonizing infirmities.
Leo
sent him a message that flattered and then threatened. To this Theophanes
replied: “Being now far advanced in years and much broken with pain
and the weakness of my body, I have neither relish nor inclination for
any of those things which I despised, for Christ’s sake, in my youth. As
to my monastery and my friends, I commend them to God. If you think to
frighten me into compliance by your threats, as a child is awed by the
rod, you are only losing your pains.” The emperor sent several emissaries
to argue with him, but he remained inflexible. He was condemned to be scourged
and imprisoned, and, after receiving 300 stripes, was confined for two
years in a close and stinking dungeon, where he was left almost without
the necessaries of life, although his malady was ever increasing. At last
he was removed from prison and banished to the island of Samothrace, where
he died March 12, 817, seventeen days after his arrival, as the result of
the treatment he had endured. He
left a Chronography or short history of the world to the year 813, starting
from A.D. 284, the date which terminated an earlier history written by
his friend George Syncellus, secretary of the patriarch St Tarasius.
http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ElAnt/V4N2/gillett.html
The Chronicle of Theophanes Confessor:
Byzantine and Near Eastern History AD 284-813 (transl. Cyril Mango and Roger Scott) The importance of the work of St Theophanes as a chronicler of Byzantine history has led to much attention being paid to his life. The complete biography of the saint by Methodius was edited completely for the first time by D. Spyridon in the periodical vol. xii (1913). The lives previously known seem all to be dependent on this. Moreover, we have a panegyric delivered by his fellow monk and disciple, St Theodore Studites, which is to be found in the Analecta Bollandiana, vol. xxxi (1912), pp. 11—25, as well as certain letters of the same Theodore printed in Migne, PG., vol. xcix, cc. 1197 seq. Cf. BHG., nn. 1788—1792. The Chronographia of Theophanes has been edited by Dc Boor (1885), with a valuable introduction. See also Pargoire in Jules Pargoire, Saint Theophane le Chronographe et ses rapports avec saint Theodore studite," in VizVrem, ix. (St Petersburg, 1902). vol. ix (1902), pp. 31—102; Krumbacher, Gesch. des Byz. Literatur, pp. 342—347; and Analecta Bollandiana, vol. xxxi (1912), pp. 11—25, 148—156. His father, who was governor of the isles of the Archipelago, died when he was only three years old, and left him heir to a very great estate, under the guardianship of the Iconoclast emperor, Constantine Copronymus. Amidst the dangers of such an education, a faithful pious servant instilled into his tender mind the most generous sentiments of virtue and religion. Being arrived at man's estate, he was compelled by his friends to take a wife; but on the day of his marriage, he spoke in so moving a manner to his consort on the shortness and uncertainty of this life, that they made a mutual vow of perpetual chastity. She afterwards became a nun, and he for his part built two monasteries in Mysia one of which, called Megal- Agre, near the Propontis, he governed himself. He lived, as it were, dead to the world and the flesh, in the greatest purity of life, and in the exercises of continual mortification and prayer. In 787, he assisted at the second council of Nice, where all admired to see one, whom they had formerly known in so much worldly grandeur, now so meanly clad, so modest, and so full of self-contempt as he appeared to be. He never laid aside
his hair shirt; his bed was a mat, and his pillow a stone; his sustenance
was hard coarse bread and water. At fifty years of age, he began to
be grievously afflicted with the stone and nephritic colic; but bore with
cheerfulness the most excruciating pains of his distemper. The emperor Leo,
the Armenian, in 814, renewed the persecution against the church, and abolished
the use of holy images, which had been restored under Constantine and Irene.
Knowing the great reputation and authority of Theophanes, he endeavored
to gain him by civilities and crafty letters. The saint discovered the
hook concealed under his alluring baits, which did not, however, hinder
him from obeying the emperor's summons to Constantinople, though at that
time under a violent: fit of the stone; which distemper, for the remaining
part of his life, allowed him very short intervals of ease. The emperor
sent him this message. "From your mild and obliging disposition, I flatter
myself you are come to confirm my sentiments on the point in question
with your suffrage, it your readiest way for obtaining my favor, and with
that the greatest riches and honors for yourself, your monastery, and relations,
which it is in the power of an emperor to bestow. But if you refuse to comply
with my desires in this affair, you will incur my highest displeasure, and
draw misery and disgrace on yourself and friends." The holy man returned
for answer: "Being now far advanced in years, and much broken with pains
and infirmities, I have neither relish nor inclination for any of these things
which I despised for Christ's sake in my youth, when I was in a condition
to enjoy the world. As to my monastery and my friends, I recommend them to
God. If you think to frighten me into a compliance by your threats, as a
child is awed by the rod, you only lose your labor. For though unable to walk,
and subject to many other corporeal infirmities, I trust in Christ that he
will enable me to undergo, in defense of his cause, the sharpest tortures
you can inflict on my weak body." The emperor employed several persons to
endeavor to overcome his resolution, but in vain: so seeing himself vanquished
by his constancy, he confined him two years in a close stinking dungeon,
where he suffered much from his distemper and want of necessaries. He was
also cruelly scourged. having received three hundred stripes. In 818, he
was removed out of his dungeon, and banished into the isle of Samothracia,
where he died in seventeen days after his arrival, on the 12th of March.
His relics were honored by many miraculous cures. He has left us his Chronographia,
or short history from the year 824, the first of Dioclesian, where George
Syncellus left off, to the year 813. His imprisonment did not allow him
leisure to polish the style.
Theophanes the Chronicler, Abbot
(RM) (also known as Theophanes of Mt. Sigriana) Born in Constantinople;
died in Samothrace, March 12, 818. Saint Theophanes went from possessing
great wealth in his youth to great poverty. While he was still quite
young, his father died and left him a huge fortune. He was raised in the
court of Emperor Constantine V, married, but by mutual consent, he and
his wife separated so that she could become a nun and he a monk. Theophanes
built monasteries on Mount Sigriana and on the island of Kalonymos; after
six years at the latter, he became abbot of Mount Sigriana. He attended the
Council of Nicaea in 787 and when he supported the decrees of the council
approving the veneration of sacred images, he came into conflict with
Emperor Leo the Armenian, who supported iconoclasm. When Theophanes refused
to accede to the emperor's demands, he was scourged, imprisoned for two
years, and then banished to Samothrace, where he died in exile soon after
his arrival from the injuries he received in prison. He has the appellation
"the Chronicler" because he wrote a history covering the years 284-813
entitled Chronographia (Delaney, Encyclopedia).
After the death of the impious emperor Leo the Armenian,
the "Big Settlement" monastery was restored and the relics of the holy
confessor were transferred there.Saint Theophanes the Confessor was born in 759 at Constantinople into a pious and renowned family. His father was a relative of the Byzantine emperor Leo the Isaurian (717-741). Three years after Theophanes was born, his father died, leaving his family under the care of the emperor himself. Theophanes grew up at the court and became a dignitary under the emperor Leo IV the Khazar (775-780). His position obliged him to enter into marriage, but he persuaded his bride to live with him in virginity. After the death of his parents, Theophanes and his wife visited monasteries in the Sygrian district (Asia Minor), Theophanes met the Elder Gregory Stratitios, who predicted to Theophanes' wife that her husband would earn the crown of martyrdom. Later the wife of Theophanes was tonsured a nun in one of the monasteries in Bithynia, and Theophanes went to a monastery in the Cyzicus region. With the blessing of his Elder, Theophanes founded the Kalonymon monastery on an island in the Sea of Marmara and secluded himself in his cell, transcribing books. Theophanes attained a high degree of skill in this occupation. Later, St Theophanes founded another monastery in Sygria, at a place called the "Big Settlement", and became its igumen. He participated in all the work of the monastery, and was an example to all in his love for work and ascetical effort. He received from the Lord the gift of wonderworking, healing the sick, and casting out demons. The Seventh Ecumenical Council met in Nicea in 787, which condemned the heresy of Iconoclasm. St Theophanes was also invited to the Council. He arrived dressed in his tattered garments, but he revealed his wisdom in affirming the veneration of the holy icons. At the age of fifty, St Theophanes fell grievously ill and he suffered terribly until the day he died. Even on his deathbed, the saint continued to work. He wrote his CHRONOGRAPHIA, a history of the Christian Church covering the years 285-813. This work has remained an invaluable source for the history of the Church. During the reign of the emperor Leo the Armenian (813-820), when the saint was advanced in age, the Iconoclast heresy returned. They demanded that St Theophanes accept the heresy, but he firmly refused and was locked up in prison. His "Big Settlement" monastery was put to the torch. The holy confessor died in 818 after twenty-three days in prison. |
951 ST ALPHEGE, BISHOP OF
WINCHESTER chiefly remembered
for his indirect part in the restoration of monasticism in England by
encouraging his kinsman St Dunstan to become a monk ST ALPHEGE the Elder, or the Bald, as he is called to distinguish him from one of his successors, St Alphege the Martyr, is now chiefly remembered for his indirect part in the restoration of monasticism in England by encouraging his kinsman St Dunstan to become a monk. No doubt the bishop’s arguments sank into his mind, but it required a dangerous illness to decide him. St Alphege, on hearing of his purpose, was greatly rejoiced and lost no time in investing him with the habit, and later had the joy of raising him to the priesthood. Two others were ordained on that occasion, St Ethelwold and another monk named Ethelstan. The spirit of prophecy came upon St Alphege, and addressing the new priests he is reported to have said, “To-day, before God, I have laid my hands upon three men, of whom two will attain to the grace of the episcopal order—one in the city of Winchester and then at Canterbury, and the other will also occupy my seat in legitimate succession later on. The third, after doing much evil and wallowing in sensual pleasures, will come to a miserable end.” His words were fulfilled in every particular. The good bishop’s life was one of great holiness and he was famous for his prophetical gifts. The Life of Dunstan by “B”, together
with the histories of William of Malmesbury and Simeon of Durham, are
the principal sources for the little we know of St Alphege, whose name
figures in two or three medieval calendars.
