107
St. Evaristus succeeded St. Clement in Rome 4th successor of St. Peter
Romæ sancti Evarísti, Papæ et Mártyris, qui Dei
Ecclésiam, sub Hadriáno Imperatóre, suo sánguine
purpurávit.
At Rome, St. Evaristus, pope and martyr, who enriched the Church of God
with his blood under Emperor Hadrian.
98-107 Evaristus Pope St. Evaristus; Evaristus
came of a Hellenic family, and was the son of a Bethlehem Jew; laid
to rest in Vaticano, near the tomb of St. Peter; succeeded
Clement in the episcopate of the Roman Church
Date of birth
unknown; died about 107. In the Liberian Catalogue his name is given as Aristus.
In papal catalogues of the second century used by Irenaeus and Hippolytus,
he appears as the fourth successor of St. Peter, immediately after St Clement.
The same lists allow him eight years of reign, covering the end of the first
and the beginning of the second century (from about 98 or 99 to about 106
or 107).
The earliest historical sources offer no authentic data about
him. In his “Ecclesiastical History” Eusebius says merely
that he succeeded Clement in the episcopate of the Roman Church which fact
was already known from St. Irenæus. This order of succession is undoubtedly
correct. The “Liber Pontificalis” says that Evaristus came
of a Hellenic family, and was the son of a Bethlehem Jew. It also attributes
to him the allotment of definite churches as tituli to the Roman presbyters,
and the division of the city into seven diaconias or deaconries; in this statement,
however, the “Liber Pontificalis” arbitrarily refers to
the time of Evaristus a later institution of the Roman Church.
More trustworthy is the assertion of the “Liber Pontificalis” that he was laid to rest
in Vaticano, near the tomb of St. Peter. The martyrdom of Evaristus, though
traditional, is not historically proven. His feast occurs 26 Oct. The two
decretals ascribed to him by Pseudo-Isidore are forged.
107
ST EVARISTUS, Pope AND MARTYR
ST EVARISTUS succeeded St Clement in the see of Rome in the reign of Trajan
and governed the Church about eight years, being the fourth successor of St
Peter. The Liber Pontificalis says that he was the son of
a Hellenic Jew of Bethlehem, and, certainly incorrectly, that he divided
Rome into several “titles” or parishes, assigning a priest to each and appointed
seven deacons for the city. He is usually accorded the title of martyr, but
his martyrdom is not proved; it is probable that St Evaristus was buried
near St Peter’s tomb in the Vatican.
There is a notice
in the Acta Sanctorum, October, vol.
xi, but the text and notes of Duchesne’s edition of the Liber
Pontificalis tell us nearly all there is to be known. See, however, an
interesting comment by Father von Nostiz-Rieneck on the “Brevierlektionen
der Päpate Evaristos und Alexander I” in the Zeitschrift
für Katholische Theologie, vol. xxix (1905), pp. 159—165.
Evaristus,
Pope M (RM)
Born in Bethlehem,
Palestine; died c. 105-107. Evaristus was born like his Savior in Bethlehem.
A Hellenic Jew, he was converted to Christianity and eventually reached Rome.
There he accepted the dangerous office of pope, after the death of the fourth
pope, Saint Clement, between the years 96- 100.
Evaristus
contributed to the growing organization of the Church. He is credited with
the establishment of cardinal priests. He divided Rome into seven parishes,
then appointed seven deacons to serve the city, just as the early apostles
did to serve the poor of Jerusalem.
Evaristus
conferred holy orders three times in December, when ordinations traditionally
took place for moral and mystical reasons (according to Amalarius). Others
say that ordinations took place during Advent because the bishops had more
free time give proper attention to this important function, and because holy
orders were always conferred during the seasons of fasting and prayer.
There is no
direct evidence that Evaristus died a martyr's death, though most martyrologies
list him as such. It is not unbelievable, however, because virtually any prominent
Christian in the early centuries of the Church was likely to be brutally
put to death because of his beliefs (Benedictines, Bentley, Delaney, Encyclopedia,
Husenbeth).
In the reign
of Trajan and governed the Church about eight years, being the fourth successor
of St. Peter. The Liber Pontificalis says that he was the son of a Hellenic Jew of Bethlehem, and,
certainly incorrectly, that he divided Rome into several “titles” or Parishes, assigning
a priest to each, and appointed seven deacons for the city. He is usually
accorded the title of martyr, but his martyrdom is not proved; it is probable
that St. Evaristus was buried near ST. Peter's tomb in the Vatican.
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250 St. Lucian Martyr with
Florius and companions practitioners of black arts converted when magic
had no effect on a Christian virgin and saw evil spirits banished by the
Sign of the Cross in Nicomedia,
Turkey.
Nicomedíæ
sanctórum Mártyrum Luciáni, Flórii et Sociórum.
At Nicomedia, the holy martyrs Lucian, Florius, and
their companions.
250 SS. LUCIAN AND MARCIAN, MARTYRS
LUCIAN
and Marcian, we are told in their passio, applied themselves
to the study of black magic, but were converted to the faith by finding their
charms lose their power against a Christian maiden. Their eyes being thus
opened, they publicly burned their magical books in the city of Nicomedia.
When they had effaced their crimes by baptism they distributed their possessions
among the poor and retired together into solitude, that by mortification and
prayer they might strengthen in their souls that grace which they had just
received.
After a time they made frequent excursions
abroad to preach Christ to the Gentiles. The edicts of Decius against the
Christians being published in Bithynia, they were apprehended and brought
before the proconsul Sabinus, who asked Lucian by what authority he presumed
to preach Jesus Christ. “Every man”, said the martyr, “does well to endeavour
to draw his brother out of a dangerous error”, and Marcian likewise gloried
in the power of Christ. The judge commanded them to be tortured, whereupon
they reproached him that, whilst they worshipped idols, they had committed
many crimes and made open profession of practising magic, without incurring
any chastisement; but when they were become Christians and good citizens they
were barbarously punished. Sabinus threatened them with more torments. “We
are ready to suffer”, said Marcian, “but we will not renounce the true God,
lest we be cast into a fire which will never be quenched.” At this Sabinus
condemned them to be burned alive, and they went joyfully to the place of
execution, singing hymns of praise and thanksgiving to God. This story is
a romance woven round a group of genuine martyrs at Nicomedia.
