Joseph, Husband of Mary (RM)
In Judæa natális sancti Joseph, Sponsi
beatíssimæ Vírginis Maríæ,
Confessóris et Ecclésiæ universális
Patróni; quem Pius Nonus, Póntifex Maximus, votis et
précibus ánnuens totíus cathólici Orbis,
universális Ecclésiæ Patrónum
declarávit.
In Judea, the birthday of St. Joseph, spouse
of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Confessor and Patron of the Universal
Church. Pope Pius IX, yielding to the desires and prayers of the
whole Catholic world, declared him Patron of the Universal Church.
1st century; declared patron of the Universal Church by
Pope Pius IX in
1870, patron of workers by Pope Benedict XV, patron of social justice
by Pope Pius XI; name added to the canon of the Mass by John XXIII in
1962; second feast at Saint Joseph the Worker on May 1.
"How can a truly virtuous man
fail in anything? In what situation will
he not be powerful; in what state of poverty will he not be rich; in
what obscurity will he not be brilliant; in what inaction will he not
be industrious; in what infirmity will he not be vigorous; in what
weakness will he not be strong; in what solitude will he not be
accompanied? for he will have for company the hope of a happy eternity;
for clothing, he will have the grace of the Most High; for ornament,
the promises of a halo of glory!
"Let us recollect that the saints were not of a more excellent nature
than ours, but were more orderly and regular: that they were not exempt
from sins, but that they took pains to correct their faults." --Saint
Ambrose in De Joseph.
All that is known about Joseph is found in the Gospels (primarily
Matthew 1-2, but also in Luke 1-2). Matthew broadly represents Joseph's
viewpoint, while the Infancy narratives in Luke seem to come from
Mary's.
Descended from the royal line of David, Saint Joseph was the husband of
the Blessed Virgin Mary, who defended her good name, and foster father
and protector of the God Who made him, yet Who wished to be known
throughout His life as the son of Joseph. He saw to Jesus's education
and taught him his trade of carpentry or
building. Joseph's disappointment upon learning of Mary's pregnancy was
said to be assuaged by an angelic vision, and he was the recipient of
two more visions: one telling him to seek refuge in Egypt to escape
Herod's persecution, and the second, to return to Palestine.
Saint Joseph bore the responsibilities of a father perfectly. A dream
told him that King Herod planned to kill the infant Jesus.
Joseph took
Mary and Jesus away by night to Egypt and thus saved the life of the
Savior. He kept the child hidden from Herod's son in case he, too,
would have harmed Jesus.
Joseph was with Mary in the stable at Bethlehem when Jesus was born. He
was looking after the mother and child when the shepherds and the Magi
came to worship him. He took Mary and Jesus to Jerusalem to present him
to God in the Temple.
He shared Mary's anxieties for
her son when Jesus
was presumed lost, after their visit to the Temple when he was 12.
After this no more is heard of Joseph in the New Testament except in
Luke 4:22, where he is named as the father of Jesus. He is not
mentioned as being present at the crucifixion, a fact that persuaded
many artists to portray him as an old man who had presumably died by
the time Jesus was in his early thirties. The few Biblical particulars
give an impression of a just, kind,
dignified and level-headed man, prompt in action but self-effacing. The
apocryphal Protoevangelium of James holds that he was an old man when
Jesus was born, but this appears unlikely when one considers the fact
that he reared Jesus and fulfilled the family duties.
Pauly Fongemie
Special veneration to Joseph began in the East, where
the apocryphal History of Joseph the Carpenter enjoyed great popularity
in the fifth to seventh centuries. It led to devotion from the 17th
century to Joseph by all those desiring a happy death because the
History tells that Joseph was afraid of death and filled with
self-reproach, but was comforted by the words of Mary and Jesus, who
promised protection and life to all who do good in the name of Joseph.
Martyrology entries in the West date from the 8th century (Rheinau) and
slightly later Irish martyrologies. The 9th-century Irish metrical hymn
Félire of Saint Aengus mentions a commemoration, but it was not
until the 15th century that veneration of Saint Joseph became
widespread in the West, when his feast was introduced into the Roman
Calendar in 1479.
Carmelite breviaries from 1480 commemorate his feast, as does the Roman
breviary of 1482 and the Roman Missal of 1505.