951 St. Alphege Bishop prophet monk credited with helping to restore monasticism to England called "the Elder" or "the Bald." Also known as Elphege, he was the bishop of Winchester, England. There he ordained St. Dunstan. A holy prophet, Alphege is credited with helping to restore monasticism to England. Alphege of Winchester, OSB B (RM) (also known as Elphege the Elder or Elphege the Bald) feast day formerly April 19. Before he was raised to the dignity of bishop of Winchester in 935, Alphege was a monk or hermit. He persuaded many others to enter monastic life, including his kinsman Saint Dunstan and Saint Ethelwold, both of whom he ordained to the priesthood on the same day. His feast is still kept at Winchester and Saint Albans (Benedictines, Farmer). |
1022
Simeon the New Theologian abbot successor to Saint John the Evangelist
and Saint Gregory of Nazianzus
Born in Paphlagonia, died at Constantinople, 1022. Saint Simeon is venerated by the Orthodox Church at Constantinople, where he was raised. He was a monk of the Studius who migrated to St. Mamas Monastery in such of a more austere life. He become its abbot and ruled for 25 years. His strictness was met with animosity, so he organized a new community. In Saint Simeon, Byzantine mysticism reached its peak; he followed the spiritual tradition of Saint John Climacus and Saint Maximus the Confessor. Recently his writings have generated interest among Western students (samples can be found in E. Kadloubovsky and G. E. H. Palmer's Writings from the Philokalia (1951)). Simeon is called the "new" theologian to indicate his place in the Orthodox Church as a successor to Saint John the Evangelist and Saint Gregory of Nazianzus (Attwater). SYMEON THE NEW THEOLOGIAN: DIVINE LOVE OPENS US TO OTHERS VATICAN CITY, 16 SEP 2009 (VIS) - In today's general audience, which was held in the Paul VI Hall, the Pope focused his attention on Symeon the New Theologian, "an Eastern monk from Asia Minor whose writings exercised an important influence on theology and spirituality in the East, especially as regards the experience of mystical union with God". The Holy Father explained how Symeon was born in Galatai, Asia Minor. He began a civilian career in the imperial service but abandoned it in order "to follow the path of union with God" under the guidance of Symeon the Pious in a monastery in Constantinople. He died in the year 1022. "Symeon focused his reflections on the presence of the Holy Spirit in the baptised and on the awareness they must have of this spiritual truth. Christian life, he insists, is intimate and personal communion with God. ... True knowledge of God ... stems from a journey of inner purification". This journey must pass through "profound penitence and sincere suffering for ones sins in order to achieve union with Christ, the source of joy and peace". "This saintly Oriental monk reminds everyone to pay great attention to spiritual life. If, in fact, we are rightly concerned with tending to our physical, human and intellectual development, it is even more important not to overlook our inner development which consists in knowledge of God and communion with Him, so as to experience His help at all times and in all circumstances". Symeon the New Theologian "had certain proof that the source of Christ's presence and action in a person's soul is love", said Benedict XVI. "The love of God grows within us if we remain united to Him through prayer and listening to His Word. Only divine love makes us open our hearts to others and renders us sensitive to their needs, bringing us to consider everyone as our brothers and sisters and inviting us to respond to hatred with love and to offence with forgiveness". Recalling then how, as a young man, Symeon "found a spiritual director who helped him greatly and for whom he always maintained great respect", the Pope told his audience: "This remains valid even today, as everyone - priests, consecrated persons, lay people and especially the young - is invited to seek the counsel of a good spiritual father, one capable of accompanying each individual in a profound knowledge of self and leading him or her to intimate union with the Lord, that their lives may be increasingly moulded to the Gospel". "To advance towards the Lord we always have need of a guide, of some form of dialogue; we cannot do it just with our own reflections. And finding this guide is part of the ecclesial nature of our faith". AG/SYMEON THE NEW THEOLOGIAN/... VIS 090916 (480) Saint Simeon the New Theologian was born in the year 949 in the city of Galatea (Paphlagonia), and he was educated at Constantinople. His father prepared him for a career at court, and for a certain while the youth occupied a high position at the imperial court. When he was fourteen, he met the renowned Elder Simeon the Pious at the Studion Monastery, who would be a major influence in his spiritual development. He remained in the world for several years preparing himself for the monastic life under the Elder's guidance, and finally entered the monastery at the age of twenty-seven. St Simeon the Pious recommended
to the young man the writings of St Mark the Ascetic (March 5) and other
spiritual writers. He read these books attentively and tried to put
into practice what he read. Three points made by St Mark in his work "On
the Spiritual Law" (see Vol. I of the English PHILOKALIA) particularly
impressed him. First, you should listen to your conscience and do what
it tells you if you wish your soul to be healed (PHILOKALIA, p. 115).
Second, only by fulfilling the commandments can one obtain the activity
of the Holy Spirit. Thirdly, one who prays only with the body and without
spiritual knowledge is like the blind man who cried out, "Son of David,
have mercy upon me (Luke 18:38) (PHILOKALIA, p. 111). When the blind man
received his sight, however, he called Christ the Son of God (John 9:38).
Seven years after this vision, St Simeon entered
the monastery. There he increased his fasting and vigilance, and learned
to renounce his own will.St Simeon was wounded with a love for spiritual beauty, and tried to acquire it. In addition to the Rule given him by his Elder, his conscience told him to add a few more Psalms and prostrations, and to repeat constantly, "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy upon me." Naturally, he heeded his conscience. During the day, he cared for the needs of people living in the palace of Patricius. At night, his prayers grew longer and he remained praying until midnight. Once, as he was praying in this way, a most brilliant divine radiance descended upon him and filled the room. He saw nothing but light all around him, and he was not even aware of the ground beneath his feet. It seemed to him that he himself became light. Then his mind rose upward to the heavens, and he saw a second light brighter than the light which surrounded him. Then, on the edge of this second light, he seemed to see St Simeon the Pious, who had given him St Mark the Ascetic to read. The Enemy of our salvation stirred
up the brethren of the monastery against St Simeon, who was indifferent
to the praises or reproaches of others. Because of the increased discontent
in the monastery, St Simeon was sent to the Monastery of St Mamas in
Constantinople. There he was tonsured into the monastic schema,
and increased his spiritual struggles. He attained to a high spiritual
level, and increased his knowledge of spiritual things through reading
the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Fathers, as well as in conversation
with holy Elders.
There he composed his theological works, portions
of which appear in the PHILOKALIA.Around the year 980, St Simeon was made igumen of the monastery of St Mamas and continued in this office for twenty-five years. He repaired and restored the monastery, which had suffered from neglect, and also brought order to the life of the monks. The strict monastic discipline, for which St Simeon strove, led to great dissatisfaction among the brethren. Once, after Liturgy, some of the monks attacked him and nearly killed him. When the Patriarch of Constantinople expelled them from the monastery and wanted to hand them over to the civil authorities, St Simeon asked that they be treated with leniency and be permitted to live in the world. About the year 1005, St Simeon resigned his position as igumen in favor of Arsenius, while he himself settled near the monastery in peace. The chief theme of his works
is the hidden activity of spiritual perfection, and the struggle against
the passions and sinful thoughts. He wrote instructions for monks: "Theological
and Practical Chapters," "A Treatise on the Three Methods of Prayer,"
(in Vol. IV of the English PHILOKALIA) and "A Treatise
on Faith." Moreover, St Simeon was an outstanding church poet. He also
wrote "Hymns of Divine Love," about seventy poems filled with profound
prayerful meditations.