The passio
of these martyrs is preserved both in Latin and in Syriac; the
Greek text, which is probably the original, seems to have perished. The Latin
passio is printed in the Acta
Sanctorum, October, vol.
xi; the Syriac was edited by S. E. Assemani (in his Acta ss. mart. Orientalium, vol. ii, pp. 49 seq.) from a manuscript written in the sixth or possibly even the
fifth century. The Syriac breviarium of the early fifth
century also commemorates these martyrs on October 26, but assigns them to
Antioch, and gives the name Silvanus in place of Lucianus. They are, however,
correctly named (with Florus), and attributed to Nicomedia, in the “Hieronymianum”,
and the question is discussed by Delehaye in CMH., p. 572.
Lucian, Marcian, Florius
& Comp. MM (RM) Died c. 250. A group of martyrs who suffered at Nicomedia
under Decius. Their acta were fancifully embellished at a later date. These
relate that Lucian and Marcian were practitioners of the black arts, who were
converted to Christianity when their magic had no effect on a Christian virgin
and they saw evil spirits banished by the Sign of the Cross. After burning
their books, they were baptized, distributed their wealth to the poor, and
practiced mortification to subdue their untamed passions. After thus fortifying
themselves in solitude, they began to evangelize in spite of the edicts published
by Decius against Christians in Bithynia. They were arrested and brought
before the proconsul, Sabinus. After questioning they were racked and tortured,
during which they argued their incomprehension that they went unpunished
while they committed many crimes with magic, but now that they were good
citizens, they are tortured. En route to the place they were to be burned
to death, they sang hymns of praise and thanksgiving to God (Benedictines,
Encyclopedia, Husenbeth).
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256 St. Rogatian Martyr
priest in Carthage with a layman named Felicissimus
In
Africa sanctórum Mártyrum Rogatiáni Presbyteri, et Felicíssimi,
qui, in persecutióne Valeriáni et Galliéni, illústri
martyrio coronáti sunt; de quibus étiam scribit sanctus Cypriánus
in epístola ad Confessóres.
In Africa, the holy martyrs Felicissimus and the priest Rogatian, who received
the bright crown of martyrs in the persecution of Valerian and Gallienus.
They are mentioned by St. Cyprian in his Epistle to the Confessors.
he was apparently martyred
with a layman named Felicissimus.
He is revered as a martyr on the basis of St. Cyprian’s observation that they had
“witnessed a good confession for Christ,” traditionally one of the euphemisms
for martyrdom.
Rogatian and
Felicissimus MM (RM). The Carthaginian priest Rogatian and Felicissimus, a
layman, are mentioned by Saint Cyprian as having “witnessed a good confession
for Christ.” These words are usually
taken as referring to their martyrdom (Benedictines).
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306 Demetrius
the Myrrh-gusher of Thessalonica The
Great Martyr; he
began to teach the Christian Faith openly to the inhabitants of the city
and to overthrow pagan customs and idolatry. The compiler of his Life, St
Simeon Metaphrastes (November 9), says that because of his teaching zeal
he became "a second Apostle Paul" for Thessalonica, particularly since "the
Apostle to the Gentiles" once founded at this city the first community of
believers (1 Thess. and 2 Thess.).
The
son of a Roman proconsul in Thessalonica. Three centuries had elapsed and
Roman paganism, spiritually shattered and defeated by the multitude of martyrs
and confessors of the Savior, intensified its persecutions. The parents of
St Demetrius were secretly Christians, and he was baptized and raised in the
Christian Faith in a secret church in his father's home,
By the time
Demetrius had reached maturity and his father had died, the emperor Galerius
Maximian had ascended the throne (305). Maximian, confident in Demetrius'
education as well as his administrative and military abilities, appointed
him to his father's position as proconsul of the Thessalonica district. The
main tasks of this young commander were to defend the city from barbarians
and to eradicate Christianity. The emperor's policy regarding Christians was
expressed simply, “Put to death anyone who
calls on the name of Christ.” The emperor did not suspect
that by appointing Demetrius he had provided a way for him to lead many people
to Christ.
Accepting
the appointment, Demetrius returned to Thessalonica and immediately confessed
and glorified our Lord Jesus Christ. Instead of persecuting and executing
Christians, he began to teach the Christian Faith openly to the inhabitants
of the city and to overthrow pagan customs and idolatry. The compiler of his
Life, St Simeon Metaphrastes (November 9), says that because of his teaching
zeal he became “a second Apostle Paul” for Thessalonica, particularly
since “the Apostle to the Gentiles” once founded at this city
the first community of believers (1 Thess. and 2 Thess.).
The Lord
also destined St Demetrius to follow the holy Apostle Paul as a martyr. When
Maximian learned that the newly-appointed proconsul was a Christian, and
that he had converted many Roman subjects to Christianity, the rage of the
emperor know no bounds. Returning from a campaign in the Black Sea region,
the emperor decided to lead his army through Thessalonica, determined to
massacre the Christians.
Learning
of this, St Demetrius ordered his faithful servant Lupus to distribute his
wealth to the poor saying, "Distribute my earthly riches among them, for
we shall seek heavenly riches for ourselves." He began to pray and fast,
preparing himself for martyrdom.
When the
emperor came into the city, he summoned Demetrius, who boldly confessed himself
a Christian and denounced the falsehood and futility of Roman polytheism.
Maximian gave orders to lock up the confessor in prison. An angel appeared
to him, comforting and encouraging him.
Meanwhile
the emperor amused himself by staging games in the circus. His champion was
a German by the name of Lyaeos. He challenged Christians to wrestle with
him on a platform built over the upturned spears of the victorious soldiers.
A brave Christian named Nestor went to the prison to his advisor Demetrius
and requested a blessing to fight the barbarian. With the blessing and prayers
of Demetrius, Nestor prevailed over the fierce German and hurled him from
the platform onto the spears of the soldiers, just as the murderous pagan
would have done with the Christian. The enraged commander ordered the execution
of the holy Martyr Nestor (October 27) and sent a guard to the prison to kill
St Demetrius.
At dawn on
October 26, 306 soldiers appeared in the saint's underground prison and ran
him through with lances. His faithful servant, St Lupus, gathered up the blood-soaked
garment of St Demetrius, and he took the imperial ring from his finger, a
symbol of his high status, and dipped it in the blood. With the ring and
other holy things sanctified by the blood of St Demetrius, St Lupus began
to heal the infirm. The emperor issued orders to arrest and kill him.
The body
of the holy Great Martyr Demetrius was cast out for wild animals to devour,
but the Christians took it and secretly buried it in the earth.