The notion of Joseph as the foster-father of Jesus fired the
imagination of the medieval Church. Saint John Chrysostom pointed to
the anxieties of Joseph as a pattern of the trials of all
Christians--relieved as they are by God's intervention. Saints Vincent
Ferrer (d. 1419), Bridget of Sweden (d. 1373), and Bernardino of Siena
(d. 1444) all propagated his devotion, partially in reaction
against
Medieval mystery plays, in which he is the channel for comic relief.
In the 15th century the French
churchman Jean Gerson wrote twelve poems
in his honor.
Saint Teresa of Ávila chose
him as the practical
saint who should be patron of the Discalced Carmelite friars and nuns
[see her paean, Go to Joseph].
Pope Gregory XV
made his feast a day of
obligation, but this is not widely observed today.
In Quanquam pluries
(1889), Pope Leo XIII declared
Joseph a model for fathers of families
and confirmed that his sanctity was second only the that of the Blessed
Virgin.
In 1989, Pope John Paul II
issued Redemptoris custos (Guardian
of the Redeemer) (Attwater, Attwater2, Benedictines, Bentley, Delaney,
Encyclopedia, Farmer, Filas, Rondet, White).
Saint Joseph is generally pictured as an elderly man holding a
flowering rod with the Christ Child in his arms or led my his hand
(this emblem is also associated with Saint Joseph of Arimathea).
According to an ancient legend, Mary and the other virgins of the
Temple were commanded to return to their homes and marry. When the
Blessed Virgin refused, the elders prayed for guidance and a voice from
the sanctuary instructed them to call together the unwed males of the
House of David. In accordance with the voice, the priest Zacharius
instructed the gathered males to leave their staffs on the altar of the
temple overnight. Nothing happened. So Zacharius next included those of
the widowers, including Joseph. When Joseph's rod was found the
next morning, in flower ("the flower of
the rod of Jesse"), he was told to take the Blessed Virgin to wife and
keep her for the Lord (Appleton, Tabor). Many times the flowering rod
is replaced by a stalk of lilies (Appleton).
At times he may be shown (1) with the Christ Child, two doves in a
cage, and a lily; (2) with the Christ Child and a lily; (3) in scenes
with the Holy Family; (4) with carpenter's tools; (5) as the angel
appears to him in a dream; (6) working in a carpenter's shop with the
boy Jesus near him; or (7) dying, supported by Christ and the Virgin
(Roeder).
As head of the Holy Family, Saint Joseph is the patron of the Universal
Church, of fathers, of opposition to atheistic Communism (he was a
worker), of workers, doubters (he married Mary despite her pregnancy),
of a happy death (he is said to have died before Jesus and Mary),
Austria, Bohemia, Canada, Mexico, Belgium, Peru, Russia, South Vietnam,
missions to the Chinese (Sandoval, White), bursers, procurators
(Farmer), as well as of carpenters, confectioners (Naples), the dying,
engineers, the family, married couples, house-hunters, pioneers, and
travellers (Roeder).
He is invoked when in doubt,
hesitation or when looking for a house
(Roeder).
A novena of prayers to Saint Joseph as well as his Seven Joys and
Sorrows and various aspirations can be found on Saint Patrick's
homepage http://www.saintpatrickdc.org.
The Catholic Tradition web site contains other prayers and images of
Saint Joseph.
St. Joseph
The Bible pays Joseph the highest compliment: he was a “just” man. The
quality meant a lot more than faithfulness in paying debts. When the
Bible speaks of God “justifying” someone, it means that God,
the all-holy or “righteous” One, so transforms a person that the
individual shares somehow in God’s own holiness, and hence it is really
“right” for God to love him or her. In other words, God is not playing
games, acting as if we were lovable when we are not.
By saying Joseph was “just,” the
Bible means that he was one who was
completely open to all that God wanted to do for him.
He became holy by
opening himself totally to God. The rest we can easily surmise.
Think of the kind of love with which he wooed and won Mary, and the
depth of the love they shared during their marriage.
It is no contradiction of Joseph’s manly holiness that he decided to
divorce Mary when she was found to be with child.