Since March 12 falls during Great Lent, St Simeon's
Feast is transfered to October 12.The sublime teachings of St Simeon about the mysteries of mental prayer and spiritual struggle have earned him the title "the New Theologian." These teachings were not the invention of St Simeon, but they had merely been forgotten over time. Some of these teachings seemed unacceptable and strange to his contemporaries. This led to conflict with Constantinople's church authorities, and St Simeon was banished from the city. He withdrew across the Bosphorus and settled in the ancient monastery of St Makrina. The saint peacefully fell asleep in the Lord in the year 1021. During his life he received the gift of working miracles. Numerous miracles also took place after his death; one of them was the miraculous discovery of his icon. His Life was written by his cell-attendant and disciple, St Nicetas Stethatos. |
1092 Blessed Rusticus
of Vallumbrosa OSB Vall., Abbot (AC) Rusticus was elected third abbot general of the Vallumbrosans in 1076. His relics were elevated in 1200 (Benedictines). |
1109 St. Bernard of
Carinola Bishop patron saint of Carinola died in extreme old age also
called Bernard of Capua. Cápuæ sancti Bernárdi, Epíscopi et Confessóris. At Capua, St. Bernard, bishop and confessor. He was the confessor of Duke Richard II of Capua until appointed the bishop of Forum Claudii in 1087 by Pope Victor III. He transferred the see to Carinola in 1100. 1109 ST BERNARD OF CAPUA, BISHOP OF CALENO ST BERNARD OF CAPUA, of whose antecedents and early life no records are available, became chaplain and adviser to Duke Richard II, son of Prince Jordan of Capua. He gained the confidence of his patron so entirely that it was said that Richard would undertake nothing without first consulting his confessor. When the see of Foro-Claudio was vacant he was appointed by Pope Victor III, and he soon began to consider removing his episcopal seat. Foro-Claudio was in an exposed place— not easily defended—on the high-road between Rome and Naples, whereas at a short distance off, in a far better position, stood Caleno. The change was accordingly made. On Monte Massico hard [probably “nearby”] by lay the body of the hermit St Marcius (Martin), mention of whom is made in the Dialogues of St Gregory; and Arachis, Duke of Benevento, came with a great retinue intending to remove the body and to take it to Benevento. Mass was celebrated for them in the presence of the relics, but suddenly there came an earthquake, and the duke, interpreting this as a warning that it was not God’s will that the body should leave the neighbourhood, returned home. Then St Bernard and his priests went up to the mountain, and having brought the precious treasure to their new cathedral enclosed it in the altar. The account of this saint in the Acta Sanctorum, March, vol. ii, is based upon certain breviary lessons cited by Ughelli and by Michael Monachus in his Sanctuarium Capuanum. The authority is not very satisfactory, but there can be no doubt of St Bernard’s historical existence. Bernard of Carinola B (RM) (also known as Bernard of Capua) Born in Capua, Italy; died 1109. Bernard was appointed bishop of Forum Claudii in 1087 by Pope Saint Victor III. In 1100, he transferred the see to Carinola, Campania, Italy. He died in extreme old age and is now venerated as the principal patron of Carinola (Benedictines, Encyclopedia). |
1253
St. Fina "Seraphina"Virgin; many miracles through her intercession
Gregory appeared to her and said, "Dear child on my festival God will
give you rest" 1253 ST FINA, OR SERAPHINA, VIRGIN THE old town of San Geminiano in Tuscany treasures with special veneration the memory of Santa Fina, a young girl whose claim to be recognized as a saint lay in the perfect resignation with which she accepted bodily suffering. She was born of parents who had seen better days but had fallen into poverty. The child was pretty and attractive. Poor as she was, she always kept half her food to give to those who were worse off than herself. As far as possible she lived the life of a recluse at home, sewing indeed and spinning during the day, but spending much of the night in prayer. Her father seems to have died when she was still young, and about the same time Fina was attacked by a sudden complication of diseases. Her head, hands, eyes, feet and internal organs were affected and paralysis supervened. She lost her good looks and became a miserable object. Desiring to be like our Lord on the cross, for six years she lay on a plank in one position, unable to turn or to move. Her mother had to leave her for hours while she went out to work or to beg, but Fina never complained. Although in terrible pain she always maintained serenity, and, with her eyes fixed upon the crucifix, she kept on repeating, “It is not my wounds but thine, 0 Christ, that hurt me”. Fresh trouble befell her. Her mother died suddenly, and Fina was left utterly destitute. Except for one devoted friend, Beldia, she was now so neglected that it was clear she could not live long—dependent on the casual attentions of poor neighbours who shrank from contact with her loathsome sores. Someone had told her about St Gregory the Great and his sufferings, and she had conceived a special veneration for him. She used to pray that he, who was so much tried by disease, would intercede with God that she might have patience in her affliction. Eight days before her death, as she lay alone and untended, Gregory appeared to her, and said, “Dear child, on my festival God will give you rest”. And it came to pass as he had said: on March 12, 1253, she died; and the neighbours declared that when her body was removed from the board on which it had rested, the rotten wood was found to be covered with white violets. All the city attended the funeral, and many miracles were reported as having been wrought through her intercession. In particular she is said, as she lay dead, to have raised her hand and to have clasped and healed the injured arm of her friend Beldia. The peasants of San Geminiano still give the name of Santa Fina’s flowers to the white violets which bloom about the season of her feast day. The story of St Fina is preserved
to us in the short Latin life written by the Dominican John of Geminiano,
seemingly about fifty years after the saint’s death. It is printed by
the Bollandists in the Acta Sanctorum,
March, vol. ii. There is also a contemporary Italian text which may
be the original. See also A. B. C. Dunbar, Dictionary of Saintly Women, vol. i,
p.317. The obsequies of Santa Fina form the subject of one of Ghirlandajo’s
most famous pictures.
She was
known for her self denial and acts of penance as a young girl. A mysterious
illness left this beautiful girl unattractive; her eyes, feet, and hands
became deformed and eventually Seraphina was paralyzed. Her mother and
father both died while she was young. She was devoted to St. Gregory the
Great. She died on the feast of St. Gregory, exactly as she had been warned
by Gregory in a dream. Seraphina was a very helpful child around the family
home. She did many of the chores and helped her mother spin and sew.St. Fina or Seraphina, The old town of San Geminiano in Tuscany treasures with special veneration the memory of Santa Fina, a young girl whose claim to be recognized as a saint lay in the perfect resignation with which she accepted bodily suffering. She was born of parents who had seen better days but had fallen into poverty. The child was pretty and attractive. Poor as she was she always kept half her food to give to those who were worse off than herself. As far as possible she lived the life of a recluse at home, sewing indeed and spinning during the day, ;but spending much of the night in prayer. Her father seems to have died when she was still young and about the same time Fina was attacked by a sudden complication of diseases. Her head, hands, eyes, feet and internal organs were affected and paralysis supervened. She lost her good looks and became a miserable object. Desiring to be like our Lord on the cross, for six years she lay on a plank in one position, unable to turn or to move. Her mother had to leave her for hours while she went to work or beg, but Fina never complained. Although in terrible pain she always maintained serenity and with her eyes fixed upon the crucifix she kept on repeating,"It is not my wounds but thine, O Christ, that hurt me". Fresh trouble befell her. Her mother died suddenly and Fina was left utterly destitute. Except for one devoted friend Beldia she was now so neglected that it was clear she could not live long, dependent on the casual attentions of poor neighbors who shrank from contact with her loathsome sores. Someone had told her about St. Gregory the Great and his sufferings, and she had conceived a special veneration for him. She used to pray that he, who was so much tried by disease would intercede with God that she might have patience in her affliction. Eight days before her death as she lay alone and untended, Gregory appeared to her and said, "Dear child on my festival God will give you rest". And it came to pass when her body was removed from the board on which it had rested, the rotten wood was found to be covered with white violets. All the city attended the funeral and many miracles were reported as having been wrought through her intercession. In particular she is said as she lay dead, to have raised her hand and to have clasped and healed the injured arm of her friend Beldia. The peasants of San Geminiano still give the name of Santa Fina's flowers to the white violets which bloom about the season of her feast day of March 12th. |
1319 Blessed Justina
Bezzoli Diseases and sufferings of many kinds were cured through the
prayers of Bd Justina, and still more wonderful miracles of healing
were wrought after her death (also known as Blessed Francuccia)
Born at Arezzo, Italy; cultus confirmed in 1890. At the age of
13, Francuccia entered the Benedictine monastery of Saint Mark in her
hometown and took the name Justina. After a time she moved to All Saints
Convent. For a time she lived as a recluse at Civitella before returning
to the community at All Saints (Benedictines, Encyclopedia).
1319 BD JUSTINA OF AREZZO, VIRGIN Diseases and sufferings of many kinds were cured through the prayers of Bd Justina, and still more wonderful miracles of healing were wrought after her death JUSTINA OF Arezzo, whose name in the world appears to have been Francuccia Bizzoli, was only thirteen years old when she entered the Benedictine convent of St Mark in Arezzo. When the nuns overflowed into the convent of All Saints she accompanied them and continued to live there for many years, ever advancing in the paths of holiness. Then she left the convent with the permission of her superiors and made her way to a cell near Civitella, where she joined a holy anchoress called Lucia. This cell was so narrow and low that they could not both stand upright in it. When Lucia fell ill, Justina nursed her day and night for over a year without giving up any of her devotions and austerities. After Lucia’s death Justina remained all alone in the cell, in spite of the wolves that howled around and leaped on to the roof, until she developed a painful affection of the eyes which ended in total blindness. She was then taken from the hermitage back to Arezzo, where she and several other sisters lived in great self-abnegation and from midnight to midday served God in unbroken prayer. Diseases and sufferings of many kinds were cured through the prayers of Bd Justina, and still more wonderful miracles of healing were wrought after her death. She died in 1319 and her cultus was approved in 1890 (Leo XIII 1878-1903). All that we know of Bd Justina
is contained in the short life printed in the Acta Sanctorum, March, vol. ii.
|
1471 Blessed Dionysius
the Carthusian a mystical writer O. Cart. (PC) Born at Ryckel (near Loos), Flanders; At
the age of 22, Dionysius earned his doctorate at the University of Cologne.
In 1423, he entered the Carthusian Order. He excelled as a mystical
writer and on this account has been honored with the title Doctor Ecstaticus.
Though he has never been officially beatified, he is commemorated as
such in several martyrologies (Benedictines).
|
1815 Bl. Joseph Tshang-ta-Pong
Martyr of China a catechist put to death for the faith He
was beatified in 1909. |
1606 BD NICHOLAS OWEN,
MARTYR saved the lives of many priests by his extraordinary
skill in devising hiding-places for them Father Garnet admitted
him to the Society of Jesus, before 1580, and he was amongst the first
English lay-brothers PERHAPS no single person contributed more to the preservation of the Catholic religion in England during the penal times than a humble artisan called Nicholas Owen, who in the reign of James I saved the lives of many priests by his extraordinary skill in devising hiding-places for them. Nothing is known of his antecedents or early life, but it is thought that he may have been a builder by trade. Familiarly known as “Little John” and “Little Michael”, he also passed under the names of Andrewes and Draper. Summarizing contemporary records Father Tanner says of him: “A great servant of God in a diminutive body, Nicholas Odoenus, otherwise Owen, spent eighteen years with Fathers Henri Garnet and John Gerard in the capacity of a faithful and most useful servant. Born in England in an age of licence, he lived a singularly innocent life, untainted by the allurements of the world; his confessor, who had known his conscience from his earliest childhood, solemnly asserts that he preserved his baptismal innocence unsullied until death. With incomparable skill he knew how to devise a place of safety for priests in subterranean passages, to hide them between walls, and to bury them in impenetrable recesses. But what was much more difficult of accomplishment, he so disguised the entrances to these as to make them most unlike what they really were. Moreover he kept these places so close a secret with himself, that he would never disclose their existence to anyone else. He alone was both their architect and their builder, working at them with inexhaustible industry and labour, for generally the thickest walls had to be broken into and large stones excavated, requiring stronger arms than were attached to a body so diminutive as to give him the nickname of ‘Little John’. And by his skill many priests were preserved from the fury of the persecutors, nor is it easy to find anyone who had not often been indebted for his life to Owen’s hiding-places—a benefit redounding to all Catholics, whose progress in virtue and whose access to the sacraments were thus due to him. His unwonted success in constructing these hiding-places would seem to have been a reward from Heaven for his remarkable piety; for when he was about to design one, he commenced the work by receiving the most holy Eucharist, sought to aid its progress by continual prayer, and offered the completion of it to God alone, accepting of no other reward for his toil than the merit of charity and the consolation of labouring for the good of Catholics.” When he had worked for some years in this way, Father Garnet admitted him to the Society of Jesus, before 1580, and he was amongst the first English lay-brothers—although, for good reasons, his connection with the order was kept secret. He was with Father John Gerard when they were betrayed by an unsuspected traitor and apprehended together on St George’s day, 1594. He was imprisoned in the Counter and was subjected to terrible tortures to force him to disclose the names of other Catholics. He and Brother Richard Fulwood were hung up for three hours together, with their arms fixed into iron rings, and their bodies hanging in the air, and Owen’s suffering was increased by heavy weights which were attached to his feet. This was the notorious “Topcliffe” rack, which was also applied to Father Southwell. No information could be obtained from either of the prisoners, and Nicholas was released for a sum of money which a Catholic gentleman paid, because, as Father Gerard testified, his services in contriving priests’ hiding-places were indispensable to them and many others He soon proved that he could
do more than conceal them: he could deliver them from prison. The wonderful
escape of Father Gerard from the Tower was almost certainly planned
by Owen, although it was carried out by Brothers Fulwood and Lilly, who
were less well-known to the prison authorities. Owen himself was waiting
at a fixed spot with horses. Father Gerard in his narrative says: “After
we landed… I with Richard Fulwood went to a house which Father Garnet had
in the suburbs, and there I and Little John shortly before daylight mounted
our horses which he had ready there for the purpose, and rode straight
off to Father Garnet who was then living a short distance in the country.”