During the
reign of St Constantine (306-337), a church was built over the grave of St
Demetrius. A hundred years later, during the construction of a majestic new
church on the old spot, the incorrupt relics of the holy martyr were uncovered.
Since the seventh century a miraculous flow of fragrant myrrh has been found
beneath the crypt of the Great Martyr Demetrius, so he is called “the Myrrh-gusher.“
Several times,
those venerating the holy wonderworker tried to bring his holy relics, or
a part of them, to Constantinople. Invariably, St Demetrius made it clear
that he would not permit anyone to remove even a portion of his relics.
It is interesting
that among the barbarians threatening the Romans, Slavs occupied an important
place, in particular those settling upon the Thessalonian peninsula. Some
even believe that the parents of St Demetrius were of Slavic descent. While
advancing towards the city, pagan Slavs were repeatedly turned away by the
apparition of a threatening radiant youth, going around on the walls and inspiring
terror in the enemy soldiers. Perhaps this is why the name of St Demetrius
was particularly venerated among the Slavic nations after they were enlightened
by the Gospel. On the other hand, the Greeks dismiss the notion of St Demetrius
being a Slavic saint.
The very
first pages of the Russian Primary Chronicle, as foreordained by God, is
bound up with the name of the holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica.
The Chronicle relates that when Oleg the Wise threatened the Greeks at Constantinople
(907), the Greeks became terrified and said, “This is not Oleg, but rather
St Demetrius sent upon us from God.” Russian soldiers always
believed that they were under the special protection of the holy Great Martyr
Demetrius. Moreover, in the old Russian barracks the Great Martyr Demetrius
was always depicted as Russian. Thus this image entered the soul of the Russian
nation.
Church veneration
of the holy Great Martyr Demetrius in Russia began shortly after the Baptism
of Rus. Towards the beginning of the 1070s the Dimitriev monastery at Kiev,
known afterwards as the Mikhailov-Zlatoverkh monastery, was founded, The monastery
was built by the son of Yaroslav the Wise, Great Prince Izyaslav, Demetrius
in Baptism (+ 1078). The mosaic icon of St Demetrius of Thessalonica from
the cathedral of the Dimitriev monastery has been preserved up to the present
day, and is in the Tretiakov gallery.
In the years
1194-1197 the Great Prince of Vladimir, Vsevolod III the Great-Nest (Demetrius
in Baptism) “built at his court a beautiful
church of the holy martyr Demetrius, and adorned it wondrously with icons
and frescoes.” The Dimitriev cathedral
also reveals the embellishment of ancient Vladimir. The wonderworking icon
of St Demetrius of Thessalonica from the cathedral iconostas is located even
now in Moscow, at the Tretiakov gallery. It was painted on a piece of wood
from the grave of the holy Great Martyr Demetrius, brought from Thessalonica
to Vladimir in 1197.
One of the
most precious depictions of the saint, a fresco on a column of the Vladimir
Dormition cathedral, was painted by the holy Iconographer Andrew Rublev (July
4).
The family
of St Alexander Nevsky (November 23 also venerated St Demetrius. St Alexander
named his eldest son in honor of the holy Great Martyr. His younger son, Prince
Daniel of Moscow (March 4), built a temple dedicated to the holy Great Martyr
Demetrius in the 1280s. This was the first stone church in the Moscow Kremlin.
Later in 1326, under Ivan Kalita, it was taken down and the Dormition cathedral
was built in its place.
The memory
of St Demetrius of Thessalonica is historically associated in Rus with the
military, patriotism and the defense of the country. This is apparent by the
saint's depiction on icons as a soldier in plumed armor, with a spear and
sword in hand. There is a scroll (in later depictions) on which is written
the prayer of St Demetrius for the salvation of the people of Thessalonica,
“Lord, do not permit the
city or the people perish. If You save the city and the people, I shall
be saved with them. If they perish, I also perish with them.”
In the particular
spiritual experience of the Russian Church, veneration of the holy Great Martyr
Demetrius of Thessalonica is closely linked with the memory of the defense
of the nation and Church by the Great Prince of Moscow, Demetrius of the
Don (May 19) . “An Account of the Life
and Repose of the Great Prince Demetrius of the Don, Tsar of Russia,” written in the year 1393,
already regards the Great Prince as a saint, as also do other old Russian
histories. Great Prince Demetrius was a spiritual son and disciple of St Alexis,
Metropolitan of Moscow (February 12), and a disciple and associate of other
great figures of prayer in the Russian Land: St Sergius of Radonezh (September
25), Demetrius of Priluki (February 11), St Theodore of Rostov (November
28). The Account states:
He [Great Prince Demetrius] worried much about the churches of God, and
he held the territory of the Russian land by his bravery: he conquered many
enemies who had risen against us, and he protected his glorious city Moscow
with wondrous walls. ...The land of Russia prospered during the years of his
reign.
From the
time of the building of the white-walled Kremlin (1366) by Great Prince Demetrius,
Moscow was called “White-Stoned.”
By the prayers
of his Heavenly patron, the holy warrior Demetrius of Thessalonica, Great
Prince Demetrius, in addition to his brilliant military victories, also gained
the further prominence of Russia. He repelled the onslaught of the Lithuanian
armies of Olgerd (1368, 1373), he routed the Tatar army of Begich at the River
Vozha (1378), and he smashed the military might of all the Golden Horde at
the Battle of Kulikovo Field on September 8, 1380 (the Feast of the Nativity
of the Most Holy Theotokos), set between the Rivers Don and Nepryadva. The
Battle of Kulikovo, for which the nation calls him Demetrius of the Don,
became the first Russian national deed, rallying the spiritual power of the
Russian nation around Moscow. The “Zadonschina,” an inspiring historic
poem written by the priest Sophronius of Ryazem (1381) is devoted to this
event.
Prince Demetrius
of the Don was greatly devoted to the holy Great Martyr Demetrius. In 1380,
on the eve of the Battle of Kulikovo, he solemnly transferred from Vladimir
to Moscow the most holy object in the Vladimir Dimitriev cathedral: the icon
of the Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica, painted on a board from the
grave of the saint. A chapel dedicated to the Great Martyr Demetrius was built
at Moscow's Dormition Cathedral.
The St Demetrius
Memorial Saturday was established for churchwide remembrance of the soldiers
who fell in the Battle of Kulidovo. This memorial service was held for the
first time at the Trinity-St Sergius monastery on October 20, 1380 by St Sergius
of Radonezh, in the presence of Great Prince Demetrius of the Don. It is
an annual remembrance of the heroes of the Battle of Kulikovo, among whom
are the schemamonks Alexander (Peresvet) and Andrew (Oslyab).