The important words
of the Bible are that he planned to do this “quietly” because he was “a
righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame” (Matthew 1:19).
The just man was simply, joyfully, wholeheartedly obedient to God—in
marrying Mary, in naming Jesus, in shepherding the precious pair to
Egypt, in bringing them to Nazareth, in the undetermined number of
years of quiet faith and courage.
Comment: The Bible tells us nothing of Joseph in the years after
the return to Nazareth except the incident of finding Jesus in the
Temple (see Luke 2:41–51). Perhaps this can be taken to mean that God
wants us to realize that the holiest family was like every other
family, that the circumstances of life for the holiest family were like
those of every family, so that when Jesus’ mysterious nature began to
appear, people couldn’t believe that he came from such humble
beginnings: “Is he not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother named
Mary...?” (Matthew 13:55a). It was almost as indignant as “Can anything
good come from Nazareth?” (John 1:46b).
Quote: “He was chosen by the eternal Father as the trustworthy
guardian and protector of his greatest treasures, namely, his divine
Son and Mary, Joseph’s wife. He carried out this vocation with complete
fidelity until at last God called him, saying: ‘Good and faithful
servant, enter into the joy of your Lord’” (St. Bernardine of Siena).
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 284 Holy Martyrs
Chrysanthus and Daria Claudius the Tribune wife Hilaria sons Jason and
Maurus Diodorus the PresbyterMarianus the Deacon.
Saint_Daria
St Chrysanthus came from a pagan family who had moved to Rome from
Alexandria. He received a fine education, and among the books he read
were those in which pagans discussed Christianity. The young man,
however, wanted to read books written by Christians themselves. He
finally managed to find a copy of the New Testament, which enlightened
his rational soul.
Seeking someone to instruct him in the Holy Scriptures, he found the
presbyter Carpophoros hiding from persecution, and received holy
Baptism from him.
After this, he began to preach
the Gospel. Chrysanthus' father tried to turn his son from
Christianity, and finally married him to Daria, a priestess of Minerva.
St Chrysanthus managed to convert his wife to Christ, and the young
couple mutually agreed to lead celibate lives. After the death of the
father, they began to live in separate houses.
St Chrysanthus converted several
young men to Christ, and many pious women gathered around St Daria.
The people of Rome complained to the eparch Celerinus that Sts
Chrysanthus and Daria were preaching celibacy and attracting too many
young men and women to monasticism. St Chrysanthus was sent to the
tribune Claudius for torture. The torments, however, did not shake the
bravery of the young martyr, since the power of God clearly aided him.
Struck by this, the tribune
Claudius himself came to believe in Christ and accepted holy Baptism
together with his wife Hilaria, their sons Jason and Maurus, and all
his household and soldiers.
 Claudius_Hilaria_Jason_Maurus
When news of this reached the emperor Numerian (283-284), he commanded
them all to be executed. The Martyr Claudius was drowned in the sea,
and his sons and soldiers were beheaded. Christians buried the bodies
of the holy martyrs in a nearby cave, and St Hilaria constantly went
there to pray. Once, they followed her and led her off for torture. The
saint asked that they give her a few moments to pray, and as soon as
she finished, she gave up her soul to God. A servant buried the saint
in the cave beside her sons.
The torturers sent St Daria to a brothel, where she was protected by a
lion sent by God. A certain man who tried to defile the saint was
knocked to the ground and pinned down by the lion, but the lion did not
kill him. The martyr preached to them about Christ and set them to the
path of salvation.
They threw St Chrysanthus into a foul-smelling pit, into which all the
filth of the city flowed. But a heavenly light shone on him, and the
pit was filled with a sweet fragrance.
Then the emperor Numerian ordered Sts Chrysanthus and Daria to be
turned over to the executioners. After many cruel tortures, the martyrs
were buried alive in the ground.
In a cave near the place of execution, Christians began to gather to
honor the anniversary of the saints' martyrdom. They celebrated Church
services and partook of the Holy Mysteries. Learning of this, the pagan
authorities sealed the entrance to the cave, and those within received
the crown of martyrdom.
Two of these martyrs are known by name: the Presbyter Diodorus and the
Deacon Marianus.
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303 St.