Father Gerard also mentions
a narrow escape which Owen had when he had been lent by Garnet to construct
hiding-places in a new house which Gerard had taken and was about to
occupy. Suspicion had been aroused and the house was surrounded, “but
the house was so large that although they had a numerous body of followers,
they were not able to surround it entirely, nor to watch all the outlets
so narrowly but what Little John managed to make off safely”. At length, after a faithful
service of twenty years, Owen fell once more into the hands of his enemies
together with Father Garnet and Father Oldcorne. He came voluntarily
out of the hiding-place in which he had carefully concealed them, in order
that he might be captured and, by passing for a priest, save the lives
of the fathers as more useful to the Church. He was apprehended with
Brother Ralph Ashley, the servant of Father Oldcorne. At first a “free
custody” was allowed in order that those who visited him might be watched,
but Owen’s prudence baulked the intentions of his captors. He was then
removed from the Marshalsea to the Tower of London, the keeper of which,
Wade, was possessed by a fanatical hatred of the Catholic faith. He kept
his victim suspended day after day, sometimes for six hours together,
although he was ill and suffering from a hernia, which was girt with an
iron band. Owen consistently refused to answer Wade’s questions and would
speak to God alone, invoking the aid of Jesus and Mary. In the end the
prolonged strain so extended the martyr’s body that his bowels broke in
a terrible way, the iron band assisting to tear and enlarge the wound, and
in the midst of terrible anguish Brother Nicholas passed to his eternal
reward. Attempts were made to vilify
his memory and to attribute his death to suicide, but his courage was
too well known and the lie obtained little credence. A piece of evidence
which has only been made available of recent years is contained in a
despatch of the Venetian ambassador, Giustiniani, who on March 13, 1606,
wrote to his government as follows (the portion in square brackets is in
cypher):
I ought to add that while the king (James) was talking to me he let fall that last night one of the Jesuits, conscience-stricken for his sins, stabbed himself deeply in the body twice with a knife. When the warders ran up at the noise they found him still alive. He confessed to having taken a share in the plot at the suggestion of his provincial (Garnet), and now, recognizing his crime, he had resolved to kill himself, and so escape the terrible death that overhung him, as he deserved. [Public opinion, however, holds that he died of the tortures inflicted on him, which were so severe that they deprived him not only of his strength, but of the power to move any part of his body, and so they think it unlikely that he should have been able to stab himself in the body, especially with a blunt knife, as they allege. It is thought that as he confessed nothing and is dead, they have hoodwinked the king himself by publishing this account] in order to rouse him and everybody to greater animosity against the Catholics and to make the ease blacker against his companion the provincial. King James’s statement that
Brother Owen in his dying agony “confessed to having taken a share in
the plot at the suggestion of his provincial”, is not only supremely
improbable in itself, but is refuted by the fact that not the least use
was made of this alleged confession at Garnet’s trial. Father Gerard wrote of Brother
Owen: “I verily think no man can be said to have done more good of all
those who laboured in the English vineyard. For, first, he was the immediate
occasion of saving the lives of many hundreds of persons, both ecclesiastical
and secular, and of the estates also of these seculars, which had been
lost and forfeited many times over if the priests had been taken in their
houses of which some have escaped, not once but many times, in several
searches that have come to the same house, and sometimes five or six priests
together at the same time. Myself have been one of the seven that have
escaped that danger at one time in a secret place of his making. How many
priests then may we think this man did save by his endeavours in the space
of seventeen years in all shires and in the chiefest Catholic houses of
England!” The most reliable
information we possess concerning Bd Nicholas Owen is to be found in
the writings of his companion and contemporary, Father John Gerard, which
are printed in The Condition of Catholics under James I,
by Fr John Morris; and see the translation of his autobiography
by Fr P. Caraman (1951). See also REPSJ., vol. iv, pp. 245—267. Giustiniani’s
despatch, which alone enables us to fix the exact date of the death of
Bd Nicholas, is printed in the Calendar of State Papers, Venetian,
vol. x, pp. 327—328.
|
1922 Blessed Angela
Salawa served Christ and Christ’s little ones with all her strength b. 1881 Angela Born in Siepraw, near Kraków, Poland, she was the 11th child of Bartlomiej and Ewa Salawa. In 1897, she moved to Kraków where her older sister Therese lived. Angela immediately began to gather together and instruct young women domestic workers. During World War I, she helped prisoners of war without regard for their nationality or religion. The writings of Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross were a great comfort to her. Angela gave great service in caring for soldiers wounded in World War I. After 1918 her health did not permit her to exercise her customary apostolate. Addressing herself to Christ, she wrote in her diary, "I want you to be adored as much as you were destroyed." In another place, she wrote, "Lord, I live by your will. I shall die when you desire; save me because you can." At her 1991 beatification in Kraków, Pope John Paul II said: "It is in this city that she worked, that she suffered and that her holiness came to maturity. While connected to the spirituality of St. Francis, she showed an extraordinary responsiveness to the action of the Holy Spirit" (L'Osservatore Romano, volume 34, number 4, 1991). Comment: Humility should
never be mistaken for lack of conviction, insight or energy. Angela
brought the Good News and material assistance to some of Christ’s "least
ones." Her self-sacrifice inspired others to do the same.
Quote: Henri de Lubac, S.J.,
wrote: "The best Christians and the most vital are by no means to be
found either inevitably or even generally among the wise or the clever,
the intelligentsia or the politically-minded, or those of social consequence.
And consequently what they say does not make the headlines; what they
do does not come to the public eye. Their lives are hidden from the eyes
of the world, and if they do come to some degree of notoriety, that is
usually late in the day, and exceptional, and always attended by the risk
of distortion" (The Splendor of the Church, p. 187).
|
1940 Bl. Luigi Orine
apostle of Mercy servant of poor founder He founded the Sons of Divine Providence, the Little Missionary Sisters of Charity, the Blind Sacramentive Sisters, and the Hermits of St.Albert. In 1936, Don Orione, as he was called, opened a House of Providence in Cardiff. Wales. He died at San Remo, Italy, on March 12, and was beatified in 1980. |
THE PSALTER OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY PSALM 282 The Lord hath reigned, He is clothed with beauty: He hath crowned His Mother with the ornaments of virtues. May the Mother of peace fulfill in us his propitiation: and may she teach her servants the way of equity. Ye who desire the wisdom of Christ: serve His Mother with a reverent soul. Who will suffice to relate thy works, O Lady? and who shall search out the treasures of thy mercy? Do thou uphold those who are fainting away in their temptations: and appoint them a lot in truth. Let every spirit praise Our Lady
God
loves
variety.
He doesn't
mass-produce
his saints.
Every
saint
is unique,
for each
is
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 that is 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. God calls each one of us to be a saint in order to get into heaven: only saints are allowed into heaven. The more "extravagant" graces are bestowed
NOT for
the benefit of the recipients so much as
FOR the benefit of others.
There
are over 10,000 named saints beati
from history
and Roman Martyology Orthodox sources Patron_Saints.html Widowed_Saints html Indulgences The Catholic Church in China LINKS: Marian Shrines India Marian Shrine Lourdes of the East Lourdes 1858 China Marian shrines 1995 Kenya national Marian shrine Loreto, Italy Marian Apparitions (over 2000) Quang Tri Vietnam La Vang 1798 Links to Related MarianWebsites Angels and Archangels Saints Visions of Heaven and Hell Widowed Saints html Doctors_of_the_Church Acts_Of_The_Apostles Roman Catholic Popes Purgatory Uniates Chalcedon |
|
Mary the
Mother
of
Jesus
Miracles_BC Lay Saints
Miraculous_Icons
Miraculous_Medal_Novena
Patron
Saints
Miracles by Century 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000 Miracles 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 Lay Saints |
|
The
great
psalm
of
the
Passion,
Chapter
22,
whose
first
verse
“My
God,
my God,
why
hast
thou
forsaken
me?”
Jesus pronounced on the cross, ended with the vision: “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him” For kingship belongs to the LORD, the ruler over the nations. All who sleep in the earth will bow low before God; All who have gone down into the dust will kneel in homage. And I will live for the LORD; my descendants will serve you. The generation to come will be told of the Lord, that they may proclaim to a people yet unborn the deliverance you have brought. |
|
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. 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
3. Do daily spiritual reading for at least 15 minutes, if a half hour is not possible. 4. Say the rosary every day. 5. Also daily, if at all possible, visit the Blessed Sacrament; toward evening, meditate on the Passion of Christ for a half hour, 6. Conclude the day with evening prayer & an examination of conscience over all the faults & sins of the day. 7. Every month make a review of the month in confession. 8. Choose a special patron every month & imitate that patron in some special virtue. 9. Precede every great feast with a novena that is nine days of devotion. 10. Try to begin & end every activity with a Hail Mary 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.