St Demetrius is regarded
as a protector of the young, and is also invoked by those struggling with
lustful temptations.
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3rd-4th v. Lupus
The
Martyr; worked
many miracles at Thessalonica. He destroyed pagan idols, for which he was
subjected to persecution by the pagans, but he was preserved unharmed by the
power of God; a faithful
servant of the holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica
He lived at
the end of the third century and beginning of the fourth century, and was
a faithful servant of the holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica (October
26). Being present at the death of his master, he soaked his own clothing
with his blood and took a ring from his hand. With this clothing, and with
the ring and the name of the Great Martyr Demetrius, St Lupus worked many
miracles at Thessalonica. He destroyed pagan idols, for which he was subjected
to persecution by the pagans, but he was preserved unharmed by the power
of God.
St Lupus voluntarily delivered himself into the hands of the torturers,
and by order of the emperor Maximian Galerius, he was beheaded by the sword.
|
5th v. Alanus and Aldrus
(Alorus) they enjoyed a popular and liturgical cult from early ages BB (AC)
5th century. Both Saint
Alanus and Saint Aldrus were bishops of Quimper in Brittany. No reliable
particulars have come down to us about them, except that they enjoyed a popular
and liturgical cult from early ages (Benedictines).
|
462 St. Rusticus Bishop
of Narbonne gifted preacher in Rome; Council of Ephesus 431
Narbóne,
in Gállia, sancti Rústici, Epíscopi et Confessóris;
qui cláruit tempóribus Valentiniáni et Leónis
Imperatórum.
At Narbonne, St. Rusticus, bishop and confessor, who flourished in the reigns
of Emperors Leo and Valentian.
461 ST
RUSTICUS, BISHOP OF NARBONNE
RUSTICUS was a native of southern Gaul and
the son of a bishop named Bonosus. A letter written by St Jerome about the
year 411 is supposed to be addressed to him: the recipient is given wise
counsel about the solitary life. In 427 Rusticus was elevated to the bishopric
of Narbonne. His diocese was in a very unsatisfactory state: invading
Goths were spreading Arianism and orthodox were quarrelling among themselves.
Eventually St Rusticus wrote to Pope St
Leo I, setting forth his difficulties (which seem to have arisen out of a
synod convoked by him in 458), and asking to be allowed to resign. The pope
dissuaded him from this and sent him an important letter about the government
of the diocese. St Rusticus built a cathedral at Narbonne and the inscription
he put up recording its foundation is still in existence. His brother bishops
held him in high regard, but of his activities little is known, except that
he attended the synod at Arles that approved St Leo’s “tome” condemning Monophysism.
A particular interest,
however, attaches to this Gaulish bishop because his name appears in four
different inscriptions discovered at Narbonne or in the immediate neighbourhood.
The first and most complete tells us, incidentally that not only was he the
son of Bishop Bonosus, but that an uncle, his mother’s brother, was also a
bishop called Arator. Another inscription, only discovered in quite recent
years contains the words Orate pro me Rustico vestro (Pray
for me, your Rusticus).
There is no
formal life of St Rusticus, but from scattered references the Bollandists
have compiled a sufficient notice in the Acta Sanctorum, October,
vol. xi. See on the inscriptions Leclercq, DAC., vol. xii (1935), cc. 828
and 847—854. Cf. also Duchesne, Fastes Épiscopaux,
vol. i, p. 303.
Born
at Narbonne or Marseille, in Gaul, he was the son of Bishop
Bonosus and became a gifted preacher in Rome before entering the monastic
life at Lérins, France. In 427, he was
named bishop of Narbonne, enduring much upheaval in his diocese owing to
the spread of Arianism and the advance of the Germanic tribes which were then
besieging parts of Gaul. He asked to be permitted to resign, but Pope
Leo I the Great convinced him to remain.
He thus took part in the Council of Ephesus which condemned Nestorianism.
He also built the cathedral at Narbonne.
Rusticus of
Narbonne B (RM) Born in Marseilles, France. Rusticus, a monk of Lérins,
became bishop of Narbonne. He was present at the council of Ephesus in 431
(Benedictines, Encyclopedia).
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6th v. Aneurin (Gildas)
and Gwinoc left Celtic poems of literary value (AC)
6th century.
Saint Aneurin and his son Gwinoc were Welsh monks.
The latter
has left some Celtic poems of a certain literary value (Benedictines).
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590 St. Quadragesimus shepherd
raising a man from the dead
Item sancti
Quadragésimi Subdiáconi, qui et mórtuum resuscitávit.
Also St. Quadragesimus, subdeacon, who raised a dead man to life.
Confessor and a shepherd
known for miracles. He lived at Policastro, Italy, and served as a subdeacon. According
to Pope St. Gregory I the Great, he
was responsible for remarkable achievement of raising a man from the dead.
Quadragesimus
of Policastro (RM). According to the testimony of Saint Gregory the Great,
Saint Quadragesimus, a shepherd and subdeacon at Policastro, raised a dead
man to life (Benedictines, Encyclopedia).
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7th v. Gaudiosus of Salerno
B (RM)
Apud Salérnum sancti Gaudiósi Epíscopi.
At Salerno, St. Gaudiosus, bishop.
7th
century. The relics of Bishop Gaudiosus of Salerno, Italy, are venerated
at Naples (Benedictines).
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664 Saint Cedd spent 40
days prayer/fasting consecrate the place to God according to custom derived
from Saint Columba OSB B (AC)
664 ST CEDD, Bishop OF THE EAST SAX0NS
ST CEDD was
the brother of St Chad and long served God in the monastery of Lindisfarne.
When Peada, King of the Middle Angles, became a Christian at the court of
his father-in-law, Oswy of Northumbria, in 653, being baptized by St Finan
of Lindisfarne, four priests were sent to preach the gospel to his people.
Of these St Cedd was one.
After labouring there
for a time he was called to a new harvest. Sigebert, King of the East Saxons,
was also persuaded to renounce heathenism and was baptized by St Finan, whereupon
Cedd was called out of the midlands and sent with another priest into Essex.
They travelled throughout the province to examine the situation, and then
St Cedd revisited Lindisfarne to confer with Finan, who consecrated him bishop
for the East Saxons. He returned among them to continue the work he had begun,
building churches and ordaining priests and deacons.