Pancharius Roman martyr senator imperial court surrounding
co-Emperor Maximian
Nicomedíæ sancti Panchárii Románi,
qui, sub Diocletiáno Imperatóre, in hujus grátiam
Christum pro diis inánibus ejurávit, sed, matre ac
soróre instántibus, ad veram fidem mox redívit, et
ob immótam in ea constántiam, nervis cæsus, et
cápite truncátus, martyrii corónam accépit.
At Nicomedia, St. Pancharius, a Roman,
who apostatized for the sake of Emperor Diocletian, but by the
persuasion of his mother and sister immediately returned to the true
faith. Because of his subsequent constancy in it, he was beaten
with clubs and beheaded, obtaining thus the crown of martyrdom.
According to tradition, he was a respected member of the
imperial court
surrounding co-Emperor Maximian. When, in 303, the order for the
persecution of Christians was given, Pancharius either denied the
Christian faith or perhaps found a way to hide his Christian
membership. However, when he received an encouraging letter from his
mother and sister, he came forward and proclaimed his fidelity to
Christ. He was seized and beheaded at Nicomedia.
Pancharius of Nicomedia M (RM). Saint Pancharius, a Roman
senator, was a favorite officer of the emperor Maximian. At the
outbreak of the persecution he denied, or at any rate concealed, his
religion, but on receiving a letter from his mother and sister, he
nobly confessed Christ and was beheaded at Nicomedia (Benedictines).
The Holy Martyr Pancharius was a friend of the emperor Diocletian. He
abandoned Christianity and became a pagan. His mother and sister sent
him a letter in which they urged the apostate to fear God and the dread
Last Judgment. Having repented, St Pancharius openly confessed his
faith before the emperor, for which he suffered torture at Rome. Then
he was sent to Nicomedia and beheaded in 303.
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Apollonius and
Leontius (Leontinus) BB MM (RM)
Eódem die sanctórum Apollónii et
Leóntii Episcopórum. The
same day, the holy Bishops Apollonius and Leontius.
Date unknown. Though we know neither the sees nor the
dates of
martyrdom of these two bishops, their names already occurred in the
martyrology of Saint Jerome (d. 420).
The Portuguese have claimed them
for their see of Braga (Benedictines).
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St. Quintius Martyr unknown
Surrénti sanctórum Mártyrum Quincti,
Quinctíllæ, Quartíllæ et Marci, cum
áliis novem. At Sorrento, the
holy martyrs Quinctus, Quinctilla, Quartilla, Mark, and nine others.
He was put to death with Quintilla, Mark, Quartilla, and
others at
Sorrento, near Naples, Italy. Quintus, Quartilla, and Quintilla may
have been a brother and sisters.
|
| Adrian 668
Gemus Lactali
Landoald 668
Leontius640 Quintius Pancharius303
John the Syrian of Pinna 6th v.
|
640 St. Leontius Bishop of Saintes, France, and
a friend of St. Malo
Leontius of Saintes B (AC)
Died 640. Bishop Leontius of
Saintes was a friend of Saint Malo,
whom he received into
his diocese when he was exiled from Brittany (Benedictines).
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6th v. St. John the Syrian
hermit of Pinna abbot of a large monastic colony 44 years tree was in
full bloom
dead of winter
Apud Pinnénsem
civitátem natális beáti
Joánnis, magnæ sanctitátis viri; qui de Syria ad
Itáliam venit, atque
ibi, constrúcto monastério, multórum
servórum Dei per quátuor et
quadragínta annos Pater éxstitit, et, clarus
virtútibus, in pace
quiévit.
In the city of Pinna, the birthday of
blessed John, a man of
great sanctity, who came from Syria into Italy, and there founded a
monastery. After being the spiritual guide for many of God's
servants
for forty-four years, he rested in peace.
A
Syrian hermit and founder who settled in Pinna, Italy. He was
recognized as a holy man immediately.
According to one legend, hunters
saw him sitting under a tree in the dead of winter, but the tree was in
full bloom. He also founded an abbey at Pinna and another at Pesaro.
John the Syrian, Hermit (RM) (also known as John of Pinna or John of
Panaca). According to the Roman Martyrology, John was a
Syrian monk may have been driven from his homeland by the Monophysite
persecution. He settled at Pinna near Spoleto, Italy, where he founded
a religious house. For 44 years he was abbot of a large monastic colony
(Attwater2, Benedictines).