THE
spirit
and
example
of
the world
imperceptibly
instil
the
error
into
the
minds
of
many
that there
is a kind
of middle
way
of going
to Heaven;
and so,
because
the
world
does
not live
up
to the gospel,
they
bring
the gospel
down to the
level
of the
world.
It is not
by this
example
that
we are
to measure
the Christian
rule,
but
words
and life
of Christ.
All
His followers
are commanded
to
labour
to become
perfect
even as
our heavenly
Father
is perfect,
and
to bear
His image
in our
hearts
that
we may be
His children.
We are
obliged
by the
gospel
to die
to ourselves
by fighting
self-love
in our hearts,
by the mastery
of our
passions,
by taking
on the
spirit
of our Lord.
These
are
the conditions
under
which
Christ
makes
His
promises
and
numbers
us
among
His
children,
as is
manifest
from His
words
which
the
apostles
have
left
us in their
inspired
writings.
Here
is no
distinction
made
or foreseen
between
the
apostles
or clergy
or religious
and secular
persons.
The former,
indeed,
take upon
themselves
certain
stricter
obligations,
as
a means of
accomplishing
these
ends
more
perfectly;
but
the law
of holiness
and of
disengagement
of
the heart
from
the world
is
general
and
binds
all the
followers
of Christ.
|
|
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.
|
|
The 15 Promises of the Virgin Mary to those who recite
the Rosary
)
Revealed
to
St. Dominic
and
Blessed
Alan)
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.
|
|
His Holiness Aram I, current (2013)
Catholicos of Cilicia of
Armenians, whose
See is
located
in
Lebanese
town
of
Antelias.
The Catholicosate
was founded
in Sis,
capital
of Cilicia,
in the
year 1441
following
the move
of
the Catholicosate
of All
Armenians
back
to its
original
See of
Etchmiadzin
in Armenia.
The Catholicosate
of
Cilicia
enjoyed
local
jurisdiction,
though
spiritually
subject
to the
authority
of Etchmiadzin.
In 1921
the See was
transferred
to Aleppo
in Syria,
and
in 1930
to Antelias.
Its
jurisdiction
currently
extends
to Syria,
Cyprus,
Iran
and
Greece. |
|
Aramaic dialect of Edessa, now known as Syriac
The exact date of the introduction
of
Christianity
into
Edessa
{Armenian
Ourhaï
in
Arabic
Er
Roha,
commonly
Orfa
or
Urfa,
its
present
name}
is
not known.
It
is certain,
however,
that
the
Christian
community
was at first
made
up from
the
Jewish
population
of the
city.
According
to an
ancient
legend,
King
Abgar
V,
Ushana,
was converted
by
Addai,
who
was
one of the
seventy-two
disciples.
In
fact, however,
the first
King
of Edessa
to
embrace
the
Christian
Faith
was
Abgar
IX (c.
206)
becoming
official
kingdom
religion.
Christian
council
held
at
Edessa
early
as
197
(Eusebius,
Hist.
Ecc7V,xxiii).
In 201 the city was devastated
by
a great
flood,
and
the
Christian
church
was destroyed
(“Chronicon
Edessenum”,
ad.
an. 201).
In 232 the relics of the
Apostle St. Thomas were
brought
from India,
on which
occasion
his
Syriac
Acts
were
written.
Under Roman domination martyrs suffered at Edessa: Sts. Scharbîl and Barsamya, under Decius; Sts. Gûrja, Schâmôna, Habib, and others under Diocletian. In the meanwhile Christian
priests from Edessa evangelized Eastern Mesopotamia and Persia,
established
the first
Churches in the kingdom of the Sassanides.
Atillâtiâ,
Bishop of Edessa,
assisted
at the
Council
of
Nicæa
(325).
The
“Peregrinatio
Silviæ”
(or
Etheriæ)
(ed.
Gamurrini,
Rome,
1887,
62 sqq.)
gives
an account
of the
many
sanctuaries
at
Edessa
about
388.
Although Hebrew had been
the
language
of the
ancient
Israelite
kingdom,
after
their
return
from
Exile
the Jews
turned
more
and
more
to Aramaic,
using
it for
parts
of the
books
of Ezra
and Daniel
in the
Bible.
By the
time
of
Jesus,
Aramaic
was the
main
language
of Palestine,
and quite
a number
of texts
from the
Dead
Sea
Scrolls
are
also written
in Aramaic.
Aramaic
continued
to
be an
important
language
for
Jews,
alongside
Hebrew,
and
parts
of
the
Talmud
are
written
in it.
After Arab conquests of
the seventh century, Arabic quickly replaced Aramaic as the main language
of those
who converted to
Islam, although
in out of the way places,
Aramaic continued
as a vernacular
language of Muslims.
Aramaic, however, enjoyed
its greatest
success
in Christianity.
Although
the
New Testament
wins
written
in Greek,
Christianity
had come
into
existence
in
an Aramaic-speaking
milieu,
and it
was the
Aramaic
dialect
of Edessa,
now known
as Syriac,
that
became
the
literary
language
of a large
number
of Christians
living
in the
eastern
provinces
of
the Roman
Empire
and in
the Persian
Empire,
further
east.
Over the
course
of the
centuries
the influence
of the
Syriac
Churches
spread
eastwards
to
China
(in Xian,
in western
China,
a
Chinese-Syriac
inscription
dated
781
is
still
to be seen);
to
southern
India
where
the state
of Kerala
can boast
more
Christians
of Syriac
liturgical
tradition
than
anywhere
else
in the
world.
680 Shiite saint Imam Hussein, grandson of Islam's Prophet Muhammad Known as Ashoura and observed by Shiites across the world, the 10th day of the lunar Muslim month of Muharram: the anniversary of the 7th century death in battle of one of Shiite Islam's most beloved saints. Imam Hussein died in the 680 A.D. battle fought on the plains outside Karbala, a city in modern Iraq that's home to the saint's shrine. The battle over a dispute about the leadership of the Muslim faith following Muhammad's death in 632 A.D. It is the defining event in Islam's split into Sunni and Shiite branches. The occasion is the source of an enduring moral lesson. "He sacrificed his blood to teach us not to give in to corruption, coercion, or use of force and to seek honor and justice." According to Shiite beliefs, Hussein and companions were denied water by enemies who controlled the nearby Euphrates. Streets get partially covered with blood from slaughter of hundreds of cows and sheep. Volunteers cook the meat and feed it to the poor. Hussein's martyrdom recounted through a rich body of prose, poetry and song remains an inspirational example of sacrifice to many Shiites, 10 percent of the world's estimated 1.3 billion Muslims. |
|
Meeting
of
the
Saints
walis
(saints
of Allah) Great men covet to embrace
martyrdom
for
a cause
and
principle.
So
was
the
case
with
Hazrat
Ali.
He could
have
made
a compromise
with
the
evil
forces
of his
time
and,
as a result,
could
have led a very comfortable,
easy
and luxurious
life.
But
he was
not a person
who
would
succumb
to such
temptations.
His
upbringing,
his education
and
his
training
in the
lap of
the holy
Prophet
made
him
refuse
such
an offer.Rabia Al-Basri (717–801 C.E.) She was first to set forth the doctrine of mystical love and who is widely considered to be the most important of the early Sufi poets. An elderly Shia pointed out that during his pre-Partition childhood it was quite common to find pictures and portraits of Shia icons in Imambaras across the country. Shah Abdul Latif: The Exalted Sufi Master born 1690 in a Syed family; died 1754. In ancient times, Sindh housed the exemplary Indus Valley Civilisation with Moenjo Daro as its capital, and now, it is the land of a culture which evolved from the teachings of eminent Sufi saints. Pakistan is home to the mortal remains of many Sufi saints, the exalted among them being Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, a practitioner of the real Islam, philosopher, poet, musicologist and preacher. He presented his teaching through poetry and music - both instruments sublime - and commands a very large following, not only among Muslims but also among Hindus and Christians. Sindh culture: The Shah is synonymous with Sindh. He is the very fountainhead of Sindh's culture. His message remains as fresh as that of any present day poet, and the people of Sindh find solace from his writings. He did indeed think for Sindh. One of his prayers, in exquisite Sindhi, translates thus: “Oh God, may ever You on Sindh bestow abundance rare! Beloved! All the world let share Thy grace, and fruitful be.” Shia Ali al-Hadi, died 868 and son Hassan al-Askari 874. These saints are the 10th and 11th of Shia's 12 most revered Imams. Baba Farid Sufi 1398 miracle, Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki renowned Muslim Sufi saint scholar miracles 569 A.H. [1173 C.E.] hermit gave to poor, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti greatest mystic of his time born 533 Hijri (1138-39 A.D.), Hazrat Ghuas-e Azam, Hazrat Bu Ali Sharif, and Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Sufi Saint Hazrath Khwaja Syed Mohammed Badshah Quadri Chisty Yamani Quadeer (RA) 1236-1325 welcomed people of all faiths & all walks of life. |
|
801 Rabi'a
al-'Adawiyya
Sufi
One of
the
most
famous
Islamic
mystics
(b. 717). This 8th century saint was an early Sufi who had a profound influence on later Sufis, who in turn deeply influenced the European mystical love and troubadour traditions. Rabi'a was a woman of Basra, a seaport in southern Iraq. She was born around 717 and died in 801 (185-186). Her biographer, the great medieval poet Attar, tells us that she was "on fire with love and longing" and that men accepted her "as a second spotless Mary" (186). She was, he continues, “an unquestioned authority to her contemporaries" (218). Rabi'a began her ascetic life in a small desert cell near Basra, where she lost herself in prayer and went straight to God for teaching. As far as is known, she never studied under any master or spiritual director. She was one of the first of the Sufis to teach that Love alone was the guide on the mystic path (222). A later Sufi taught that there were two classes of "true believers": one class sought a master as an intermediary between them and God -- unless they could see the footsteps of the Prophet on the path before them, they would not accept the path as valid. The second class “...did not look before them for the footprint of any of God's creatures, for they had removed all thought of what He had created from their hearts, and concerned themselves solely with God. (218) Rabi'a was of this second kind. She felt no reverence even for the House of God in Mecca: "It is the Lord of the house Whom I need; what have I to do with the house?" (219) One lovely spring morning a friend asked her to come outside to see the works of God. She replied, "Come you inside that you may behold their Maker. Contemplation of the Maker has turned me aside from what He has made" (219). During an illness, a friend asked this woman if she desired anything. "...