St Cedd founded two monasteries, which seem to have been destroyed
by the Danes later and never restored. The first, where remains of Cedd’s
church still exist, was at Bradwell-on-Sea (Ythancaestir, Othona); the other
was at Tilbury. His visits
to his native Northumbria were the occasion of a third foundation.
Ethelwald, King of Deira, gave him a tract of land for a monastery in an
inaccessible spot among the fells of Yorkshire. Here Cedd spent forty days
in fasting and prayer, to consecrate the place to God according to the custom
of Lindisfarne, derived from St Columba. This monastery, founded in 658,
was called Laestingaeu, which has been identified with Lastingham in the
North Riding; and it also came to be destroyed by the Danes.
In 664 St Cedd was present at the Synod
of Whitby, being one of those who agreed to forsake Celtic custom and to
observe Easter by the Roman computation. Very soon after this he died at
Lastingham during a great pestilence. At the news of his death thirty of
his religious brethren among the East Saxons came to Lasting-ham to consecrate
their lives where their holy father had ended his. But they too were carried
off by the same pestilence, all except one boy, who was afterwards found
not to have been baptized: he lived to become a priest and zealous missionary.
Florence of Worcester tells us that St Cedd died on October 26, 664.
Practically all that is known of St Cedd is
derived from Bede’s Ecclesiastical History, bk iii, caps.
22, 23.
Born
in Northumbria, England; died October 26, 664; feast day formerly celebrated
on January 7. Cedd was raised together with his brother Saint Chad. He became
a monk at Lindisfarne and in 653 was sent with three other priests to evangelize
the Middle Angles when their King Peada was baptized by Saint
Finan of
Lindisfarne in 653 at the court of his father-in-law, Oswy of Northumbria.
After working
in that field for a time he was called to harvest a new one in East Anglia
(Essex), when King Sigebert was converted and baptized by Finan. He and another
priest travelled throughout the midlands to evaluate the situation. Then Cedd
returned to Lindisfarne to confer with Finan, who consecrated him bishop of
the East Saxons in 654. Cedd returned to Essex and spent the rest of his life
with the Saxons--building churches, founding monasteries (at Bradwell-on-the-Sea
(Ythancaestir, Othona), Tilbury, and Lastingham), and ordaining priests
and deacons to continue the work of evangelization.
Lastingham, originally
called Laestingaeu, was built in 658 on a tract of inaccessible land in Yorkshire
donated by King Ethelwald of Deira. Here Cedd spent 40 days in prayer and
fasting to consecrate the place to God according to the custom of Lindisfarne,
derived from Saint Columba. All three of the monasteries he built were destroyed
by the Danes and never restored.
He attended
the Synod of Whitby in 664, where he accepted the Roman observances, and died
of the plague at Lastingham, Yorkshire. At the news of his death, 30 of his
brethren among the East Saxons came to Lastingham to consecrate their lives
where their holy father in faith had ended his. But they, too, were all killed
by the same plague, except one unbaptized boy, who lived to become a priest
and zealous missionary (Delaney, Walsh).
Saint
Cedd is depicted in art as a bishop with a chalice and an abbatial staff.
Sometimes he is shown with his brother Saint Chad of Lichfield, other times
with Saint Diuma, bishop of the Middle English. He is venerated at Charlbury,
Oxon, England (Roeder).
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665 St. Gibitrudis Benedictine
nun at Faremoutieren Brie
in France.
She was trained by St.
Fara.
Gibitrudis of Faremoûtiers, OSB V (AC) Died c. 655. A nun at Faremoûtiers
under Saint Fara (Benedictines).
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675 St. Eadfrid Founder
of Leominster Priory priest
of Northumbria
and Mercia, England.
Eadfrid of
Leominster, OSB (AC) Died c. 675. Eadfrid preached in Mercia as a Northumbrian
monk- priest. He also founded, and was the first superior of, Leominster Priory
(Benedictines).
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686 Saint Eata of Hexham
effect a union between the Celtic and Roman Christians OSB B (RM)
WHEN St Aidan came from Iona to his
mission in Northumbria he selected twelve English boys to be trained under
himself to work in the service of Christ, and of these twelve Eata was one.
He became abbot of Melrose, and received St Cuthbert there as a novice.
When St Colman and some of his monks
left Northumbria after their defeat at the Synod of Whitby, Eata was put in
charge of those who remained at Lindisfarne. St Bede reports on hearsay that
St Colman himself asked King Oswy to make this appointment because Eata was
a personal disciple of St Aidan.
When in 678 St Wilfrid was driven from
his see and Northumbria divided, St Eata was appointed bishop of the Bernicians
in the north; and as he had the choice of Hexham or Lindisfarne for his see
he chose Lindisfarne. Later Tunbert was consecrated for Hexham, and when
he was deposed St Cuthbert was named in his place. He, however, preferred
to be at Lindisfarne, whither he had gone as a monk with St Eata, and so
an exchange was made, Eata going to Hexham. Here he remained for the short
space of life that remained to him, and after the grateful people revered
his death in 686 as a saint among whom he had laboured. Bede says of him that
he was a most venerable man, meek and simple. St Eata’s feast is kept in
the diocese of Lancaster.
There is a Life of St Eata,
which has been printed by Raine in his Priory of Hexham
and a summary by Capgrave in the Acta Sanctorum, October,
vol. xi; but there is little to add to what may be gathered from the text
and notes of Plummer’s edition of Bede, bk iii, cap. 26 and iv, 12, 26, 28.
It is impossible to write
about Eata, the 7th century English saint, without going back to Saint Aidan,
and from Saint Aidan to Saint Paulinus of York, and from Saint Paulinus to
Saint Augustine (Austin) of Canterbury, and from Saint Augustine to Saint
Gregory the Great who began this chain reaction. Nor should we forget the
Venerable Bede without whose Ecclesiastical
History we would never have heard of Saint Eata, nor Saint Cuthbert,
who was Eata's close friend.
In the 7th century, England
was divided into the Heptarchy, seven independent kingdoms in none of which
was Christianity firmly established. At the request of Saint Oswald, king
of Northumbria, Saint Aidan had gone from Iona to Lindisfarne--the Holy Island--and
from there had begun to evangelize the northern parts of England. Aidan himself
and many of his monks came originally from Ireland and therefore followed
the Celtic usages which differed in many ways from those of Rome.