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St. Gemus unknown
Benedictine monk whose relics are enshrined at Hurbach. He is believed
to have been a member of Moyenmoutier, in Alsace, France.
|
668 St. Landoald
Roman priest Missionary to Belgium and northeastern France with
Amantius his deacon after their deaths became renowned for their
miracles.
Gandávi, in Flándria, sanctórum
Landoáldi, Presbyteri Románi, et Amántii
Diáconi; qui, a sancto Martíno Papa ad
prædicándum Evangélium missi, ambo
apostólicum sibi commíssum opus fidéliter
implevérunt, ac multis post óbitum sunt illustráti
miráculis.
At Ghent in Flanders,
Saints Landoald, a Roman priest, and the deacon Amantius, who were sent
to preach the Gospel by Pope St. Martin. They faithfully
fulfilled this apostolic appointment, and after their deaths became
renowned for their miracles.
Landoald was a Lombard, and was ordained a priest in Rome.
Pope St.
Martin I sent Landoald with St. Amand to the missions, and Landoald
built a church in Wintershaven, Belgium.
Landoald, Amantius & Comps. (RM) Died c. 668. Landoald is said to
have been a Roman priest and Amantius, his deacon. They were sent by
the pope to evangelize what is now the Maestricht region of Belgium and
northeastern France. Landoald founded a church at Wintershoven
(Benedictines, Encyclopedia). |
668 St. Adrian Martyr
disciple of St. Landoald
after their deaths became renowned for their miracles
Gandávi, in
Flándria, sanctórum Landoáldi, Presbyteri
Románi, et Amántii Diáconi; qui, a sancto
Martíno Papa ad prædicándum Evangélium
missi, ambo apostólicum sibi commíssum opus
fidéliter implevérunt, ac multis post óbitum sunt
illustráti miráculis.
At Ghent in Flanders, Saints Landoald, a
Roman priest, and the deacon Amantius, who were sent to preach the
Gospel by Pope St. Martin. They faithfully fulfilled this
apostolic appointment, and after their deaths became renowned for their
miracles.
He was begging for alms when set
upon by thieves and slain near
Maastricht, Netherlands.
Adrian of Maestricht M (AC) Saint Adrian disciple of Saint
Landoald was murdered by robbers while begging alms for his
community near Maestricht, and afterwards locally venerated as a martyr
(Attwater2, Benedictines).
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St. Gemus Benedictine
monk unknown
whose relics are enshrined at Hurbach. He is believed to have been a
member of Moyenmoutier, in Alsace, France.
Gemus of Moyenmoutier, OSB (AC) Date unknown. Gemus was a monk,
probably of Moyenmoutier in Alsace, whose relics were enshrined at
Hürbach (Benedictines).
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672 St. Lactali
Abbot founder disciple of St. Comgall in Ireland miracles include cures
of paralytics and mentally ill
Lactan was from County Cork and was educated in Bangor by Sts. Comgall
and Molua. He became the abbot-founder of Achadh-Ur Abbey at Freshford,
Kilkenny.
Lactan of Freshford, Abbot (AC) (also known as Lactinus) Born near
Cork, Ireland; Saint Lactan was educated at Bangor under Saints Comgall and Molua (Luanis or
Lugid). Saint Comgall sent him
to be abbot-founder of Achadh-Ur, now Freshford, in Kilkenny. He is
credited with many miracles, including cures of paralytics and the
mentally ill (Benedictines, Montague).
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800 Alcmund martyr virtuous
prince--humble and generous miracles at his tomb M (AC)
(also known as Alchmund, Ealhmund) Died in England c. 800. Prince
Alcmund was born into the royal house of Northumbria as the son (or
nephew) of Alchred (765-74) and brother of Osred. He was described as a
virtuous prince--humble and generous. During the Danish invasions of
England, he and his father were exiled.
His subjects, who were being
maltreated convinced him to fight for the throne out of compassion for
their distress.
He met his death at Deorham in Shropshire after more than 20 years of
exile among the Picts of Scotland. King Eardwulf was held responsible.