[H]ow can you ask me such a question as 'What do I desire?' I swear by the glory of God that for twelve years I have desired fresh dates, and you know that in Basra dates are plentiful, and I have not yet tasted them. I am a servant (of God), and what has a servant to do with desire?" (162) When a male friend once suggested she should pray for relief from a debilitating illness, she said, "O Sufyan, do you not know Who it is that wills this suffering for me? Is it not God Who wills it? When you know this, why do you bid me ask for what is contrary to His will? It is not well to oppose one's Beloved." (221) She was an ascetic. It was her custom to pray all night, sleep briefly just before dawn, and then rise again just as dawn "tinged the sky with gold" (187). She lived in celibacy and poverty, having renounced the world. A friend visited her in old age and found that all she owned were a reed mat, screen, a pottery jug, and a bed of felt which doubled as her prayer-rug (186), for where she prayed all night, she also slept briefly in the pre-dawn chill. Once her friends offered to get her a servant; she replied, "I should be ashamed to ask for the things of this world from Him to Whom the world belongs, and how should I ask for them from those to whom it does not belong?" (186-7) A wealthy merchant once wanted to give her a purse of gold. She refused it, saying that God, who sustains even those who dishonor Him, would surely sustain her, "whose soul is overflowing with love" for Him. And she added an ethical concern as well: "...How should I take the wealth of someone of whom I do not know whether he acquired it lawfully or not?" (187) She taught that repentance was a gift from God because no one could repent unless God had already accepted him and given him this gift of repentance. She taught that sinners must fear the punishment they deserved for their sins, but she also offered such sinners far more hope of Paradise than most other ascetics did. For herself, she held to a higher ideal, worshipping God neither from fear of Hell nor from hope of Paradise, for she saw such self-interest as unworthy of God's servants; emotions like fear and hope were like veils -- i.e., hindrances to the vision of God Himself. The story is told that once a number of Sufis saw her hurrying on her way with water in one hand and a burning torch in the other. When they asked her to explain, she said: "I am going to light a fire in Paradise and to pour water on to Hell, so that both veils may vanish altogether from before the pilgrims and their purpose may be sure..." (187-188) She was once asked where she came from. "From that other world," she said. "And where are you going?" she was asked. "To that other world," she replied (219). She taught that the spirit originated with God in "that other world" and had to return to Him in the end. Yet if the soul were sufficiently purified, even on earth, it could look upon God unveiled in all His glory and unite with him in love. In this quest, logic and reason were powerless. Instead, she speaks of the "eye" of her heart which alone could apprehend Him and His mysteries (220). Above all, she was a lover, a bhakti, like one of Krishna’s Goptis in the Hindu tradition. Her hours of prayer were not so much devoted to intercession as to communion with her Beloved. Through this communion, she could discover His will for her. Many of her prayers have come down to us: "I have made Thee the Companion of my heart, But my body is available for those who seek its company, And my body is friendly towards its guests, But the Beloved of my heart is the Guest of my soul." [224] |
|
To
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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.”
Monsignor
Reardon
Protonotarius
Apostolicus Pastor 42 years BASILICA OF SAINT MARY Minneapolis MN America's First Basilica Largest Nave in the World
August 7, 1907-ground broke for the foundation
by
Archbishop Ireland-laying cornerstone May
31, 1908
Brief History of our Beloved Holy Priest Here and his published books of Catholic History in North America Reardon, J.M. Archbishop Ireland; Prelate, Patriot, Publicist, 1838-1918. A Memoir (St. Paul; 1919); George Anthony Belcourt Pioneer Catholic Missionary of the Northwest 1803-1874 (1955); The Catholic Church IN THE DIOCESE OF ST. PAUL from earliest origin to centennial achievement 1362-1950 (1952); The Church of Saint Mary of Saint Paul 1875-1922; (1932) The Vikings in the American Heartland; The Catholic Total Abstinence Society in Minnesota; James Michael Reardon
Born
in Nova
Scotia,
1872;
Priest, ordained by Bishop
Ireland;
Affiliations
and Indulgences
Litany of Loretto in Stained glass
windows
here.
Nave
Sacristy
and
Residence
Here
Member -- St. Paul Seminary
faculty.
Sanctuary spaces between them filled with grilles of hand-forged wrought iron the life of our Blessed Lady After the crucifixon Apostle statues Replicas of those in St John Lateran--Christendom's
earliest
Basilica.
Ordered by Rome's first Christian Emperor, Constantine the Great, Popes' cathedral and official residence first millennium of Christian history. 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
It Makes No Sense Not To Believe In GOD |
|
THE BLESSED
MOTHER
AND
ISLAM
By Father
John
Corapi.
June 19, Trinity Sunday, 1991: Ordained Catholic Priest under
Pope
John
Paul
II;
By Father John Corapithen 2,000,000 miles delivering the Gospel to millions, and continues to do so. THE BLESSED MOTHER AND ISLAM By Father John Corapi.
June 19, Trinity Sunday, 1991: Ordained Catholic Priest under
Pope
John
Paul
II;
By Father John Corapithen 2,000,000 miles delivering the Gospel to millions, and continues to do so.
Among
the
most
important
titles
we have in
the
Catholic
Church
for the
Blessed
Virgin
Mary
are Our
Lady
of
Victory
and
Our Lady
of
the Rosary.
These
titles
can
be traced
back
to one of
the most
decisive
times
in the history
of the world
and Christendom.
The
Battle
of Lepanto
took
place
on October
7
(date
of feast
of Our
Lady of Rosary),
1571.
This proved
to
be the most crucial
battle
for
the Christian
forces
against
the radical
Muslim
navy
of Turkey.
Pope
Pius
V led a procession
around
St.
Peter’s
Square
in Vatican
City
praying
the Rosary.
He
showed
true pastoral
leadership
in recognizing
the danger
posed
to Christendom
by the
radical
Muslim
forces,
and in
using
the means
necessary
to defeat
it.
Spiritual
battles
require
spiritual
weapons,
and
this more
than
anything
was a battle
that
had
its origins
in the spiritual
order—a
true battle
between
good
and evil. Today we have a similar spiritual battle in progress—a battle between the forces of good and evil, light and darkness, truth and lies, life and death. If we do not soon stop the genocide of abortion in the United States, we shall run the course of all those that prove by their actions that they are enemies of God—total collapse, economic, social, and national. The moral demise of a nation results in the ultimate demise of a nation. God is not a disinterested spectator to the affairs of man. Life begins at conception. This is an unalterable formal teaching of the Catholic Church. If you do not accept this you are a heretic in plain English. A single abortion is homicide. The more than 48,000,000 abortions since Roe v. Wade in the United States constitute genocide by definition. The group singled out for death—unwanted, unborn children. No other issue, not all other issues taken together, can constitute a proportionate reason for voting for candidates that intend to preserve and defend this holocaust of innocent human life that is abortion. 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. These are not ordinary times and this is not business as usual. We are at a crossroads in human history and the time for Catholics and all Christians to act is now. All evil can ultimately be traced to its origin, which is moral evil. All of the political action, peace talks, international peacekeeping forces, etc. will avail nothing if the underlying sickness is not addressed. This is sin. One person at a time hearts and minds must be moved from evil to good, from lies to truth, from violence to peace. Islam, an Arabic word that has often been defined as “to make peace,” seems like a living contradiction today. Islam is a religion of peace. As we celebrate the birthday of Our Lady, I am proposing that each one of us pray the Rosary for peace. Prayer is what must precede all other activity if that activity is to have any chance of success. Pray for peace, pray the Rosary every day without fail. There is a great love for Mary among Muslim people. It is not a coincidence that a little village named Fatima is where God chose to have His Mother appear in the twentieth century. Our Lady’s name appears no less than thirty times in the Koran. No other woman’s name is mentioned, not even that of Mohammed’s daughter, Fatima. In the Koran Our Lady is described as “Virgin, ever Virgin.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen prophetically spoke of the resurgence of Islam in our day. He said it would be through the Blessed Virgin Mary that Islam would be converted. We must pray for this to happen quickly if we are to avert a horrible time of suffering for this poor, sinful world. Turn to our Mother in this time of great peril. Pray the Rosary every day. Then, and only then will there be peace, when the hearts and minds of men are changed from the inside.
|
|
Father John Corapi goes to
the heart of the contemporary world's
many
woes
and
wars,
whether
the wars
in
Afghanistan,
Iraq,
Lebanon,
Somalia,
or the Congo,
or the
natural
disasters
that
seem
to be increasing
every
year,
the
moral
and spiritual
war is
at the
basis
of everything.
“Our
battle
is
not against
human
forces,”
St. Paul
asserts,
“but against
principalities
and powers,
against
the world
rulers
of this
present
darkness...”
(Ephesians
6:12).
The “War to end all wars” is the moral and spiritual combat that rages in the hearts and minds of human beings. The outcome of that unseen fight largely determines how the battle in the realm of the seen unfolds. The title talk, “With the Moon Under Her Feet,” is taken from the twelfth chapter of the Book of Revelation, and deals with the current threat to the world from radical Islam, and the Blessed Virgin Mary's role in the ultimate victory that will result in the conversion of Islam. Few Catholics are aware of the connection between Islam, Fatima, and Guadalupe. Presented in Father Corapi's straight-forward style, you will be both inspired and educated by him. About Father John Corapi. Father Corapi is a Catholic
priest
.