Pope Saint
Gregory's plan was to send a properly organized group to England, rather
than rely on the isolated efforts of the northern missionaries. The man he
chose was the prior of a monastery that he had founded in Rome, Saint Augustine
of Canterbury. In 596, he landed in Kent with a group of 40 monks.
They had to
start from nothing, but fortunately they quickly enlisted the support of Bertha,
the wife of King Saint Ethelbert--just as Saint Paulinus won the support
of Saint Ethelburga, sister of Eadbald, and Saint Remigius won that of Saint
Clotilde, wife of Clovis. Augustine received the 'pallium' and became the
first archbishop of England, establishing his see at Canterbury.
At the time
of Augustine's death, which took place shortly after that of Gregory the Great,
relations between the Roman and Celtic churches were still strained. Apart
from their differences over usage and organization, the situation was complicated
by the resentment felt by some of the Celts towards the Angles, Saxons, and
Jutes who only a relatively short while before had driven them out of their
own country and persecuted their religion. So it was left to a number of
saints, among them Eata, to effect a union between the Celtic and Roman Christians,
their personal saintliness persuading the ones to abate their racial pride
and the others to make concessions.
The first
saint who went to Northumbria was a Roman one, Saint Paulinus, who had been
sent by Gregory the Great to assist Saint Augustine of Canterbury. The next
one was the Celtic Saint Aidan, who had established his monastery at Lindisfarne
and who also founded a monastery at Ripon. It was at Ripon that Eata, who
had been born an Anglo-Saxon and was one of the 12 English boys brought to
Northumbria by Saint Aidan, was educated in the Celtic observance. When Saint
Wilfrid arrived at Ripon, Eata left it to become abbot at Melrose, which
was attached to Lindisfarne.
As a result of the Synod
of Whitby, which was held in 664, the Roman usage was extended throughout
England. Eata accepted the Roman liturgical observances.
Saint Colman,
who had succeeded Saint Aidan as abbot of Lindisfarne refused to accept the
decision and withdrew from his position. Reportedly he requested that Saint
Eata take his place. At the same time Saint Cuthbert became prior, and they
both fully accepted the Roman usage and liturgy.
In 678 Theodore,
who had been consecrated in Rome as the new archbishop of Canterbury by Pope
Saint Vitalian, met Eata in York and at once consecrated him as bishop of
Bernicia. It was a wise choice, for Eata quickly showed himself to be worthy
of his office. He and Saint Cuthbert were often together, travelling from
Melrose to Ripon and to Lindisfarne. Later Eata and Cuthbert exchanged sees,
and Eata became bishop of Hexham, where he remained until his death.
Eata seems
to have been a kind and gentle man, more so even than Cuthbert, and vastly
more so than Colman or that other saint, Wilfrid, who quarreled so violently
with Theodore. He died in 686 and was buried in the Benedictine Abbey of
Hexham. There is a legend that when, in 1113, plans were made to disinter
his body and take it to York, he appeared in a dream to the archbishop of
York and told him to leave his mortal remains in peace (Benedictines, Delaney,
Encyclopedia).
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740, at the time of the
iconoclast emperor Leo the Isaurian, there was a terrible earthquake at
Constantinople. Seeing this as God's just punishment for their sins, the
people repented and prayed to the Most Holy Theotokos and to St Demetrius
to help them. God had mercy on them, and the earthquake stopped.
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7th 8th v. Humbert of Fritzlar
became prior of Buraburg, Hesse OSB (AC)
7th or 8th
century. The monk Saint Humbert of Fritzlar in Hesse, Germany, became prior
of Buraburg, Hesse (Benedictines).
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740 Saint Sigibald of
Metz built schools and abbeys B (AC)
As bishop
of Metz from 716 to about 740, Sigibald promoted learning, built schools
and abbeys (notably Neuweiter and Saint-Avold), and ably administered his
see (Benedictines).
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758 St. Cuthbert Benedictine
archbishop of Canterbury
He was a
monk at Lyminge, in Kent, England, until about 736, when
he was appointed the bishop of Hereford. About 740, he became the archbishop
of Canterbury. He is remembered as one of St.
Boniface’s correspondents
in England.
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760 St. Albinus Bishop
Benedictine missionary companion of St. Boniface to convert Germany
originally called Witta.
An Anglo-Saxon by birth, he became
a monk, probably at the monastery of Pereum, Germany. There he was chosen
to be one of the missionaries accompanying St. Boniface. Albinus became bishop
of Buraburg in Hesse, Germany, in 741. He remained the head of that see until
his death.
Albinus of
Buraburg, OSB B (AC) (also known as Albuin, Witta, Wittan of Buraburg or
Fritzlar). The Irish or Anglo-Saxon monk of Iona named Witta had his name
latinized to Albinus (white) when setting out as a fellow-worker with Saint
Boniface to convert Germany. In 741, Boniface consecrated Albinus bishop
of Buraburg (Fritzlar) in Hesse, where he is still venerated. In Germany,
he became known as Wittan (Benedictines, D'Arcy, Fitzpatrick, Montague, O'Hanlon).
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814 Saint Athanasius of
Medikion Monastery; companion
of St Nicetas; A cypress
tree grew up on his grave; from which occurred many healings, by the grace
of God
loved
the monastic life and secretly left his parental home, but was forcibly
returned by his father. After a certain time Athanasius entered the Medikion
monastery in Bithynia with his father's consent.
He was a companion of St Nicetas (April 3) and he died about the year 814.
A cypress tree grew up on his grave; from which occurred many healings, by
the grace of God.
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899 St. Alfred the Great King
of Wessex, scholar renowned Christian monarch born in 849
Alfred was
the fifth son of the Wessex
king. During
a journey to Rome in 853, he was accepted as a godson by Pope
Leo IV He
was a great scholar, translating classics for his people, and early on seemed
destined for a career in the Church. Instead, he became king and was forced
to spend most of his reign in conflict with the Danes who were then threatening
England. His work as a patron of the arts, literature, and especially the
Church made him a beloved figure in England.
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1020 St. Bean made bishop
by Pope Benedict VIII
On December 16, there is named in the Roman Martyrology and in certain
Irish calendars a Saint Bean in Ireland, who had been confused with the St.
Bean whose feast is still observed in the Scottish diocese of Aberdeen, but
on October 26, as founder of the bishopric of Mortlach in Banff which was
the forerunner of that of Aberdeen. Nothing else is known about him. The
fourteenth century chronicler Fordun, states that he was made bishop by Pope
Benedict VIII, at the request of Malcolm Canmore, who is said to have founded
an episcopal monastery at Mortlach. If true, this would be between 1012 and
1024; but the See of Mortlach is generally said to date from 1063. St. Bean's
dwelling place is supposed to have been at Balvanie, near Mortlach (Bal-beni-mor,
"the dwelling of Bean the Great").