The circumstances of his death were such that he was venerated as a
martyr, first at Lilleshall, where there were miracles at his tomb, and
then at Derby. Several churches were dedicated to him in Shropshire and
Derbyshire (Attwater2, Benedictines, Encyclopedia, Farmer, Husenbeth).
In art, Saint Alcmund is an Anglo-Saxon king with a crown and a sword.
He is venerated at Derby, Lilleshall, Shropshire (Roeder).
|
 1103 The Smolensk
"Tenderness" Icon of the Mother of God
The Smolensk Icon manifested itself in the year 1103 at Smolensk.
There is another Smolensk "Tenderness" Icon from the vicinity of Okopa
(down from Smolensk).
This icon was in the encampment of the Russian armies of the military
commander Shein, restraining the Polish besiegers from destroying
Smolensk for twenty months (1611-1613).
15th v.
Icon_Tenderness_Lubyatovskaya
 This holy icon,
which dates from the fifteenth century, was in the St Nicholas
monastery church in the Pskov region.
There was once a silver plaque with an inscription from 1890 on the
reverse of the icon. It told of how Tsar Ivan the Terrible came to the
monastery of St Nicholas at Lubyatov during Great Lent in 1570. He had
stopped there on his way to punish the people of Pskov, for he believed
that they were about to give their allegiance to the Prince of
Lithuania.
During the morning service, he happened to gaze at the icon of the
Mother of God, and his heart was moved to compunction. "Let the killing
stop," he said. "Put away your swords."
Soldiers of the Polish king Stephen Batory shot at the icon as they
were on their way to attack Pskov in 1581.
Communists confiscated the icon
in 1928, and in 1930 it was placed in
the Tretiakov Gallery.
The icon has elements from three other types of icons of the Mother of
God. Essentially, it belongs to the Eleousa type, like the Vladimir
Icon (May 21, June 23, August 26).
The gesture of the divine Child resembles the "Sweet-Kissing" or
"Tenderness" Icon of Smolensk (March 19).
The scroll seems to come from the Hodigitria Icon (July 28).
|
1251 Blessed Andrew
de'Gallerani extraordinary penance and charity (AC)
Andrew was a distinguished Sienese solider, who accidentally killed a
man whom he had heard blaspheming. Exiled from Siena, he led a life of
extraordinary penance and charity until he was allowed to return to his
native city. There he founded the Brothers of Mercy, an order that
lasted until 1308 (Benedictines).
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1256 Blessed Clement of
Dunblane monasteries founded "labored with unflagging zeal to uproot
superstition and destroy vice, OP (AC)
Died 1256-58. One of the pioneers about whom we hear little is the
colorful and resourceful Bishop Clement of Dunblane, who received his
habit from Saint Dominic's
hands and introduced the Dominicans as he preached in Scotland. The
monasteries he founded within a few years of the beginning of the
Dominican Order served the Church well, and the Church annals are
begemmed with the names of the people who made history in that
interesting country.
We read the names of Robert Bruce and Lord Douglas on the rolls of
benefactors of the Blackfriars. James Beaton, archbishop of Saint
Andrews, fled for sanctuary to the Dominican church in 1517; and in
1554, John Knox was called to give an account of his strange doctrines
in the Blackfriars Church of Edinburgh.
Clement was Scottish by birth, and having met Saint Dominic at the
University of Paris and being received into the order, he was vocal and
active in bringing the friars to his homeland. Tradition holds that the
Scottish king, Alexander II, in Paris on a diplomatic mission, made a
personal appeal to Saint Dominic for missionaries. It is an historical
fact that this monarch was their first benefactor when the mission band
at last arrived, shortly after Dominic's death.
The priory in the lovely, seaside town of Ayr was founded in 1230, and
seven other large houses soon followed. There is record of transactions
with the rulers of the region at this time, and, a few years later,
King Robert Bruce granted the Dominicans the privilege of grinding
their grain at his mill.
Clement was appointed bishop of
Dunblane in 1233, by Pope Gregory IX, a
devoted friend of Saint Dominic.