The pillars of father's
preaching
are
basically:
Love
for
and
a relationship
with
the
Blessed
Virgin
Mary
Leading a vibrant and loving relationship with Jesus Christ Great love and reverence for the Most Holy Eucharist from Holy Mass to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament An uncompromising love for and obedience to the Holy Father and the teaching of the Magisterium of the Church God Bless
you
on your
journey
Father
John
Corapi
|
|
Records on life of Father Flanagan, founder of Boys Town, presented at Vatican Jul 23, 2019 - 03:01 am .- The cause for canonization of Servant of God Edward Flanagan, the priest who founded Nebraska's Boys Town community for orphans and other boys, advanced Monday with the presentation of a summary of records on his life. Archbishop Fulton Sheen to be beatified Jul 6, 2019 - 04:00 am .- Pope Francis approved the miracle attributed to Archbishop Fulton Sheen Friday, making possible the American television catechist's beatification. Brooklyn diocese advances sainthood cause of local priest Jun 25, 2019 - 03:01 am .- The Bishop of Brooklyn accepted last week the findings of a nine-year diocesan investigation into the life of Monsignor Bernard John Quinn, known for fighting bigotry and serving the African American population, as part of his cause for canonization. Fr. Augustus Tolton, former African American slave, advances toward sainthood Jun 12, 2019 - 05:03 am .- Fr. Augustus Tolton advanced along the path to sainthood Wednesday, making the runaway slave-turned-priest one step closer to being the first black American saint. Pope Francis will beatify these martyred Greek-Catholic bishops in Romania May 30, 2019 - 03:01 pm .- On Sunday in Blaj, Pope Francis will beatify seven Greek-Catholic bishops of Romania who were killed by the communist regime between 1950 and 1970. Woman who served Brazil’s poorest to be canonized May 14, 2019 - 06:53 am .- Pope Francis Tuesday gave his approval for eight sainthood causes to proceed, including that of Bl. Dulce Lopes Pontes, a 20th-century religious sister who served Brazil’s poor. Seven 20th-century Romanian bishops declared martyrs Mar 19, 2019 - 12:01 pm .- Pope Francis declared Tuesday the martyrdom of seven Greek-Catholic bishops killed by the communist regime in Romania in the mid-20th century. Pope advances sainthood causes of 17 women Jan 15, 2019 - 11:12 am .- Pope Francis approved Tuesday the next step in the canonization causes of 17 women from four countries, including the martyrdom of 14 religious sisters killed in Spain at the start of the Spanish Civil War. Nineteen Algerian martyrs beatified Dec 10, 2018 - 03:08 pm .- Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in Algeria between 1994 and 1996, were beatified Saturday during a Mass in Oran. The Algerian martyrs shed their blood for Christ, pope says Dec 7, 2018 - 10:02 am .- Ahead of the beatification Saturday of Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in Algeria between 1994 and 1996, Pope Francis said martyrs have a special place in the Church. Algerian martyrs are models for the Church, archbishop says Nov 16, 2018 - 03:01 am .- Archbishop Paul Desfarges of Algiers has said that Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in Algeria between 1994 and 1996, are “models for our lives as disciples today and tomorrow.” Francesco Spinelli to be canonized after healing of a newborn in DR Congo Oct 9, 2018 - 05:01 pm .- Among those being canonized on Sunday are Fr. Franceso Spinelli, a diocesan priest through whose intercession a newborn was saved from death in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Algerian martyrs to be beatified in December Sep 14, 2018 - 06:01 pm .- The Algerian bishops' conference has announced that the beatification of Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in the country between 1994 and 1996, will be held Dec. 8. Now a cardinal, Giovanni Angelo Becciu heads to congregation for saints' causes Jun 28, 2018 - 11:41 am .- Newly-minted Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu will resign from his post as substitute of the Secretariat of State tomorrow, in anticipation of his appointment as prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints later this summer. Pope Francis creates new path to beatification under ‘offering of life’ Jul 11, 2017 - 06:22 am .- On Tuesday Pope Francis declared a new category of Christian life suitable for consideration of beatification called “offering of life” – in which a person has died prematurely through an offering of their life for love of God and neighbor. Twentieth century Polish nurse among causes advancing toward sainthood Jul 7, 2017 - 06:14 am .- Pope Francis on Friday approved a miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Hanna Chrzanowska, a Polish nurse and nursing instructor who died from cancer in 1973, paving the way for her beatification. Sainthood causes advance, including layman who resisted fascism Jun 17, 2017 - 09:22 am .- Pope Francis on Friday recognized the heroic virtue of six persons on the path to canonization, as well as the martyrdom of an Italian man who died from injuries of a beating he received while imprisoned in a concentration camp for resisting fascism. Solanus Casey, Cardinal Van Thuan among those advanced toward sainthood May 4, 2017 - 10:47 am .- Pope Francis on Thursday approved decrees of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints advancing the causes for canonization of 12 individuals, including the American-born Capuchin Solanus Casey and the Vietnamese cardinal Francis Xavier Nguen Van Thuan. Pope clears way for canonization of Fatima visionaries Mar 23, 2017 - 06:44 am .- On Thursday Pope Francis approved the second and final miracle needed to canonize Blessed Francisco and Jacinta Marto, two of the shepherd children who witnessed the Fatima Marian apparitions. Surgeon and father among sainthood causes moving forward Feb 27, 2017 - 11:03 am .- Pope Francis recognized on Monday the heroic virtue of eight persons on the path to canonization, including an Italian surgeon and father of eight who suffered from several painful diseases throughout his life. Records on life of Father Flanagan, founder of Boys Town, presented at Vatican Jul 23, 2019 - 03:01 am .- The cause for canonization of Servant of God Edward Flanagan, the priest who founded Nebraska's Boys Town community for orphans and other boys, advanced Monday with the presentation of a summary of records on his life. Archbishop Fulton Sheen to be beatified Jul 6, 2019 - 04:00 am .- Pope Francis approved the miracle attributed to Archbishop Fulton Sheen Friday, making possible the American television catechist's beatification. Brooklyn diocese advances sainthood cause of local priest Jun 25, 2019 - 03:01 am .- The Bishop of Brooklyn accepted last week the findings of a nine-year diocesan investigation into the life of Monsignor Bernard John Quinn, known for fighting bigotry and serving the African American population, as part of his cause for canonization. Fr. Augustus Tolton, former African American slave, advances toward sainthood Jun 12, 2019 - 05:03 am .- Fr. Augustus Tolton advanced along the path to sainthood Wednesday, making the runaway slave-turned-priest one step closer to being the first black American saint. Pope Francis will beatify these martyred Greek-Catholic bishops in Romania May 30, 2019 - 03:01 pm .- On Sunday in Blaj, Pope Francis will beatify seven Greek-Catholic bishops of Romania who were killed by the communist regime between 1950 and 1970. Woman who served Brazil’s poorest to be canonized May 14, 2019 - 06:53 am .- Pope Francis Tuesday gave his approval for eight sainthood causes to proceed, including that of Bl. Dulce Lopes Pontes, a 20th-century religious sister who served Brazil’s poor. Seven 20th-century Romanian bishops declared martyrs Mar 19, 2019 - 12:01 pm .- Pope Francis declared Tuesday the martyrdom of seven Greek-Catholic bishops killed by the communist regime in Romania in the mid-20th century. Pope advances sainthood causes of 17 women Jan 15, 2019 - 11:12 am .- Pope Francis approved Tuesday the next step in the canonization causes of 17 women from four countries, including the martyrdom of 14 religious sisters killed in Spain at the start of the Spanish Civil War. Nineteen Algerian martyrs beatified Dec 10, 2018 - 03:08 pm .- Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in Algeria between 1994 and 1996, were beatified Saturday during a Mass in Oran. The Algerian martyrs shed their blood for Christ, pope says Dec 7, 2018 - 10:02 am .- Ahead of the beatification Saturday of Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in Algeria between 1994 and 1996, Pope Francis said martyrs have a special place in the Church. Algerian martyrs are models for the Church, archbishop says Nov 16, 2018 - 03:01 am .- Archbishop Paul Desfarges of Algiers has said that Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in Algeria between 1994 and 1996, are “models for our lives as disciples today and tomorrow.” Francesco Spinelli to be canonized after healing of a newborn in DR Congo Oct 9, 2018 - 05:01 pm .- Among those being canonized on Sunday are Fr. Franceso Spinelli, a diocesan priest through whose intercession a newborn was saved from death in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Algerian martyrs to be beatified in December Sep 14, 2018 - 06:01 pm .- The Algerian bishops' conference has announced that the beatification of Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in the country between 1994 and 1996, will be held Dec. 8. Now a cardinal, Giovanni Angelo Becciu heads to congregation for saints' causes Jun 28, 2018 - 11:41 am .- Newly-minted Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu will resign from his post as substitute of the Secretariat of State tomorrow, in anticipation of his appointment as prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints later this summer. Pope Francis creates new path to beatification under ‘offering of life’ Jul 11, 2017 - 06:22 am .- On Tuesday Pope Francis declared a new category of Christian life suitable for consideration of beatification called “offering of life” – in which a person has died prematurely through an offering of their life for love of God and neighbor. Twentieth century Polish nurse among causes advancing toward sainthood Jul 7, 2017 - 06:14 am .- Pope Francis on Friday approved a miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Hanna Chrzanowska, a Polish nurse and nursing instructor who died from cancer in 1973, paving the way for her beatification. Sainthood causes advance, including layman who resisted fascism Jun 17, 2017 - 09:22 am .- Pope Francis on Friday recognized the heroic virtue of six persons on the path to canonization, as well as the martyrdom of an Italian man who died from injuries of a beating he received while imprisoned in a concentration camp for resisting fascism. Solanus Casey, Cardinal Van Thuan among those advanced toward sainthood May 4, 2017 - 10:47 am .- Pope Francis on Thursday approved decrees of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints advancing the causes for canonization of 12 individuals, including the American-born Capuchin Solanus Casey and the Vietnamese cardinal Francis Xavier Nguen Van Thuan. Pope clears way for canonization of Fatima visionaries Mar 23, 2017 - 06:44 am .- On Thursday Pope Francis approved the second and final miracle needed to canonize Blessed Francisco and Jacinta Marto, two of the shepherd children who witnessed the Fatima Marian apparitions. Surgeon and father among sainthood causes moving forward Feb 27, 2017 - 11:03 am .- Pope Francis recognized on Monday the heroic virtue of eight persons on the path to canonization, including an Italian surgeon and father of eight who suffered from several painful diseases throughout his life. |