See the Acta Sanctorum, October, vol.
xi; and KSS., p. 277.
Bean
of Aberdeen B (AC) Died after 1012. Saint Bean was the first bishop of Mortlach
in Banff. In the 11th century the see became that of Aberdeen, Scotland (Benedictines,
Farmer).
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1031 Blessed Adalgott
of Dissentis a monk of Einsiedeln OSB Abbot (AC)
Saint Adalgott,
a monk of Einsiedeln, became abbot of Dissentis Monastery in Switzerland
in 1012 (Benedictines).
The Lady
Chapel of Einsiedeln is situated inside the abbey church and it houses the
Black Madonna. It was erected in exactly the same place where St. Meinrad
had built his hermitage. It was consecrated on September 14th in 948 by Konrad,
bishop of Konstanz. According to the legend, Christ appeard him in his dream
and consecrated the chapel himself.
Konrad therefore
refused to consecrate it again. Every year the Feast of the Miraculous Consecration
commerates this event on September 14th.
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1229 St. Fulk Scottish
Bishop of Pavia
Papíæ sancti Fulci Epíscopi.
At Pavia, Bishop St. Fulk.
Italy,
born in Piacenza, of Scottish descent.
After studying
in Paris, France, he became the bishop of Piacenza was then sent to Pavia
by Pope
Honorius III.
Fulk of Pavia
B (RM) Born at Piacenza, Italy, 1164; died 1229. Fulk's parents were Scottish.
He was appointed to a canonry in Piacenza. Then, after his studies in Paris,
he became archpriest and bishop of Piacenza. Six years later he was transferred
by Honorius III to the see of Pavia, which he occupied for 13 years (Benedictines).
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14th v. Saint Demetrius
of Tsilibinsk; founder of the Archangel Tsilibinsk wilderness monastery in
Vologda diocese, was a beloved disciple of St Stephen of Perm (April 26).
The monk built a church in honor of the Archangel Michael for the newly-converted.
Beneath this temple he dug out a cave and for a long time lived there in solitude.
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1483 Saint Theophilus
of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves and Archbishop of Novgorod
Chosen by
lot after the death of the holy hierarch Jonah (November 5). He was elevated
to the dignity of Archbishop of Novgorod on December 15, 1472 at Moscow. Until
his elevation, he had pursued asceticism in the Otensk monastery.
A harsh destiny
was allotted the saint in the guidance of the Novgorod flock. The mayor Martha
Boretskaya and her adherents stirred up and agitated the people against the
Great Prince of Moscow, Ivan III. The monk Pimen, a Boretskaya partisan, roused
enmity against the archbishop in the flock. Some of the Novgorod populace
were inclined to go over to the side of Lithuania. Unfaithful to the Moscow
principality, they were prepared to fall into apostasy.
St Theophilus
stopped the rebellious Novgorodians saying, “Do not betray Orthodoxy nor become
a flock of apostates. I'll go back to my humble cell, from which you drew
me out to the shame of rebellion.” This letter of disavowal
of the saint, written in 1479, is preserved. The short-sighted people did
not heed the words of the pastor, and a fratricidal war broke out between
Moscow and Novgorod. The defeated Novgorodians were compelled to beg for mercy,
and many of them owed their life to the intercession of the saint. In 1480,
St Theophilus was sent by Ivan III to prison in the Moscow Chudov monastery
and “he sat there a full three
years, and died there.”
By tradition,
when St Theophilus lay sick at the Chudov monastery, St Niphon of Novgorod
(April 8), who is buried in the Kiev Caves of St Anthony, appeared to him
in a dream. The saint reminded him of his promise to venerate the Kievan wonderworkers.
It is said that the holy archbishop went to Kiev, and just as he approached
the Dniepr his sickness increased. He received a revelation that although
he would not reach the Caves alive, his body would rest in them. This was
fulfilled.
His memory
is celebrated also with the Synaxis of the Saints of the Kiev Far Caves on
August 28, and on the Second Sunday of the Great Fast, with the Synaxis of
the Kiev Caves Fathers.
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1484 Blessed Damian dei
Fulcheri Hundreds of sinners repented by the force of his preaching miracles
worked at his tomb OP (AC) (also known as
Damian of Finario)
1484 BD DAMIAN OF FINARIO; was famous for
many miracles attributed to him after death
DAMIAN FURCHERI was born towards the
beginning of the fifteenth century at Perti, near Finario, which is now Finale
Borgo, not far from Genoa. Writers much later than his time record that as
an infant he was snatched away from his home by a lunatic, and only found
after a lengthy search by the aid of a miraculous light showing where the
child lay hidden.
He entered the Dominican
Order in his youth, and was renowned as a preacher in every part of Lombardy
and Liguria. He died in 1484 at Reggio, near Modena, and was there buried.
Bd Damian was famous for many miracles attributed to him after death. His
cultus was confirmed in 1848.
See the Acta Sanctorum, October, vol. xiii Année Dominicaine, vol. x, p. 733 Short Lives of
Dominican Saints, ed. Procter, pp. 301-302 Taurisano, Catalogus hagiographicus OP.,
p. 45.
Born
in Finario (Finale or Finarium near Genoa), Liguria, Italy; died near Modena
at Reggio d'Emilia, Italy, in 1484; cultus approved in 1848.
Damian was born of rich and noble parents at the end of the 14th century.
The only thing we know of his childhood was that as a baby he was kidnapped
by a madman. His parents prayed to the Blessed Virgin, and Damian was returned
unharmed. He took the Dominican habit at Savona, where he was a
diligent student. Once ordained, Damian became famous for his preaching, which
he did in nearly all the cities of Italy. Hundreds of sinners repented and
returned to God by the force of his preaching. Almost immediately upon his
death he became the object of pious veneration because of the miracles worked
at his tomb (Benedictines, Dorcy).
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1685 Saint
Demetrius of Basarbov in Bulgaria lived in the wilderness as an ascetic
near the city of Ruschuk, Bulgaria. On July 8, 1779 his relics were transferred
to Bucharest.