He worked in this see for 23 years,
and, according to an old record, he "labored with unflagging zeal to
uproot superstition and destroy vice, to make true and solid piety
known and practiced, and to draw the faithful entrusted to his charge
to the imitation of all the virtues of Christian perfection, as he
himself fulfilled al the duties of a watchful and loving pastor"--a
description of a bishop that can hardly be bettered. He is described as
being poor himself, and the father of the poor, and all the old writers
speak of his zeal in restoring the ruined churches and the neglected
rights of the Church.
According to surviving records, he must have been a busy man, this
rugged missionary in an equally rugged land. He rebuilt Dunblane
Cathedral, visited tirelessly among the outlying regions of his
diocese, setting things in order, and solicited most of the funds for
reconstruction himself. He was appointed on several papal commissions,
once to inquire into the heroic virtues of Margaret of Scotland,
another time to determine the validity of a bishop's appointment. He
was sent to collect alms for the Holy Land in 1247, at a time when he
badly needed the money to rebuild his own diocese.
Through his influence, the episcopal see was transferred from the Isle
of Iona, which was frequently inaccessible and always in danger from
stormy seas, to a place where it could be readily in touch with the
rest of Scotland. He attended the general chapter of the Order held in
London in 1250. At one time he had to pronounce a sentence of
excommunication on all those who had tried to murder the king.
In spite of these varied and absorbing labors, we are interested to
find that he wrote at least three books: a life of Saint Dominic, a
book on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and the history of the Dominican
Order in Scotland.
When Clement died, he left a legacy of personal holiness so great that
even a Protestant historian would say of him:
"This man was an
excellent preacher, learned above many of that time, and of singular
integrity of conversation" (Benedictines, Dorcy).
|
 1521 Saint
Innocent of Komel and Vologda wandered the East visiting Palestine,
Constantinople, and spent several years at monasteries of Mt. Athos
Born at Moscow descended from the Moscow princely family of
Okhlyabinin. He became a monk in the monastery of St Cyril of White
Lake (June 9), and was put under guidance of St Nilus of Sora (May 7).
Sts Innocent and Nilus wandered
through the East visiting Palestine, Constantinople, and spent several
years at the monasteries of Mt. Athos.
Having returned to Rus, the saints did not return to their original St
Cyril of White Lake monastery, but to solitary cells for monastic
seclusion. Out of love for wilderness-life they then withdrew into the
impassable forest at the River Sora, some fifteen versts from the
monastery. Here they set up a cross, dug a well, and built separate
cells, after the manner of the skete monasteries. A church was built on
a marshy spot, and there the hermits led strict lives.
Foreseeing his own demise, St Nilus
sent St Innocent to the River Nurma and predicted to him: "God is
sending you there, and yours shall be a cenobitic monastery; after my
death, my wilderness monastery will remain as it was during my life,
with the brothers living separately each in his own cell."
Upon death of St Nilus, his holy disciple withdrew into the Vologda
hinterland and in 1491 he built a cell at the River Eda, which flows
into the River Nurma. In a short while disciples began to gather to him.
Following the final command of
his teacher, St Innocent did not seek any donations for it. St Innocent
labored for thirty years at building his monastery.
He left behind an instruction for the brethren, based on the works of
the holy Fathers, particularly the writings of St Nilus of Sora. St
Innocent bade them first of all to avoid wrangling and disputes and
asked them to preserve love for Christ and spiritual peace. The saint
forbid young and beardless monks to be accepted and tonsured at his
monastery, and he forbid women to enter the monastery. A monk who left
the monastery lost his right to a cell, and if he returned, then he
could occupy it only with the consent of the igumen and the brethren.
The monk asked that a future church be consecrated in the name of St
John the Forerunner, and Baptizer of the Lord, in commemoration of the
Third Finding of his Venerable Head (25 May), because St John is a
patron for all monks and wilderness dwellers (later, the monastery was
called Transfiguration after its chief temple).
St Innocent died on March 19, 1521. In accordance with his last wish,
he was buried in a corner of the monastery near a marsh. A stone was
placed on his grave inscribed with the year, month and day of his
repose.
|
Saints of this Day March 19 Quartodécimo
Kaléndas Aprilis.
284 Holy
Martyrs Chrysanthus
and Daria
Claudius the Tribune wife Hilaria sons Jason and Maurus Diodorus
the
PresbyterMarianus the Deacon
E