|
8
Martyrs
Move
Closer
to Sainthood
8 July, 2016
Posted by ZENIT Staff on 8 July, 2016 The angel appears to Saint Monica This morning, Pope Francis received Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Cardinal Angelo Amato. During the audience, he authorized the promulgation of decrees concerning the following causes: *** MIRACLES: Miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God Luis Antonio Rosa Ormières, priest and founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Guardian Angel; born July 4, 1809 and died on Jan. 16, 1890 MARTYRDOM: Servants of God Antonio Arribas Hortigüela and 6 Companions, Missionaries of the Sacred Heart; killed in hatred of the Faith, Sept. 29, 1936 Servant of God Josef Mayr-Nusser, a layman; killed in hatred of the Faith, Feb. 24, 1945 HEROIC VIRTUE: Servant of God Alfonse Gallegos of the Order of Augustinian Recollects, Titular Bishop of Sasabe, auxiliary of Sacramento; born Feb. 20, 1931 and died Oct. 6, 1991 Servant of God Rafael Sánchez García, diocesan priest; born June 14, 1911 and died on Aug. 8, 1973 Servant of God Andrés García Acosta, professed layman of the Order of Friars Minor; born Jan. 10, 1800 and died Jan. 14, 1853 Servant of God Joseph Marchetti, professed priest of the Congregation of the Missionaries of St. Charles; born Oct. 3, 1869 and died Dec. 14, 1896 Servant of God Giacomo Viale, professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor, pastor of Bordighera; born Feb. 28, 1830 and died April 16, 1912 Servant of God Maria Pia of the Cross (née Maddalena Notari), foundress of the Congregation of Crucified Sisters Adorers of the Eucharist; born Dec. 2, 1847 and died on July 1, 1919 |
|
Sunday,
November
23
2014
Six to Be
Canonized
on Feast
of Christ
the
King. On the List Are Lay Founder of a Hospital and Eastern Catholic Religious VATICAN CITY, June 12, 2014 (Zenit.org) - Today, the Vatican announced that during the celebration of the feast of Christ the King on Sunday, November 23, an ordinary public consistory will be held for the canonization of the following six blesseds, who include a lay founder of a hospital for the poor, founders of religious orders, and two members of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See: -Giovanni Antonio Farina (1803-1888), an Italian bishop who founded the Institute of the Sisters Teachers of Saint Dorothy, Daughters of the Sacred Hearts -Kuriakose Elias Chavara (1805-1871), a Syro-Malabar priest in India who founded the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate -Ludovico of Casoria (1814-1885), an Italian Franciscan priest who founded the Gray Sisters of St. Elizabeth -Nicola Saggio (Nicola da Longobardi, 1650-1709), an Italian oblate of the Order of Minims -Euphrasia Eluvathingal (1877-1952), an Indian Carmelite of the Syro-Malabar Church -Amato Ronconi (1238-1304), an Italian, Third Order Franciscan who founded a hospital for poor pilgrims |
|
CAUSES
OF SAINTS
July
2015. Pope Recognizes Heroic Virtues of Ukrainian Archbishop Recognition Brings Metropolitan Archbishop Andrey Sheptytsky Closer to Beatification By Junno Arocho Esteves Rome, July 17, 2015 (ZENIT.org) Pope Francis recognized the heroic virtues of Ukrainian Greek Catholic Archbishop Andrey Sheptytsky. According to a communique released by the Holy See Press Office, the Holy Father met this morning with Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. The Pope also recognized the heroic virtues of several religious/lay men and women from Italy, Spain, France & Mexico. Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky is considered to be one of the most influential 20th century figures in the history of the Ukrainian Church. Enthroned as Metropolitan of Lviv in 1901, Archbishop Sheptytsky was arrested shortly after the outbreak of World War I in 1914 by the Russians. After his imprisonment in several prisons in Russia and the Ukraine, the Archbishop was released in 1918. The Ukrainian Greek Catholic prelate was also an ardent supporter of the Jewish community in Ukraine, going so far as to learn Hebrew to better communicate with them. He also was a vocal protestor against atrocities committed by the Nazis, evidenced in his pastoral letter, "Thou Shalt Not Kill." He was also known to harbor thousands of Jews in his residence and in Greek Catholic monasteries. Following his death in 1944, his cause for canonization was opened in 1958. * * * The Holy Father authorized the Congregation to promulgate the following decrees regarding the heroic virtues of: - Servant of God Andrey Sheptytsky, O.S.B.M., major archbishop of Leopolis of the Ukrainians, metropolitan of Halyc (1865-1944); - Servant of God Giuseppe Carraro, Bishop of Verona, Italy (1899-1980); - Servant of God Agustin Ramirez Barba, Mexican diocesan priest and founder of the Servants of the Lord of Mercy (1881-1967); - Servant of God Simpliciano della Nativita (ne Aniello Francesco Saverio Maresca), Italian professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor, founder of the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Hearts (1827-1898); - Servant of God Maria del Refugio Aguilar y Torres del Cancino, Mexican founder of the Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament (1866-1937); - Servant of God Marie-Charlotte Dupouy Bordes (Marie-Teresa), French professed religious of the Society of the Religious of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (1873-1953); - Servant of God Elisa Miceli, Italian founder of the Rural Catechist Sisters of the Sacred Heart (1904-1976); - Servant of God Isabel Mendez Herrero (Isabel of Mary Immaculate), Spanish professed nun of the Servants of St. Joseph (1924-1953) |
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October
01,
2015
Vatican
City,
Pope Authorizes
following
Decrees (ZENIT.org) By Staff Reporter Polish Layperson Recognized as Servant of God Pope Authorizes Decrees Pope Francis on Wednesday authorised the Congregation for Saints' Causes to promulgate the following decrees: MARTYRDOM - Servant of God Valentin Palencia Marquina, Spanish diocesan priest, killed in hatred of the faith in Suances, Spain in 1937; HEROIC VIRTUES - Servant of God Giovanni Folci, Italian diocesan priest and founder of the Opera Divin Prigioniero (1890-1963); - Servant of God Franciszek Blachnicki, Polish diocesan priest (1921-1987); - Servant of God Jose Rivera Ramirez, Spanish diocesan priest (1925-1991); - Servant of God Juan Manuel Martín del Campo, Mexican diocesan priest (1917-1996); - Servant of God Antonio Filomeno Maria Losito, Italian professed priest of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (1838-1917); - Servant of God Maria Benedetta Giuseppa Frey (nee Ersilia Penelope), Italian professed nun of the Cistercian Order (1836-1913); - Servant of God Hanna Chrzanowska, Polish layperson, Oblate of the Ursulines of St. Benedict (1902-1973). |
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March
06
2016
MIRACLES
authorised
the
Congregation
to promulgate
the following
decrees:
Pope Francis received in a private audience Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, during which he authorised the Congregation to promulgate the following decrees: MIRACLES – Blessed Manuel González García, bishop of Palencia, Spain, founder of the Eucharistic Missionaries of Nazareth (1877-1940); – Blessed Elisabeth of the Trinity (née Elisabeth Catez), French professed religious of the Order of Discalced Carmelites (1880-1906); – Venerable Servant of God Marie-Eugène of the Child Jesus (né Henri Grialou), French professed priest of the Order of Discalced Carmelites, founder of the Secular Institute “Notre-Dame de Vie” (1894-1967); – Venerable Servant of God María Antonia of St. Joseph (née María Antonio de Paz y Figueroa), Argentine founder of the Beaterio of the Spiritual Exercise of Buenos Aires (1730-1799); HEROIC VIRTUE – Servant of God Stefano Ferrando, Italian professed priest of the Salesians, bishop of Shillong, India, founder of the Congregation of Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of Christians (1895-1978); – Servant of God Enrico Battista Stanislao Verjus, Italian professed priest of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, coadjutor of the apostolic vicariate of New Guinea (1860-1892); – Servant of God Giovanni Battista Quilici, Italian diocesan priest, founder of the Congregation of the Daughters of the Crucified (1791-1844); – Servant of God Bernardo Mattio, Italian diocesan priest (1845-1914); – Servant of God Quirico Pignalberi, Italian professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual (1891-1982); – Servant of God Teodora Campostrini, Italian founder of the Minim Sisters of Charity of Our Lady of Sorrows (1788-1860); – Servant of God Bianca Piccolomini Clementini, Italian founder of the Company of St. Angela Merici di Siena (1875-1959); – Servant of God María Nieves of the Holy Family (née María Nieves Sánchez y Fernández), Spanish professed religious of the Daughters of Mary of the Pious Schools (1900-1978). April 26 2016 MIRACLES authorised the Congregation to promulgate the following decrees: Here is the full list of decrees approved by the Pope: MIRACLES – Blessed Alfonso Maria Fusco, diocesan priest and founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. John the Baptist (1839-1910); – Venerable Servant of God John Sullivan, professed priest of the Society of Jesus (1861-1933); MARTYRDOM – Servants of God Nikolle Vinçenc Prennushi, O.F.M., archbishop of Durres, Albania, and 37 companions killed between 1945 and 1974; – Servants of God José Antón Gómez and three companions of the Benedictines of Madrid, Spain, killed 1936; HEROIC VIRTUES – Servant of God Thomas Choe Yang-Eop, diocesan priest (1821-1861); – Servant of God Sosio Del Prete (né Vincenzo), professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor, founder of the Congregation of the Little Servants of Christ the King (1885-1952); – Servant of God Wenanty Katarzyniec (né Jósef), professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual (1889-1921); – Servant of God Maria Consiglia of the Holy Spirity (née Emilia Paqualina Addatis), founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Addolorata, Servants of Mary (1845-1900); – Servant of God Maria of the Incarnation (née Caterina Carrasco Tenorio), founder of the Congregation of the Franciscan Tertiary Sisters of the Flock of Mary (1840-1917); – Servant of God , founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Family of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (1851-1923); – Servant of God Ilia Corsaro, founder of the Congregation of the Little Missionaries of the Eucharist (1897-1977); – Servant of God Maria Montserrat Grases García, layperson of the Personal Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei (1941-1959). |
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