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1711 Blessed Bonaventure
of Potenza; Bonaventure’s devotion to our Lady was particularly directed towards
her as conceived without original sin (he lived nearly two hundred years
before that dogma was defined), and he would often express the wish that
he were another Duns Scotus that he might as effectively defend the truth
of the Immaculate Conception. died in an ecstasy singing psalms OFM (AC)
HE was born at Potenza in the kingdom
of Naples in 1651 and became a Conventual friar minor at Nocera. As an illustration
of the exact obedience that he gave to his superiors it is related that, the
key of the sacristy being lost, it was reported to be at the bottom of the
cistern, and Brother Bonaventure was told to get hook and line and fish it
out. This he did, and after angling for a time hauled up the key. This is
recorded of him as a miracle, but whether the miracle lay in the key being
transported into the cistern, or in the dexterity of Brother Bonaventure,
does not appear.
The eight years, which
he spent at Amalfi, was the most fruitful period of his life and he worked
there with great profit to the people and his own soul. Several times it
was proposed to make him guardian, but at his own earnest wish he was never
given any office of authority but that of master of novices. Bonaventure’s
devotion to our Lady was particularly directed towards her as conceived without
original sin (he lived nearly two hundred years before that dogma was defined),
and he would often express the wish that he were another Duns Scotus that
he might as effectively defend the truth of the Immaculate Conception.
Bonaventure
died at Ravello on October 26, 1711, and he is one of the saints of the
Naples district whose blood is recorded to have flowed freely after he was
dead. “It was the will of God that His servant should give an example of
obedience even after death. Long after he had expired, the bishop’s vicar
general asked the surgeon to bleed him in the arm, and he said, ‘Father Bonaventure,
give us your arm’. The body remained motionless, so turning to the superior
the vicar general said, ‘Father Guardian, command him in the name of holy
obedience to give us his arm’. No sooner had the guardian given the order
than the blessed man raised his right arm and presented it to the surgeon.
It may be imagined with what fear and admiration
the bystanders beheld this action” (Aureole Seraphique). From
the fuller evidence, which was at their disposal, the Bollandists have raised
a disturbing doubt as to whether Bd Bonaventure was actually dead when these
things happened. He was beatified in 1775.
In the Acta Sanctorum, October, vol. xii, Fr V. de Buck has compiled
a life from the material’s supplied in earlier biographies of this beatus, notably from the accounts published by G. M. Ruglio
(1754) and G. L. Rossi (1775). See also Léon, Auréole Séraphique
(Eng. trans.), vol. iii, pp. 423—429. In connection with the
blood prodigy referred to above, it is noteworthy that Bd Bonaventure died
at Ravello, a Neapolitan town, in which the annual liquefaction of the blood
of St Pantaleon rouses intense popular enthusiasm. See that saint under July
27 herein. A popular account of Bd Bonaventure was published at Ravello
in 1930.
Born
in Potenza, Napolitano. Bonaventure became a Franciscan at Nocera and spent
his life as a missioner in southern Italy, particularly in the area of Amalfi,
and as a novice master. He died in an ecstasy singing psalms (Benedictines).
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1819 Saint Joseph was a
monk of Dionysiou Monastery on Mt. Athos, where he shone forth with the virtues
of monastic life. He was an iconographer, and he painted the icon of the
holy Archangels on the iconostasis of Dionysiou's main church; arrested
threatened with death, In spite of many tortures, he refused to convert
to Islam.
In obedience to the instructions of Igumen Stephen, St Joseph traveled
to Constantinople with Eudocimus, who had apostasized from Orthodoxy to become
a Moslem. Eudocimus repented, and wished to wipe out his sin through martyrdom.
When faced with torture and death, however, the unfortunate Eudocimus denied
Christ again, blaming Joseph for turning him from Islam. St Joseph was
arrested and threatened with death. In spite of many tortures, he refused
to convert to Islam. This holy martyr of Christ was hanged on February 17,
1819, and so he obtained an incorruptible crown of glory.
Some sources list his commemoration
on February 17, while others list him on September 14 or October 26.
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1839 Blessed Dominic Doan (Xuyen)
beheaded with Blessed Thomas Du OP M (AC)
Born in Tonkin;
beatified in 1900. Dominic, member of the Dominican order, was beheaded with
Blessed Thomas Du (Benedictines).
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1902 Blessed Contardo Ferrini
patron of universities
Lifelong
layman in the archdiocese of Milan, Italy. Civil and canon lawyer. Teacher.
Secular Franciscan tertiary. Friend of Pope Pius XI.
Contardo
Ferrini was the son of a teacher who went on to become a learned man himself,
one acquainted with some dozen languages. Today he is known as the patron
of universities. Born in Milan b. 1859, he received a doctorate in law in
Italy and then earned a scholarship that enabled him to study Roman-Byzantine
law in Berlin. As a renowned legal expert, he taught in various schools of
higher education until he joined the faculty of the University of Pavia, where
he was considered an outstanding authority on Roman law.
Contardo
was learned about the faith he lived and loved. “Our life,” he said, “must reach out toward the
Infinite, and from that source we must draw whatever we can expect of merit
and dignity.” As a scholar he studied
the ancient biblical languages and read the Scriptures in them. His speeches
and papers show his understanding of the relationship of faith and science.
He attended daily Mass and became a lay Franciscan, faithfully observing the
Third Order rule of life. He also served through membership in the Society
of St. Vincent de Paul.
His
death in 1902 at the age of 43 occasioned letters from his fellow professors
that praised him as a saint; the people of Suna where he lived insisted that
he be declared a saint. Pope Pius XII beatified Contardo in 1947.
Comment: Thanks to
people like Contardo, our Church long ago laid to rest the idea that science
and faith are incompatible. We thank God for the many ways science has made
our lives better. All that remains to us is to help ensure that the rest of
the world, especially impoverished nations, gets to enjoy the fruits of scientific
advance.
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Make a Novena
and pray the Rosary to Our Lady of Victory 
Saints of this Day October 26 Séptimo Kaléndas Novémbris
Quote:
Pope Paul VI’s 1969 
Benedict
XVI met with Aram I Catholicos of
Cilicia, the highest authority of the Orthodox
Church. The
Pope remembered the martyrs of the Armenian
Church and the Armenian genocide, without
explicitly mentioning it, and denounced the persecution
of Christians in modern times.
Benedict XVI
As
we watch the spectacle of the world
seeming to self-destruct before our eyes,
we can’t help but be saddened and even frightened
by so much evil run rampant. Iraq, Lebanon, Afghanistan,
Somalia, North Korea—It is all a disaster
of epic proportions displayed in living color on
our television screens.